In this article “Price Comparison GPS, Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom,” I’m going to talk about what you can get from these three manufacturers and approximately how much it’s going to cost you.
I’m also focusing exclusively on after-market, automotive GPS receivers-not the kind you take hiking, but the kind you see mounted on people’s dashboards. To get started, let’s talk about GPS systems in general first, so you understand what they do, what their basic features are, and what additional features you can upgrade to.
What GPS Systems Do
GPS systems (or receivers) are electronic devices that show you where you are on an electronic map and tell you how to get where you want to go via some sort of voice instructions.
All GPS receivers also have a database of Points of Interest (POIs). These are pre-programmed locations of gas stations, restaurants, state parks, hospitals, well-known buildings, etc. Basically these are public destinations.
GPS receivers also all come with the following:
A touch screen interface A choice of “views”-either 2d, which looks just like a map, or 3d, which looks a little more realistic All of these devices auto-calculate your route to your destination. Usually you can choose between shortest or fastest route Come pre-loaded with maps. Even most of the base price units have maps of the lower 48 states
Upgrades
Popular upgrades are:
A wider screen, 4.3 inches diagonally as opposed to 3.5 inches Saying the names of the streets, instead of just saying “turn here.” More maps Bluetooth integration for hands-free calling Real-time traffic and weather Millions of POIs, instead of a few hundred thousand Multiple route calculation
Price Comparison GPS
GPS systems range in price from around $150 for base units to $1,000 for Garmin’s top of the line Street Pilot 7000. You can get a lot of bells and whistles for $200 to $300.
Magellan’s Maestro line currently runs anywhere from about $150 for the Maestro 3100, which has a 3.5 inch screen, maps of the lower 48 states, and about 750,000 POIs. The top of the line Maestro, the 4250, currently runs slightly more than $250. With the 4250, you get a 4.3-inch screen, maps of the U. S. and Canada, 6 million POIs, real-time traffic capability and Bluetooth.
Garmin’s GPS receivers are comparatively priced. Their introductory model, the Nuvi 200 does about the same thing as the Maestro 3100, and runs about the same amount of money. Their top of the line Nuvi 770 currently costs slightly less than $600, but it has every feature imaginable-4.3-inch screen, more maps, huge POI database, says street names, real-time traffic and weather, Bluetooth, and much, much more.
The other main manufacturer, Tom Tom, has fewer models to choose from, but they make a great product and their prices are in line with Magellan’s and Garmin’s. Their base model, the Tom Tom One, runs slightly more than $150. Their top of the line model, the GO 920 has a 4.3-inch screen and all of the other features.
To learn more, your next step needs to be finding an informative website where you can actually browse, look at pictures, and compare models.
By: Lee Cole
Posts Tagged ‘Touch Screen Interface’
Price Comparison GPS, Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom
November 18th, 2009Using Your Common Sense in Conjunction With Auto GPS Systems
October 22nd, 2009
Auto GPS systems. You might be asking what these are. To be more exact what is an auto GPS system? The answer is both simple and complex. So let’s start from the beginning. The letters GPS stands for global positioning satellites. What this means is that with the help of satellites you can find any person, any place or even any street in the world.
These global positioning satellites or GPS as we will be calling them use the coordinates you give them as well as the information from the satellites to show you certain positions. The auto gps systems use the satellites to help you find your way while you are traveling in the car. There are many different types of GPS systems you can use for vehicles but they all operate on the same principles.
The first item you will find with these auto GPS systems is the touch screen interface monitor. The easy to understand voice prompts will help to reinforce the directions you see on your gps monitor. In most of the auto GPS systems you will have a section of the city map displayed clearly. You will see your position on the map clearly. The route you need to take will also be highlighted.
The auto GPS systems will use the information about the city to show you the best (or shortest) routes to take. You will see where the railways crossing intersect the city roads. This will of course allow you to understand that if you are approaching any of these intersections your travel time may become changed or compromised.
To help you navigate the city street during the times when you are driving there is an electronic voice which will provide you with easy to understand yet simple directions. You will have the option of changing this voice from female to male as you desire. You should however be aware that due to electronic malfunctioning, the auto GPS systems can and will fail.
There have been instances reported of people who use these systems getting lost or misdirected. There are also times when the auto GPS systems will cause drivers to arrive at their destination hours later than usual. These occurrences however are relatively rare. You can avoid most of these such mishaps if you use your common sense in conjunction with the GPS street maps.
The advances in technology are helping to devise better ways to navigate through the city streets. You will find that these auto GPS systems will one day replace the need for bulky city and country maps altogether.
By: Muna Wa Wanjiru
