Simpler Staumelder: TrafficGauge

Tim O’Reilly ist ganz angetan davon:

How stupid does this thing look? A small handheld device about the size of a Treo or a Blackberry. On its face a low-res map of Bay Area freeways (other cities also available). Turn it on, and it stays on. When there’s no traffic, the map shows nothing. If traffic is slow, heavy dashed lines appear on the freeways affected. If it’s stop and go, the dashed lines flash. That’s it… But having a dedicated device is surprisingly useful. I keep it in my glove compartment, and pull it out when I’m in doubt about which route to take. It’s always on, and so there’s no user interface to fiddle with, just a quick glance. I find it particularly useful at times when you wouldn’t normally expect traffic — for example… What’s also interesting about this device is the very fact of its single purpose design, and the fact that its low-power display and sensors stay always on, running for months on a couple of AA batteries. It’s a sign that special purpose hardware providing access to internet data services may eventually be commonplace.

Auf der Herstellerseite:

TrafficGauge is the first and only real-time mobile traffic map that delivers traffic conditions right to the palm of your hand. Pinpoint traffic slowdowns to pick a quicker route. Shows current conditions as often as every 4 minutes. Covers the major freeways throughout the metropolitan area. Reliable traffic data from Caltrans, SpeedInfo & WSDOT.

Auf mich wirkt das Gerät praktisch-einfach, kein Firlefanz: Einschalten & nachschauen. Und der Preis? 80 USD + 7 USD/Nutzungsgebühr. Soll heissen, dass es das Gerät nur in den USA zu kaufen gibt. Und nur dort genutzt werden kann. Gibt es sowas noch nicht in good old Germany? Nö, oder?