The best way to get the right GPS device is with a good GPS review comparison! There are too many manufacturers and too many models to choose from. It all gets very confusing. You need a guide!
If you want to know what these wonderful devices do and how you can save yourself some money, then read on!
But first let’s talk about who makes GPS receivers.
There are a number of manufacturers, but the top three are Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. Garmin is the top dog; Tom Tom is the new kid on the block; and Magellan was the company that originated the whole concept. All three make a great product! That’s the good news. Because if you buy a device from any of these three you won’t go wrong.
The bad new is this. All three make a great product! Which, of course, makes it really difficult to understand which model to buy.
Hopefully, I can give you some assistance with that dilemma.
GPS devices have really caught on over the last two years! And with gas prices so high, I’m sure the demand is just going to grow and grow.
To really start to understand what you’re buying, you need to know how much these things sell for, what the basic features are, and how much upgraded features are going to cost. Let me sketch out an answer to those questions.
GPS receivers sell anywhere from $150 to $1,000. $150 will get you Garmin and Tom Tom’s basic unit. $1,000 will buy you Garmin’s top of the line model, which had a huge screen and all the bells and whistles.
All GPS devices have the following:
Touch screen interfaceAuto-calculation of the fastest or shortest routeA database of Points of Interest (POIs)Voice prompts (but that don’t say the street names!)Maps of the lower 48 United States
If all you want are these basic features, then get something like the Garmin nuvi 200 or the Tom Tom One. They can both do all of this and more.
For more money you can get:
Maps of Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and CanadaBigger screenBluetoothTraffic and weather delivered to you in real timeMuch larger POI databaseAbility to route you to multiple routes on the same trip
You can get a lot of these upgrades for under $350. The Garmin 660 currently sells for slightly under $350 and can do all of the above except for the multiple route calculations. That’s a lot of GPS for the money!
Obviously, there’s a certain amount of education you have to go through before you buy your first, or next GPS device.
Although I’m sure this short GPS review comparison helps, to learn more, you need an informative website where you can browse different makes and models and also get a feel for prices.
By: Lee Cole
Posts Tagged ‘New Kid On The Block’
GPS Review Comparison – How to Buy the Right Model!
December 22nd, 2009Auto GPS Comparison Guide
October 12th, 2009
When buying a GPS receiver, you need an auto gps comparison guide. There’s just too much to know about these devices. Also, the features they have and the prices they’re offered at change rapidly. If you want to save yourself some time learning about all of this, then read this article.
This article is specifically about after-market GPS receivers. You know, the kind you see on people’s dashboards. I’m not talking about the in-dash variety, nor am I talking about the hand-held variety–the kind you take hiking.
GPS receivers have really caught on lately. And with the spike in gas prices, I think they’ll be a hot item for quite a while. They sell anywhere from $200 to almost $1,000. But with gas at over $4.00 a gallon, that could easily pay for itself!
The best way to understand how to pick out the right GPS receiver is to do a quick auto gps comparison. Let’s talk about who the best manufacturers for these things are, and then about the features you get when you buy one.
There are three main manufacturers of GPS receivers, Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. All three make a great product, and all three are very competitive with each other both on features and price. Garmin is the industry leader. Magellan was actually one of the first companies to figure out this technology, and Tom Tom is the new kid on the block.
When you buy a GPS receiver, you get the same basic features.
All GPS devices can do the following:
Show you were you are on an electronic map Tell you where to turn to get to where you want to go Interface with you via a touch screen Tell you where certain things are like gas stations, restaurants, and other Points of Interest (POIs) Include maps of the lower 48 US states Calculate the shortest or fastest route
So, even the cheapest GPS receiver can do all of this. If that’s all you need, then you can get a device that can do this for right around $150!
But before you buy, you might want to think about some of these cool upgraded features. For not too much more money, your GPS receiver can do a whole lot more.
For more money you can get:
More extensive maps, including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, and Europe Bigger screen Bluetooth technology integrated in the system, for hands-free calling Real-time traffic and weather FM transmission, so you can hear your device through your car’s own stereo sound system Much larger and more extensive POI database Multiple route calculation, so you can enter more than one destination in at one time
These upgrades are worth looking into. You can get a lot of this stuff for under $350! That might be money well spent, because you’re going to be happier with your choice and want to keep it for a longer time–before you trade it in for a more powerful model.
Now that you’re read this auto gps comparison, your next step is to find an informative website where you can read about individual devices and learn more about prices.
By: Lee Cole
