Compare GPS Navigation Systems

If you are considering the purchase of a GPS navigation device, you will certainly want to compare the many different brands and models available. There are thousands of GPS navigation units on the market from specialized sports based units, to hand held units to the standard vehicle dashboard types. Regardless of what type you are shopping for, you will wonder how you ever got along without one after you try them out.

Your first step in shopping is to decide exactly what your main use of GPS is going to be. This will enable you to narrow down your choices. My first GPS navigation unit was a Garmin GPS incorporated into a palm pilot. This really seemed like a good idea but for a couple of irritating annoyances. When purchased, the Garmin Palm pilot model also required a car kit for use in any vehicle. Personally speaking, I could never understand how a manufacturer could consider a car kit to be an option for a GPS unit. The other thing I learned a bit later was the cost of this type of unit is more expensive then standard GPS units since the Palm Pilot did offer many other functions. But in the real world, taking the unit out of the vehicle all the time for optional use was just too much a hassle. Consequently I decided it had to go.

Later I got to use a couple of OEM integrated units. These units performed well and had a dvd player which supplied the mapping software. This is very common for the in-dash style GPS navigation systems. The real downside to this type of unit is the relative high cost when compare to the portable models now available from companies like TomTom, Garmin, Magellan and Nextar just to name a few.

I finally settled for what became my favorite which is a relatively inexpensive unit from TomTom. In reality, the portable GPS systems from the major manufacturers mentioned above are all very similar. So it would be hard to recommend one above another. I just became attached to the TomTom due to the value of the specific unit. But all the portable GPS units share the basics of having relatively small screens and a variety of accessories to ensure you get the most use of the units both in and out of your vehicles. All these units will mount either on the top of the dash or on the windshield in front of the dash. So they all prove to be very functional.

You do have to compare the available software that comes with whatever gps system you chose. I suggest looking for a system which includes maps of the entire USA in the package. Most of the newer units have an option for an additional memory card which allows software containing larger maps. Sound is also another important feature which you'll find very handy when trying to navigate unfamiliar streets at night or when vision is limited by weather conditions.

In more recent years, the area of Marine GPS navigation has also expanded. Today, there are so many different types of GPS devices and chart plotting systems that no one on the waterways ever has to risk losing their way again. The challenge is narrowing down your choice of device to suit your specific needs.

Finally I love the new sport based GPS devices. You'll probably be shocked as I was when you see the variety of Golf GPS and sport based GPS devices available. From my experience they all perform as well as they claim. Just read the details of courses that are included in the basic software to be sure your favorite courses will be included. No matter if hiking, bicycling or running is your sport, you'll find specific GPS units dedicated to your use.

So it doesn't matter what specific use you have in mind, there is a GPS navigation system that will suit your needs. Just take your time, read the details and rest assured you'll never get lost again.