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What You Need to Know About Car GPS Units

Categories: GPS Articles | April 11th, 2009 | by Mike Tucker | no comments

If you've been comparing car GPS units, you may have already noticed just how complicated it can be to find one that's right for you, no matter how tech-savvy you might be. Hopefully, after reading this article, you'll be a bit more well informed about what you need to know to find the perfect unit for you and your budget.

If you haven't already been shopping around, you may not know that all car GPS units essentially do the same thing: they show you where you are and tell you how to get to where you're going. They also all come with a variety of pre-programmed destinations, called POIs (or, Points of Interest) to make getting where you need to be even easier. All you need is a finger, because all car GPS units utilize touch screen technology.

What makes finding the perfect one for you so complicated is all the extra features manufacturers are including in their products to meet market competition. Before you get too overwhelmed, let's talk about these manufacturers and compare the products they're making.

Although several companies produce car GPS units, I'd suggest sticking with the top three: Magellan, Garmin, and Tom Tom. Sure, there are other companies, like Lowrance, Mio, and Pharos. But all these other companies are competing for only 10% of the U.S. market. It may be a personal thing, but I've always liked to go with industry winners. Certainly other companies are making quality products, but I like to know that my purchase will be supported year to year.

Magellan was one of the original companies to start manufacturing GPS devices. With a great company name and a wide selection of products, Magellan is a good choice. I really like their Maestro series, which ranges in price from $150 to $350. You can get a Maestro 3100 for less than $150. That's not their best buy, though. If you just want an entry level GPS, then Garmin's nuvi 200 is probably a better bet. Magellan's best buy is their Maestro 4250, which can do everything Garmin's competing product can, but for $50 less.

Magellan also has a great deal for AAA members that makes the AAA Tour Book available right inside the device. Of course, you must be a member, but if you're a frequent traveler, it's an excellent deal.

With almost 50% of the total market, Garmin is the industry leader. A basic Garmin, the nuvi 200, costs only $150. However, if you're looking to spend a lot more, you can purchase the 880 model, which includes a lot of extra features, for around $1,000. There are no real competitors at the high end of the market place, that is for automotive GPS systems.

Catching up to Garmin is Tom Tom, a company that offers a great selection of products at very competitive prices. For example, what you'd pay for Garmin's basic nuvi 200 could also get you Tom Tom's One 3rd Edition, which has a lot of extra cool features. Tom Tom's GO series has more features and is a direct competitor with Garmin. Tom Tom is currently taking market share from Garmin by offering more features at a smaller price. Tom Tom is no slouch as a company, either. They totally dominate the European market!

Whether you want to spend a lot or a little, comparing car GPS units can be tricky. Continue checking out informative websites so you can find the system that's right for you and won't break your budget.

To read more great GPS Reviews, check out my website. Rick Cole is a true GPS enthusiast! Take a look at his website to find out more information!

Article Source: What You Need to Know About Car GPS Units - ArticleSpan.com

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How to Compare GPS Units to Get the Best One For You

Categories: GPS Articles | April 7th, 2009 | by Mike Tucker | no comments

In order to figure out which of the many GPS systems is best for you, you need to compare GPS units in some logical way. To do this you need to first understand what is being offered and how much that's going to cost you. If you know your budget, you can narrow down the selection quite a bit. After that, it's just a matter of fine tuning what extra features you want.

By GPS units, I mean the kind you attach to your car's windshield, not the kind you take hiking with you. There are a lot of GPS systems out there and finding the right one seems confusing at first. In this article, I'm going to focus mainly on systems built by Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan, since they are the biggest manufacturers.

All GPS units keep track of where you are and calculate routes to where you're going. Here's a list of what virtually every GPS device can already do. Think of this as standard equipment.

All GPS's

* Give you directions with voice prompts.
* Have a touch screen.
* Have different views or representations of their maps.
* Include a database of Points of Interest (POIs).
* Come with maps of the lower 48 states.
* Automatically calculate your best route.

This is all great, but it's the extra or optional features that are the real kicker!

According to how much you want to pay, you can get:

* Spoken street names, instead of just plain voice prompts.
* A larger 4.3-inch screen--measured diagonally.
* Maps of Europe, Canada, and Mexico.
* Incorporate Bluetooth.
* Tell you real time traffic and weather.
* Can be used as a digital picture viewer, audio book player, or mp3.
* Have a much larger POI database.

What you really need to do now is to figure out how much you're willing to pay, and then see which makes and models will fit your budget. Let me give you a few examples.

A basic GPS costs $200 or less. For that you can buy a really nice unit from Garmin, Tom Tom, or Magellan which can do all of the basic features listed above. Three possible models are the Garmin nuvi 200, the Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition, or the Magellan Maestro 3100.

If you don't need Bluetooth for hands free calling, or directions that actually say the name of the street (but which do say "turn right," or something to that effect), then a basic unit may easily be all you need to buy.

If you want all the bells and whistles, then you're going to have to pay more. The top of the line unit that Garmin makes costs in the neighborhood of $900, but it can do everything for you except tie your shoes. (They have a model coming out next year that can do just that! Just kidding!)

GPS units are great and there are a ton of other features you can get with these devices. What you need to do now is decide on your budget and get online and shop.

To read more great GPS Reviews, check out my website. Lee Cole is a true GPS enthusiast! Take a look at his website to find out more information!

Article Source: How to Compare GPS Units to Get the Best One For You - ArticleSpan.com

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Compare GPS Prices to Find the Best Model For You

Categories: GPS Articles | March 28th, 2009 | by Mike Tucker | no comments

The best way to find the best GPS device for you is to compare GPS prices so you know what you're getting. You can buy a workable GPS unit for slightly over $150 or you can spend as much as $600 for a unit with all the bells and whistles. That's quite a price range!

The first step in sorting through this is to understand what features these units offer. Which are "standard" and which are upgrades. Then you can decide how much money you want to spend and get the most for your dollar.

Let's look at their standard features first.

Now, just so you know, I'm talking strictly about after-market, automotive GPS devices. The kind you mount on your dash. Not the ones you take hiking. That's a different deal altogether.

Also, I'm focusing on the three top manufacturers, Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. Sure, there are other companies that make these things, I just tend to stick with industry leaders.

So, having said all of that, let's start to understand their features.

All GPS devices do exactly the same thing. They show you where you are and tell you how to get to where you want to go.

As far as showing you where you are, this is done on an electronic map via a touchscreen. The touchscreen doubles as your input into the device. If you want to tell the device the name of a certain street, then you enter this in via the touchscreen.

All of these devices actually tell you where to turn. (Some older models don't, but if you stick to the more popular models, you won't find any of these.)

They also have a database of places you might want to go to, such as hospitals, gas stations, and stores.

You can also usually choose between a 2d view and a 3d view. 2d is like looking at a printed map. 3d tries to be more like "reality". Actually, it ends up looking like a vintage computer game, but it's still very useful to have this view sometimes.

All GPS devices automatically calculate the best route to get you where you want to go. And all come pre-loaded with maps of at least the lower 48 states.

If this is all you want, you're in luck! You can get this for about $150!

There are more features you might want to consider, though, as you compare GPS prices.

A few of the bigger ones are Bluetooth technology, so you can make and receive hands-free calls while you drive, wider screens, more maps, and real-time traffic and weather fed directly to your device.

To get these features, you'll have to spend more. Right now, the top prices are around $600, which a deal for all of that computing power!

What's your next step? Next you need to get on a few websites to further compare GPS prices and the individual units you might want to buy.

To read more great GPS Reviews, check out my website. Lee Cole is a true GPS enthusiast! Take a look at his website to find out more information!

Article Source: Compare GPS Prices to Find the Best Model For You - ArticleSpan.com

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GPS Reviews Comparison - How to Choose the Right Model

Categories: GPS Articles | March 15th, 2009 | by Mike Tucker | no comments

If you're like me, choosing the right GPS receiver is a little daunting. What helps is a good GPS reviews comparison, where you can learn what various models do and how much they cost. In other words, you need a guide!

Choosing the right GPS device is critical. Prices have dropped over the past two years, and you can probably get a model with more bells and whistles than you think you can. To help you form your game plan, let's first talk about who the main manufacturers are, then what various models do and how much they cost.

There are a number of companies that make GPS receivers, but the big three are Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. Garmin is the industry leader with by far the most market share, and also a much broader range of products than anyone else.

Magellan actually was one of the first companies to make these nifty little devices. They were essentially the pioneer. And Tom Tom is the new arrival. Although new, Tom Tom has made great inroads on the market shares of the more established companies by offering great products at great prices.

Any good GPS reviews comparison should tell you what you can expect to buy. So, let's run over the basic features that you'll get with any GPS receiver.

All GPS receivers have a touch screen interface, maps of the lower 48 states, and a database of Points of Interest (POIs). All receivers also calculate the best route from where you are to where you want to go, and they give you directions via spoken voice prompts.

The base models of either Garmin, Tom Tom, or Magellan will do all of this and more.

For around $150 you can get the Garmin nuvi 200, the Tom Tom One, or the Magellan Maestro 3100. These three models all cover the basic features I mentioned.

What if you want more? How much is that going to cost?

Well, let's run over what more you can get.

Upgrades are: more maps (Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Europe, Mexico), bigger screen, Bluetooth, real-time traffic and weather, many more POIs (how about 6 million!), and multiple routing.

You can get most of this stuff for $350! For instance, the Garmin 660 can do all of the above except the multi-route calculations. It sells for slightly under $350.

Magellan's Maestro 4250 is a direct competitor and can do essentially what the Garmin 660 can. The 4250 is currently selling for slightly more than $250.

Tom Tom's comparable receiver would be the Tom Tom Go 720, which is currently selling for less than $350.

Of course, you might be willing to spend more!

As you go higher in price, each of these companies offers great proprietary features. Magellan has a deal with AAA, for instance, to include their Tour Book right in the device. (For AAA members only.)

A good GPS reviews comparison can only do so much, however.

Now you need to actually get on an informative website and start browsing.

To read more great GPS Reviews, check out my website. Lee Cole is a true GPS enthusiast! Take a look at his website to find out more information!

Article Source: GPS Reviews Comparison - How to Choose the Right Model - ArticleSpan.com

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