You know those maps you see at shopping malls and site seeing areas that have that red dot – “You Are Here”. That’s kind of what a GPS is, except it moves with you wherever in the world you are. It’s not restricted to a building or event area. In addition, it helps you find where you want to go. You just tell it the location you want to find and it gives you directions to get there. Newer models will guide you audibly, tell you nearby attractions, restaurants and gas stations and get you back on track when you turn the wrong way.
GPS, or Global Positioning System, is made up of a series of 28 orbiting satellites. It was originally developed by the military, but has spread to consumer use. If you have a GPS unit, it receives satellite signals that help it to determine your location. Consumer GPS units are accurate within few yards or meters, but the military and government models are even more accurate. Your GPS unit can give you instructions to another location if software for mapping is installed, which most for consumer use do.
GPS units can come as standard or extra equipment on new cars. They are available in many rental cars, usually for an extra fee. GPS mapping software for street use is the most common consumer usage today. If your primary purpose in seeking a GPS unit is so you can get from one place to another via a reliable navigation system, this is the type for you. Your dealer can build them in or you can purchase one that will attach to your dashboard. Some available features you may want to consider are voice directions, detailed included maps for your area and any area you know you’ll travel, rerouting when you get lost or detours force changes to the GPS-suggested route and a points of interest database.
The GPS is most commonly found for car use, but that’s not the only type you can get. Think about how you might use your GPS. Perhaps you may need your GPS outside of your vehicle. Handheld GPS units are great for hikers, bikers and sportsmen. There are plenty of GPS units geared toward to outdoors person. Features you may need in these include lightweight, rugged, waterproof, long battery life, tracking (so you can tell where you’ve been), speed and distance measuring and even built in radios and party locators.
Marine GPS’s help you find the fish! If you’re an avid fisherman, this is the type of GPS you’ll want. These are designed to be on the water and are all waterproofed. Look for a bright screen that will be easy to read in the sun. You can get them with water and shore mapping, fish hotspots and sonar. You can get marine GPS units that double as car navigation units, as well.
PDA’s, or Personal Data Assistants, are starting to be bundled together with GPS’s. Most of these are limited at this time, but they will improve as more people are attracted to this combination. For now, it’s recommended to buy your PDA and GPS separately.
There are also GPS’s designed specifically for airplane pilots. If you’re a private or commercial pilot, you already know about these. They give mapping based on what can be seen from the air.
No matter what kind of unit you need, there is one with the features you’re looking for. Your GPS will be a continued source of accurate and helpful information and even a great deal of fun!
By: Michael Russell
Posts Tagged ‘Gps Maps’
You, Too, Can Be a GPS Geek
March 4th, 2010Now GPS Golf
February 16th, 2010
At the time when GPS was developed, no one would have given a thought to the various areas where the system would be implemented. Even when President Reagan opened the system for public use, he would not have dreamed of a GPS golf system. The system is here and it is being accepted and increasingly used .
The complete GPS golf system provides maps and other information related to the golf course to the players. The system can also track balls which have small GPS trackers embedded in them. This means that lost balls may become history. GPS golf systems are available in various models. Digital caddies are gaining popularity. In fact in a number of courses where you can rent golf carts, you can also rent the GPS golf system.
For the people who want to purchase golf GPS system for themselves, there are a number of options. Most people would be happy with Sky Golf- Sky Caddy SG2 GPS system. The marked price of this device is just around $350. However is you know where to look and how to bargain, you can procure a new system for as low as $274 to $280. This device comes with a number of features. You get the rangefinder, charger, USB cable and a number of other odds and ends.
In case you already have a Windows Mobile based phone or Pocket PC, you are in luck. You can purchase GPS Golf Pro. This device comes with a Bluetooth equipped GPS receiver. It can interact with the phone and act as a complete GPS golf system. The marked price is $350 but the actual price is way lower. The main features include an electronic scorecard to keep track of your game, recommendations about clubs and courses and even the ability to email the scorecard.
In case you are not satisfied with either of the two products mentioned here, you should consider the Sonocaddie Golf GPS system. This is a very affordable device. Price is around $300 and you can look for discount and bargain options. The main feature of this device is its distance tracking capability. You can track the distance of water and other hazards, targets and even the distance to the green.
You can add these devices to your golf collection. A number of professional golfers are using them for their practice and training sessions. The Golf system can also be a great gift for your boss or the top brass of your company. It is highly recommended that you should check the screen so that it is easily visible outdoors. Purchase the GPS Golf System in bulk quantities and you can get discounts up to a hundred dollars per kit. Now GPS Golf.
By: Dan Compton
Download Free Maps GPS – Enhancing Your GPS Device With Additional GPS Maps
January 28th, 2010
Several General Positioning System (GPS) maps are already provided with your GPS device when you buy it. Because these maps are offered for free, there is an overhead in getting them. Indeed, these maps do not allow any tweaking in order to meet your specific needs. Another drawback of these built-in maps is their lack of knowledge about your given destination. For instance, let assume you want to travel to Philippines; it is obvious that you will appreciate details about this location beforehand. If your device was purchased in Brazil, you will be very lucky if it has any knowledge about Philippines. Therefore this GPS map cannot act as a travel aid.
Many GPS devices are used as travelling guides for a trip. Therefore GPS devices have superseded our old map artifacts. You may be wondering how useful a GPS device is. It is obvious that having detailed information about your trip in advanced will only make it more enjoyable, faster, safer and reduce any risks during your trip.
Although there are several programs that can be purchased to install new GPS maps on your device, there are also several free programs that can be used for the same purpose. In order to use these, some software prerequisites should be installed at first. These include the cables of your device. You do not to worry about it because they are included with your device when you purchase it.
They are also many websites that can help you to design our own GPS maps. By customizing your maps, you will be able to pinpoint specific locations you are fond of. These include restaurants, bars, night clubs, schools and so forth. You may add traffic reports in your GPS maps in order to avoid traffic jam during your journey.
Another outstanding benefit of GPS systems is their ability to record several maps. For instance, if you are traveling a lot to the same place, your GPS device can save all your personal information once so that the trip you will not be asked to enter your personal details and preferences.
When you have a GPS system, you may find it easier to have many maps about your trips. This will make your trip very enjoyable. You should therefore spend some time looking at pre-installed maps as well as other amazing features of your system.
Briefly speaking, GPS maps offer you the unique opportunity you explore your final destination without heading there. This is very interesting because it is sometimes recommended to glance at a country before formally deciding to go there. Some GPS maps provide outstanding features such as an unlimited online access to view, print, save aerial pictures. Some of them also come with bunch of programs allowing you to personalize them, add texts, graphics, compute GPS coordinates, upload your GPS coordinates and plot them atop of your maps. Updating new GPS maps to your device can be a very daunting experience. There are available in many shopping centers not for free. If you are looking for free stuff, you should definitely look on the internet as several, interesting maps are available.
By: John B Mayall
