10 ms·

It's a great story but kind of gross the way Garmin slides in an ad for its products being supposedly easy to use even for people who haven't used them before

by yafbum 4y ago

tobyjsullivan 4y ago
It’s not smooth but not terrible considering this is corporate blog content, not journalism. At least they link to the original article which, after a quick scan, seems much better written. https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/life/how-a-fishermans-own-boat-rescued-him-from-drowning https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/life/how-a-fisherman...
- victor9000 4y ago
  Much better link, thanks!
- KennyBlanken 4y ago
  Reader's Digest is not "journalism." They take a fairly simple and straightforward event and embellish the hell out of it to make into some grand tale, keeping it at about a 5th grade reading level. Compare and contrast the story to the local TV station writeup: https://www.wistv.com/2021/07/07/father-son-rescue-missing-boater-37-miles-off-wrightsville-beach-coast/ https://www.wistv.com/2021/07/07/father-son-rescue-missing-b... Two fishermen see a boat with nobody piloting it, alert the coast guard, follow the breadcrumb trail on the GPS unit, and find the boat's owner. Owner is OK. This story is why you wear the safety disconnect cord, or purchase a cable-less shutoff system that uses an radio-beacon fob you wear. Or, you don't go deep-water solo...
  - tobyjsullivan 4y ago
    Perhaps journalism wasn’t the word I should have used there. What would you call writing about factual events in a way that makes them interesting to read? That said, I don’t think captivating writing is outside the bounds of true journalism. Some might argue that’s what journalism is supposed to be. I.e., “here’s an interesting event and here’s why it’s interesting.”
snemvalts 4y ago
Learned from the best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHj5kGU4fY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHj5kGU4fY
sitzkrieg 4y ago
yea this was quite the heartstrings pulling ... advertisement
gamblor956 4y ago
But apparently it's okay when Apple convinces millions of unprepared people that their iphone will save them if they get lost or in trouble in the wilderness? The Apple "safety" features have cost more lives than they've saved due to first responders wasting time on fake iAlerts that keep them away from real emergencies.
- _cenw 4y ago
  The car crash detection, maybe. The fall detection seemed to have been a success though.
- mvkel 4y ago
  A woman used the SOS feature recently to get rescued, so .. yes?
- loloquwowndueo 4y ago
  Who said it’s okay? All the media coverage I have seen point to this iPhone feature being a pain in the ass for first responders (skiers generating an inordinate amount of fake calls). Also, please point to hard data and all the lives this has actually cost.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    The ski falling story has been making the rounds. And I can certainly see skiing as a fertile source for false fall detection alerts. I would (try to remember to) disable it if I were downhill skiing if I otherwise had it active--which I don't. (And really haven't decided if I should or shouldn't.) But I also haven't actually seen data that this is a genuine problem much less one that is overwhelming emergency services and causing widespread carnage. As for the satellite SOS, actual search and rescue people I've talked to have been of the opinion that they'd rather someone who is in trouble or thinks they're in trouble reach out for help sooner rather than later. It doesn't mean a full-scale rescue needs to be mounted. Someone can often be talked through what their problem is. It's also not like people didn't already have this capability so long as they were in cell phone coverage.
_cenw 4y ago
My next thought was "are Garmin and Gatorade associated?".
mvkel 4y ago
It's on their own website. Can you blame them for promoting their own product? Marketing isn't journalism.
- yafbum 4y ago
  Here's a header that fixes it: "We at Garmin believe it's essential for our products to be easy to use, and can be lifesaving. Here's a story that illustrates it." Not hard to add instead of starting it like your just going to tell a story.
  - mvkel 4y ago
    So be even more self-promotional? Can't please everyone...
TheRealPomax 4y ago
It's... on their site? Not sure I'd object to the company publishing the story advertising for themselves. If NYT or WaPo can go "nope, you've read enough, buy a subscription", Garmin can unobtrusively go "hey thanks for reading, consider buying something we make" =D
10x_contrarian 4y ago
> had the Garmin technology been less intuitive for an unfamiliar boater in a stressful situation — this story could’ve ended so much differently This line made me look at the URL and realize I was reading an advertisement.
- iso1631 4y ago
  > The boat had a Garmin GPS marine system, and while Andrew said he hadn’t been familiar with Garmin units prior to that, it was easy to use, allowing him to figure it out quickly. Got me
  - jacurtis 4y ago
    The article ended with: > Andrew Sherman has since upgraded his tech on his own boat. > “I bought a Garmin unit because I was so impressed with Sascha’s,” he said. Definitely written to remind us all that Garmin GPS are easy to use. Oh yeah, someone's life was saved, but don't lose track on the shiny touchscreen GPS haha.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- userbinator 4y ago
  I saw the URL before reading the article, and was basically expecting the product placement as a punchline.
qup 4y ago
When your easy-to-use interface saves a man's life, I think you get a pass for one story.
- mynameisvlad 4y ago
  Realistically, any GPS system would have done the same, whether you have to touch a screen or push buttons. Wayfinding is like one of the most basic of features on these units.
  - sitkack 4y ago
    With one touch delete of GPS history, these two would be heros sealed his fate while stumbling through our hierarchy of menus. Upon returning to civilization and entering their story in the corporate bug tracker, their feature request was denied, as better history retention is in the +Pro model.
    - mynameisvlad 4y ago
      Anybody that has dealt with a marine GPS units can handle all of them. These aren’t sophisticated interfaces and the features they offer for the most part is standardized. It’s not like it controls a spaceship or something, it’s just a GPS unit. Would a random passerby potentially fuck things up? Maybe, but realistically probably not. Would the guy that just jumped from moving boat to moving boat? No, they have obviously seen and used one of these before. > Upon returning to civilization and entering their story in the corporate bug tracker, their feature request was denied, as better history retention is in the +Pro model. Garmin, like practically every company out there, is well known to hide features behind premium models. Not sure exactly what point it is you’re trying to make but Garmin isn’t a magical snowflake who doesn’t partake in this practice.
  - alar44 4y ago
    How dare a company advertise their features with an interesting story! Get a grip.
    - 4y ago
gist 4y ago
> but kind of gross the way Garmin slides in an ad for its products Gross? So we have a company that is in business to make money and employs people and spends money at other companies (that employ and give people jobs). And they can't do obvious marketing. And take advantage of a good opportunity to plug their product? Everybody and every company just has to be for the common good? Be humble no bragging and the world will be a path to your door?
- mynameisvlad 4y ago
  They certainly can. And people are certainly able to comment on how hamfisted the marketing is. Freedom of speech and all that.
  - brewdad 4y ago
    It’s a corporate blog. What do you expect them to write? “The features of our GPS allowed a passerby to save an overboard boater. Really any generic GPS unit from Walmart would have done the same though.”
    - mynameisvlad 4y ago
      As I said, they're certainly free to say whatever they want to say. But people are free to criticize what they chose to write. A less hamfisted approach would, for instance, remove the quotes from the guy which were clearly prompted by the PR folks at Garmin.
beefman 4y ago
A little tacky, but bad UI does have consequences. Garmin UIs have always been fantastic in my experience.
duxup 4y ago
The story is on garmin.com ... call me crazy but I don't find this the least bit "gross".
- renewiltord 4y ago
  I'm with you. All this cringe culture stuff is really too much. It's been really annoying lately. Some sort of weird Puritan outbreak.
- yafbum 4y ago
  It would be much better to own up the pitch upfront. Like, start with a line at the top saying something like "We at Garmin believe it's essential for our products to be easy to use, and can be lifesaving. Here's a story that shows what we mean... " Instead the content _reads_ like a story about someone about to lose their life at sea. It's not a big lift but would likely make a big change to the perception I (and apparently others) have of this piece.
killjoywashere 4y ago
What?! If you invented something that saved a life, you bet your ass you'd be putting that on your company blog! Your post is not in the spirit of HN.
- lostlogin 4y ago
  Anti advertising, anti big corporate and a negative slant on a feel good-story? It’s completely HN. It just lacks a more efficient search pattern recommendation and a blockchain reference. Turns our the guy treading water also used a very calorie inefficient leg stroke too.
  - renewiltord 4y ago
    Have we considered discussing what would happen on this page if Javascript were to be disabled?
kylehotchkiss 4y ago
Garmin has a rep for difficult to use devices so if they worked hard enough on this one that it could be used to save a guys life (which it was! The track was mission critical for this save), they get to brag a little about their role. This kind of story might even ingrain better UI as a priority inside their org which would be good for all their future customers

It's a great story but kind of gross the way Garmin slides in an ad for its products being supposedly easy to use even for people who haven't used them before

by yafbum 4y ago

It's a great story but kind of gross the way Garmin slides in an ad for its products being supposedly easy to use even for people who haven't used them before

tobyjsullivan 4y ago

It’s not smooth but not terrible considering this is corporate blog content, not journalism. At least they link to the original article which, after a quick scan, seems much better written. https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/life/how-a-fishermans-own-boat-rescued-him-from-drowning https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/life/how-a-fisherman...

victor9000 4y ago
Much better link, thanks!
KennyBlanken 4y ago
Reader's Digest is not "journalism." They take a fairly simple and straightforward event and embellish the hell out of it to make into some grand tale, keeping it at about a 5th grade reading level. Compare and contrast the story to the local TV station writeup: https://www.wistv.com/2021/07/07/father-son-rescue-missing-boater-37-miles-off-wrightsville-beach-coast/ https://www.wistv.com/2021/07/07/father-son-rescue-missing-b... Two fishermen see a boat with nobody piloting it, alert the coast guard, follow the breadcrumb trail on the GPS unit, and find the boat's owner. Owner is OK. This story is why you wear the safety disconnect cord, or purchase a cable-less shutoff system that uses an radio-beacon fob you wear. Or, you don't go deep-water solo...
- tobyjsullivan 4y ago
  Perhaps journalism wasn’t the word I should have used there. What would you call writing about factual events in a way that makes them interesting to read? That said, I don’t think captivating writing is outside the bounds of true journalism. Some might argue that’s what journalism is supposed to be. I.e., “here’s an interesting event and here’s why it’s interesting.”

snemvalts 4y ago

Learned from the best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHj5kGU4fY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHj5kGU4fY

sitzkrieg 4y ago

yea this was quite the heartstrings pulling ... advertisement

gamblor956 4y ago

But apparently it's okay when Apple convinces millions of unprepared people that their iphone will save them if they get lost or in trouble in the wilderness? The Apple "safety" features have cost more lives than they've saved due to first responders wasting time on fake iAlerts that keep them away from real emergencies.

_cenw 4y ago
The car crash detection, maybe. The fall detection seemed to have been a success though.
mvkel 4y ago
A woman used the SOS feature recently to get rescued, so .. yes?
loloquwowndueo 4y ago
Who said it’s okay? All the media coverage I have seen point to this iPhone feature being a pain in the ass for first responders (skiers generating an inordinate amount of fake calls). Also, please point to hard data and all the lives this has actually cost.
- ghaff 4y ago
  The ski falling story has been making the rounds. And I can certainly see skiing as a fertile source for false fall detection alerts. I would (try to remember to) disable it if I were downhill skiing if I otherwise had it active--which I don't. (And really haven't decided if I should or shouldn't.) But I also haven't actually seen data that this is a genuine problem much less one that is overwhelming emergency services and causing widespread carnage. As for the satellite SOS, actual search and rescue people I've talked to have been of the opinion that they'd rather someone who is in trouble or thinks they're in trouble reach out for help sooner rather than later. It doesn't mean a full-scale rescue needs to be mounted. Someone can often be talked through what their problem is. It's also not like people didn't already have this capability so long as they were in cell phone coverage.

_cenw 4y ago

My next thought was "are Garmin and Gatorade associated?".

mvkel 4y ago

It's on their own website. Can you blame them for promoting their own product? Marketing isn't journalism.

yafbum 4y ago
Here's a header that fixes it: "We at Garmin believe it's essential for our products to be easy to use, and can be lifesaving. Here's a story that illustrates it." Not hard to add instead of starting it like your just going to tell a story.
- mvkel 4y ago
  So be even more self-promotional? Can't please everyone...

TheRealPomax 4y ago

It's... on their site? Not sure I'd object to the company publishing the story advertising for themselves. If NYT or WaPo can go "nope, you've read enough, buy a subscription", Garmin can unobtrusively go "hey thanks for reading, consider buying something we make" =D

10x_contrarian 4y ago

> had the Garmin technology been less intuitive for an unfamiliar boater in a stressful situation — this story could’ve ended so much differently This line made me look at the URL and realize I was reading an advertisement.

iso1631 4y ago
> The boat had a Garmin GPS marine system, and while Andrew said he hadn’t been familiar with Garmin units prior to that, it was easy to use, allowing him to figure it out quickly. Got me
- jacurtis 4y ago
  The article ended with: > Andrew Sherman has since upgraded his tech on his own boat. > “I bought a Garmin unit because I was so impressed with Sascha’s,” he said. Definitely written to remind us all that Garmin GPS are easy to use. Oh yeah, someone's life was saved, but don't lose track on the shiny touchscreen GPS haha.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
userbinator 4y ago
I saw the URL before reading the article, and was basically expecting the product placement as a punchline.

qup 4y ago

When your easy-to-use interface saves a man's life, I think you get a pass for one story.

mynameisvlad 4y ago
Realistically, any GPS system would have done the same, whether you have to touch a screen or push buttons. Wayfinding is like one of the most basic of features on these units.
- sitkack 4y ago
  With one touch delete of GPS history, these two would be heros sealed his fate while stumbling through our hierarchy of menus. Upon returning to civilization and entering their story in the corporate bug tracker, their feature request was denied, as better history retention is in the +Pro model.
  - mynameisvlad 4y ago
    Anybody that has dealt with a marine GPS units can handle all of them. These aren’t sophisticated interfaces and the features they offer for the most part is standardized. It’s not like it controls a spaceship or something, it’s just a GPS unit. Would a random passerby potentially fuck things up? Maybe, but realistically probably not. Would the guy that just jumped from moving boat to moving boat? No, they have obviously seen and used one of these before. > Upon returning to civilization and entering their story in the corporate bug tracker, their feature request was denied, as better history retention is in the +Pro model. Garmin, like practically every company out there, is well known to hide features behind premium models. Not sure exactly what point it is you’re trying to make but Garmin isn’t a magical snowflake who doesn’t partake in this practice.
- alar44 4y ago
  How dare a company advertise their features with an interesting story! Get a grip.
  - 4y ago

gist 4y ago

> but kind of gross the way Garmin slides in an ad for its products Gross? So we have a company that is in business to make money and employs people and spends money at other companies (that employ and give people jobs). And they can't do obvious marketing. And take advantage of a good opportunity to plug their product? Everybody and every company just has to be for the common good? Be humble no bragging and the world will be a path to your door?

mynameisvlad 4y ago
They certainly can. And people are certainly able to comment on how hamfisted the marketing is. Freedom of speech and all that.
- brewdad 4y ago
  It’s a corporate blog. What do you expect them to write? “The features of our GPS allowed a passerby to save an overboard boater. Really any generic GPS unit from Walmart would have done the same though.”
  - mynameisvlad 4y ago
    As I said, they're certainly free to say whatever they want to say. But people are free to criticize what they chose to write. A less hamfisted approach would, for instance, remove the quotes from the guy which were clearly prompted by the PR folks at Garmin.

beefman 4y ago

A little tacky, but bad UI does have consequences. Garmin UIs have always been fantastic in my experience.

duxup 4y ago

The story is on garmin.com ... call me crazy but I don't find this the least bit "gross".

renewiltord 4y ago
I'm with you. All this cringe culture stuff is really too much. It's been really annoying lately. Some sort of weird Puritan outbreak.
yafbum 4y ago
It would be much better to own up the pitch upfront. Like, start with a line at the top saying something like "We at Garmin believe it's essential for our products to be easy to use, and can be lifesaving. Here's a story that shows what we mean... " Instead the content _reads_ like a story about someone about to lose their life at sea. It's not a big lift but would likely make a big change to the perception I (and apparently others) have of this piece.

killjoywashere 4y ago

What?! If you invented something that saved a life, you bet your ass you'd be putting that on your company blog! Your post is not in the spirit of HN.

lostlogin 4y ago
Anti advertising, anti big corporate and a negative slant on a feel good-story? It’s completely HN. It just lacks a more efficient search pattern recommendation and a blockchain reference. Turns our the guy treading water also used a very calorie inefficient leg stroke too.
- renewiltord 4y ago
  Have we considered discussing what would happen on this page if Javascript were to be disabled?

kylehotchkiss 4y ago

Garmin has a rep for difficult to use devices so if they worked hard enough on this one that it could be used to save a guys life (which it was! The track was mission critical for this save), they get to brag a little about their role. This kind of story might even ingrain better UI as a priority inside their org which would be good for all their future customers