Tasteless, yet sweet: custom voices for your GPS unit

Devin Coldewey

Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts he’d like you to read: The Dangers of Externalizing Knowledge | Generation i | Surveillant Society | Choose Two | Frame Wars | The User’s Manifesto | Our Great Sin His personal website is coldewey.cc. → Learn More

Saturday, September 27th, 2008


I have no doubt these custom voices for your TomTom or Garmin GPS cease to be entertaining after, oh, about three blocks, but if you’ve got money to burn, go for it.
Most are groaningly bad, but they have their functions:

GlaDOS: good litmus test for whether people you’re with are huge nerds.
Pimp or sexy lady voice: good test for whether you’re a raging misogynist (or closet prostitute).
Yoda: Eh, why not?

If you’re curious but poor (or care to exercise good taste, like me), you can listen to samples, so at the very least you can laugh at W saying “arrived at destantination. Mission accomplished,” which is funny even though the Bush imitator is only passable.

blog comments powered by Disqus