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to take a direct path, requiring them to navigate around impassable areas of brush or boulders. By switching back and forth between the topo and satellite map views Adam was able to determine the most obstruction-free way to reach each flag. As they continued up the mountain, Alice took meticulous notes on the testing results, but for the most part the LANav functioned flawlessly, never seeming to lose a signal even though their GPS receivers had done so several times. After the first three flags, Alice took over the testing to contribute her feedback on usability. She found that the device was capable of displaying a hybrid map that combined the satellite view with the topographic map, so they no longer had to switch back and forth between display modes. Alice also discovered a PLOT BEST ROUTE function, which automatically calculated an optimum route for them to take to reach a waypoint, avoiding obstacles in their path without taking detours or backtracking. She found that when this function was enabled, a blinking arrow appeared on the LCD map guiding her along the calculated route. If she deviated from the suggested path, the unit would beep, letting her know she was off course, and offer to recalculate her route.
    “I don’t know yet how well the LANav will perform in space, but it’s a hiker’s dream come true, and geocachers would love it—no thinking required, just follow the arrow!” said Alice.
    “I never asked Dr. Odan what the retail price on the unit was going to be, but I’d guess it to be beyond the pocketbook of the average geocacher,” said Adam. “They might have to wait a while for a consumer version. Maybe they’ll just license out the technology to other manufacturers.”
    Adam radioed Tom and Sal to let them know they would meet up at the next flag, where together they would descend back down to Mountaintown Creek trail. When they arrived, they took a few moments to discuss the performance of the TSO LANav and how the test report would read.
    Alice said, “We encountered zero failures, and so far for terrestrial navigation the LANav has proven to be more accurate than even our reference instrument. So far, it’s the most flawlessly performing prototype device I’ve ever tested. There are a couple usability issues I can comment on, like adjusting the menu structure to make primary functions more accessible, but that’s a minor issue. Especially considering that we are able to use the device effectively without a user manual. For such a sophisticated device, it is amazingly intuitive. If it continues to perform as well as it has, the final report is going to read more like a glowing review than a test report.”
    “This morning’s testing certainly has been impressive,” replied Adam. “Remember, we are testing independently. We’re not being rated on the number of issues we find, so there is no pressure to find problems if there really aren’t any. We’ve all been in the position where we felt we had to find problems to justify our jobs. Dr. Odan assured me he is expecting an honest evaluation, not nitpicking just for the sake of finding problems. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled if our report shows that his product is perfect, but we’ve only just begun, so there is lots of functionality still to explore. I also believe that as a researcher he is most anxious for the results of our anomaly beacon testing since that will give him data on something entirely new and unexplored.
    “I’ll be checking in with him later today to give him a progress report. For now, let’s head back to the main trail and scope out our campsite for tonight.”
    Tom and Sal convinced Adam to set a few flags for them to find, both wanting to get some hands on time with the LANav. Adam and Alice headed off in the direction of the trail, planting flags for them along the way. By the time they all met again at the creek trail, both Sal and Tom were beaming with enthusiasm about all the possible applications the