Window to the Soul

John Payne, former head of the progressive melodic rock flagship Asia, did magic with albums such as Aqua and Aria, both of which are considered milestones in the world of sophisticated rock music. Now, with Window To The Soul, Payne celebrates and enjoys a stunning kick-off with the GPS debut, leaving no questions unsaid with regard to song writing and production. Payne recruited the talents of SpockÂ's BeardÂ's keyboard wizard Ryo Okumoto to ensure the fullest from this new and exciting project. Window To The Soul is classic melodic prog rock with influences from the 70Â's and contemporary sounds; real ear candy for music lovers!
Customer Review: It is SOOOO good!!!
I love the Payne era ASIA. I kid you not that this CD has been in my SUV for over 2 months and I cannot stop listening to it. I would compare it somewhat to the CD ARIA in that it approaches the ASIA sound from a more hard rock avenue. I also hear alot of stuff like the song FREE off of AURA (my favorite ASIA cd of all time). The guitar playing by Govan is off the charts on the CD and I think the new Keyboardist sounds as good as Geoff Downes has ever sounded. No offense to MR. Downes but it is just that good!! The melodies are superb and I like the longer songs. I agree with the one reviewer that said that John Payne oversings now and again but that does not deter me from giving it a strong five stars. One of the best purchases I have made in 2007!!!!
Customer Review: JOHN PAYNE & GPS deliver an album of powerful, passionate Prog-Rock & AOR. One of the finest releases of 2006.
As most reading this review will probably already know, "Window To the Soul" is the debut album from GPS, a band born out of the ashes of (the latter-day incarnation of) rock supergroup ASIA - featuring ex-Asia members John Payne (lead vocals, bass), Guthrie Govan (guitar)and Jay Schellen (drums), joined by new keyboard player Ryo Okumoto (Spock's Beard). Now, just to give you an idea of the perspective from which I am writting this review...Like many, I was extremely disappointed when the news first came across the Asiaworld website that Geoff Downes and John Payne had disolved their creative relationship, with Downes leaving to participate in a reunion tour with the original Asia line-up. While I enjoyed the original Asia band back in their heyday, I must say that over the years I have come to heavily prefer the John Payne-era. In fact, I believe Payne, with his soulful voice and thoughtful lyrics, gave the band a creative shot in the arm at a time when they could have just as easily turned into an irrelevant nostalgia act. Between 1994 and 2006 I saw the Payne-led Asia in concert five times, looked-forward to each new CD upon its release, met most of the band members, and even helped to arrange one of their acoustic "Asia Across America" dates. So, you could say I am something of a fanatic for Payne-era Asia. While others are certainly free to disagree, I honestly believe that Asia produced their most creative, progressive, and diverse music with Payne at the healm - with "Aura" and "Silent Nation" standing as the best albums of their career...So, how does the new band, GPS, stack up against the best work of Asia??? Incredibly well, I'm happy to report - but this is a band that, thankfully, does more than simply live up to past glories. While several of the recognizable hallmarks of Payne-era Asia are evident throughout this album, there are also some new elements to the sound that help to give GPS their own identity as a band. For one, many of the the song structures are much more progressive & dynamic - with several "epic" pieces clocking in the 8 to 10 minute range. The instrumental breaks are, likewise, more nusanced and complex. There is also a heavier, more agressive side to some of the music, but thankfully the heavy bits are infused with a strong sense of melody and song-craft, and never devolve into the annoying heavy metal "shreading" that weighs down the work of some of GPS' Inside Out labelmates. As for the indivdual performances - John Payne's distinctive voice is, as usual, quite stunning on this album, and his performances are full of passion, humanity, and (quite often) some aggressive grit! Payne's bass work also seems much more prominant in this new band. Drummer Jay Schellen (also known for his work with prog bands World Trade and Conspiracy) turns in some of his most impressive work to date, and helps add a lot of dynamic thunder to the arrangements. Guthrie Govan gets much more room to stretch out as a soloist than he did on the "Silent Nation" or "America" CDs, and his dexterious (but melodic) fret-work adds vibrant color to every track. Not being much of a Spock's Beard fan, I was initially worried about how Ryo Okumoto might fit into this band - but I now must admit he does an EXCELLENT job here! Ryo does not try to mimic Geoff Downes style at all, but brings a slightly more experimental, quirky keyboard sound to the band (just one more thing that helps to give GPS a distinct identity apart from Asia.) Ryo has some impressive solo spots throughout the album, and proves that he is indeed the right man for the job! Lyrically, this album continues Payne's exploration of spiritual and moral themes (see "New Jerusalem", "Written On the Wind", and the title track)- as well as continuing the tradition of powerful anti-war sentiments that have been a running-thread through nearly every Asia album ("The Objector" tells the story of a young conscientious objector who is forced onto the battlefield against his will and is tragically killed.) There are also a few standard rock & roll "relationship" lyrics ("Since You've Been Gone", "Gold"), but Payne is such an interesting writer that even his lighter fare has a strong emotional undertone. As for picking favorite songs; this is a bit difficult as I literally love every track on the album. But if I was hard-pressed, I would say that "New Jerusalem" and "Taken Dreams" are two tracks that nicely sum up everything that is great about this band...In closing, while the sudden disbanding of Payne-era Asia was unfortunate, I'm very glad to see that Payne, Govan, and Schellen have continued together to create some of the most creative, challenging music of their careers, rather than heading in a more commercially "safe" direction. As for the original Asia reunion??? Well, to put things in perspective, the newest song in their concert set list is from 1983! Let Downes and company have their nostalgia tours - but it's GPS that I choose to support with my time and money. All in all, "Window To the Soul" is a must for fans of John Payne, and also highly recommended to general Progeressive Rock/AOR fans.

What is Spot anyway? Let's try to give it a simple explanation. We all know what a GPS is and how it can and is used. A GPS will certainly get us where we want to go and do so very accurately and we will know exactly where we are. A GPS will not tell anyone else where we are even if we need to tell someone. OK, we all have a cell phone and we can take the GPS data and give it to someone on our cell phone. That is just fine as long as we in fact have some cell phone connectivity. Maybe we don't have cell phone connectivity but still need to tell someone where we are. That is where SPOT gps personal tracker comes in. A SPOT gps personal tracker will not get us where we want to go but will tell the world where we are and even tell the world the relative degree of help we might need or just to tell someone we are OK. Let's look at some ways SPOT gps personal tracker can effectively be used and provide you with some good reasons to buy SPOT.

An obvious one - for the outdoor adventurer

Anyone who goes off the beaten path either on foot or some sort of mechanized vehicle may from time to time find themselves in need of emergency help either because of some sort of mechanical failure, personal injury (any medical emergency) and find no cell phone connectivity. SPOT will alert the necessary personnel and get the help you need as quickly as possible. Emergency personnel will be able to locate you within 20 feet and do so without spending days and thousands of dollars attempting to find you. You need SPOT.

Less than obvious - anyone

While you may not consider yourself to be an outdoor adventurer, you may find yourself in a situation where you have had an accident, or need immediate medical assistance. Or you might find yourself in a life threatening situation such as a blizzard, flood or avalanche. You may or may not be able to use your cell phone but even if you could, maybe you don't even know exactly where you are to tell someone. You need SPOT.

Maybe you want to be a little clever

Upgrade your SPOT gps personal tracker to include the tracking option. At that point you can track anyone or anything virtually anyplace in the world - all over the internet. If it is a person you are tracking you can enjoy seeing the progress made. If it is a piece of equipment which someone has taken without permission, this too can be tracked right to its exact location for recovery. All of this can be done very easily since the device weighs only 7.3 ounces and place exactly where you need and want it. You need SPOT.

By: Dennis Brekke

TomTom ONE XL-S 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

With Text-to-Speech selector, TomTom One XL-S offers you the option of listening to GPS instructions instead of reading them. It's like having a guide. TomTom's award-winning software with Map Share and Help Me! and maps for United States and Canada help getting where you want to go easier than easy. The TomTom ONE XL-S portable navigator features a large, easy-to-read 4.3" widescreen touch display for hassle-free navigation. It comes preloaded with maps and future map updates are covered with new SD Secure Digital cards or downloads from TomTom, so you won't have to worry about your maps and features going out of date. Simply enter your destination on the ONE XL-S's touchscreen, and choose text-to-speech technology. It will guide you with turn-by-turn voice prompts, which speak actual street names. Multi-destination programming helps find the fastest way to run all your errands in one trip, or ask the ONE XL-S to find the quickest or shortest route, then follow the 2-D or 3-D map display to your destination. It truly is an interactive driving partner! Is Bluetooth 2.0 compatible Ready for TomTom PLUS traffic information services (you must have a separate device compatible with both GPRS and Bluetooth) ? available in most major urban areas Unit Dimensions 4-3/4W x 3-7/16H x 1-3/16D; weight - 7.3 oz.
Customer Review: What good is it if you cannot see it?
I bought the Tom Tom One XlS after reading the reviews. It is easy to use and the software interface is intuitive, the voice is very clear, the instructions are very good and it is easy to mount. However, the unit has two serious flaws. It claims that the maps are up-to-date, but it still indicates features, such as unpaved roads, that are at least ten years old. The other flaw, fatal in my opinion, is that it is impossible to see the screen if there is sun and if you have sunglasses on, it is even worse. What good is a map that you cannot see? I tried many positions in the car, even on the dashboard where preinstalled GPS are placed; nothing! I called their technical service and their CSR spent 30 minutes trying to improve the brightness to no avail. I think there is no way to improve this, the guy just hung up on me when he got tired of faking he could fix it; it is just the result of a bad design. I have used a Nuvi before, and did not have that problem. I should have bought one, but this unit was on sale. F. Rodriguez Cincinnati area.
Customer Review: TEXT-TO-SPEECH AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE
At long last TomTom has released a GPS model that incorporates a text-to-speech feature at an affordable price. This has been what most TomTom customers have been waiting for. The original TomTom One was first introduced to consumers roughly two years ago and was in direct competition with the Garmin Nuvi 350 model. One of customers major gripes was that the TomTom One lacked the popular text-to-speech feature that the Garmin Nuvi 350 had. It seems that in a two short year span the TomTom One has come a long way with adding features and (with GPS becoming more popular) lowering prices. The TomTom One XL-S is, in a way, the first of its kind. It is the first TomTom GPS device to offer text-to-speech (verbal pronunciation of street names) at a price tag of under $300.00. This is good news for consumers not looking to invest too much cash into a GPS but wanting this convenient feature. For those who are unfamiliar with past TomTom One devices this text-to-speech comes in handy when not wanting to take your eyes off the road. For example: lets say you are driving on an unacquainted, busy freeway. Traffic is moving at 70mph in four lanes all around you, your exit is close but given the circumstances you have to keep watching traffic and don't get an opportunity to glance down at your trusty TomTom. Ordinarily you would simply hear you TomTom One say "Exit Right" as you approached your off-ramp. But with the new TomTom One XL-S the street names will be heard as well as illuminated on the screen. So instead of hearing "Exit Right" you will hear "Exit Right On War Memorial Drive". A very convenient way to keep your eye on the road and know exactly where you are at all times. Aside from the text-to-speech feature this particular TomTom One comes with a widescreen for easy viewing. I personally have never had any trouble reading the 3.5 inch screen of the original TomTom One but I'm sure a lot of consumers will love the new 4.3 inch widescreen display. All the new features of the TomTom One 3rd Edition are included here as well. You get the "Help Me" button which when pressed opens features such as "Phone For Help" which displays emergency numbers for the current location (such as and typically 911) "Drive To Help" which show you the quickest way to the nearest police station or hospital and a "First Aid Guide" which is provided by the British Red Cross. Also included in the safety features is an option to sound a custom alarm if any of the following occur: 1. When approaching a school or church 2. When driving faster than a set speed 3. When driving faster than allowed A nice addition to the TomTom One XL-S is the ability to make your own map corrections. For example the city I live in recently shut down an existing department store and rebuilt a Super Center about a mile down the road about 3 months ago. Because of this recent change the Points Of Interest database had to be updated. I simply used the "Map Correction" feature to edit and move the existing Point Of Interest to its correct location on the map. Very convenient. The "Map Correction" feature also allows users to (Un)block A Street, Reverse Traffic Direction, Edit Street Names, Add Missing POI, and Report Other Errors Compared to the many GPS devices I've used (including Garmin products) I've personally found that TomTom has the edge as far as map accuracy and route planning. This new TomTom One XL-S is another break through in TomTom technology that would be perfect for anyone looking to either upgrade from a previous GPS or for first-time GPS buyers looking to save themselves the headaches of getting lost in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Included in the box is: - The TomTom One XL-S - (1) Car Charger - Documentation Pack (Quick Start Guide, Installation Poster, Accessories Catalog, and Warranty/License Agreement) - (1) Windshield Mount - (1) USB Cable - (1) Adhesive Disk For Windshield Mount (for mounting the TomTom to your dash)

A handheld portable GPS unit is not really what you think it is. In GPS terminology a handheld GPS and a portable GPS are 2 different things. A handheld GPS is a small handheld device like a radio, or a wristwatch with GPS technology. A portable GPS is a unit that you can move from vehicle to vehicle if you do a lot of traveling. Portable meaning it is not permanently mounted in a certain vehicle. That way you won't get lost no matter what city you are in.

Handheld GPS receivers are now available in small units that can fit into your pocket. These units are used by skiers, bikers, hikers, and cross country enthusiasts to track progress, map return routes, save routes for later travel, and many other applications. One of the newest past times of handheld GPS users is geocaching. Geocaching is a treasure hunt using GPS to find and hide treasure containers with others. 21st century treasure hunting. Isn't that cool.

Although these units can be fun, they are also very handy in an emergency. Using Global Positioning System technology you can pinpoint your location in case of an accident, or if you get lost in the wilderness. And they fit easily in a backpack or pocket.

As with any electronic instrument these units are available with many different features. These features include: Map database; Voice activated GPS; WAAS technology, Reflection-less screen; Theft prevention functions; an option for personalized screen icons; and MP3 capability. However a unit around $100 will give you everything you need to do some hiking or backpacking and find your way home.

Different models will vary according to the GPS software and database installed. To facilitate the enjoyment of the interactive GPS unit, all the models have the basic instructions on the display screen. Most handheld GPS models come with instructions that will enable you to hear the information put out as well as read it on the screen.

Personal choice will determine which handheld GPS receiver you choose. Your choice will depend on the type of software and mapping programs that suit your requirements. Also the receiver's size, weight, and choice of internal or external antenna are things that will matter to you. It will depend on what will fit your requirements and your budget. Most units are waterproof or water-resistant and many are shock resistant in case it gets dropped.

These units will provide you with excellent basic GPS navigation whether you are in a car, on a motorcycle, or on foot.

Wayne MacLean is an avid hiker, snowshoeing enthusiast, and loves the outdoors. He is a writer for both online and offline businesses.

http://www.best-gps-info.com/handheld-portable-gps.html