Factors in Selecting Car GPS

Selecting an automotive GPS system involves making certain decisions. Real user experiences can be referred to before making purchase decisions from online communities. These include, for example, Y! Group and acoBay sites, where many users tell their own stories of buying and using products of different brands.

In fact, the most important decision has to do with whether you prefer a built in factory GPS, or does a portable unit best serve your purpose? For people who get on airplanes and rent a vehicle at their destination, a portable is the answer. If you already have a vehicle it is not practical to retrofit a factory GPS system. Even if you could you still have the issue of needing GPS in your rental car while yours is in your vehicle parked at home or in the airport parking lot. Most rental car agencies have an option to include GPS in your rental vehicle. Hertz's excellent Magellan system is an example. But GPS vehicles are not always available. Once you learn to depend on these handy devices it is hard to go back to trying to read maps and ask directions. To the experienced GPS user, even a Mapquest or Google map just will not suffice. There is nothing like having a voice tell you "In 600 yards, take the exit"! or "In 60 yards, you have reached your destination"! There are those who rave about the GPS system in the Apple iPhone or in a number of the latest cell phones. They all lack the "voice feature" which helps keep one's eyes on the road instead of on a map trying to monitor your progress via the small dot traveling over a relatively small screen. There are safety issues involved.

A GPS originally installed from the vehicle manufacturer usually has the advantage of a bigger screen located in the center of the dash. But do you want to buy a new vehicle just to get the built in Nav/GPS screen? A portable will involve an attached GPS receiver to be located on the dash and various power cords and attachments. Most OEM units use map data from an optical disk, whereas portable systems use solid state memory, requiring update downloads to be made from one's PC. To update a built in GPS one merely buying a new cd or dvd and sliding it in. Why are updates important? If you want to drive in Canada, for example, you will need to add map data for the specific country. In rapidly growing areas like Las Vegas, without updated information newer areas won't be mapped and you have to resort to old methods of navigation. Being caught by surprise once one has learned to rely on their GPS is highly inconvenient. The iPhone automatically updates itself, but as mentioned does not include the "talk to" feature. Different vendors charge different for their updates with the OEM installed systems costing the most. All of the factory built in units will talk to you.

The biggest players in portable GPS are Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom. All operate based on communication with Global Position System satellites circling the planet, hence the term GPS. They can purchased online from a variety of different sources using credit card or PayPal from your favorite electronics vendor. "Googling" "portable GPS" will provide numerous options. Prices have dropped remarkably in the last few months and GPS without the "talk to" option is becoming ubiquitous on cell phones. The modern techie will have a portable system like a Tom Tom, GPS built into the call phone in case of the portable GPS not having a particular update of a new area, AND a NAV system in the personal vehicle. These days there is no excuse for getting lost!