It is more than difficult to find good GPS reviews on the Internet. The reason is this: GPS devices all do the same thing. They show your location on an electronic map, and then show you how to get where you're going. Now, by GPS device I mean automotive gps systems that you buy separately from your automobile and either hang from a bracket on your windshield or put next to you on the seat. So, the key to a good GPS review is understanding the features that various GPS devices offer at each price point.
What do all GPS devices have in common?
All GPS for cars that are on the market today have a touch screen where you can enter information into the unit, such as your destination address. All auto-calculate the route to that address, and all give you spoken directions of some sort as you drive to your destination. In addition to this, virtually all GPS for cars come pre-loaded with maps, have an internal battery for emergency use, and can toggle between 2D and 3D map views. There are exceptions to all of these rules, but almost all are in the older models.
Who are the industry leaders?
There are three main manufacturers of car GPS systems, Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom.
Garmin sells about one out of two of all the car GPS navigation systems sold in the world. They are known for making a quality product. Magellan was an early leader in GPS systems that can route you to more than one destination. They do not have nearly the market share that Garmin has. TomTom is a late arrival who is quickly catching up. According to Tom Tom, their GPS for cars system, the TomTom One, is the best selling system in the world.
What are the main features to look for in a GPS system?
In this GPS review, let's start at the cheap GPS end and work our way up. You can buy a GPS system for less than $200. The Garmin nuvi 200 and the TomTom One 3rd Edition both currently sell for less than $200.
Cheap GPS devices only tell you where to turn. They say something like, "Turn right, here." A good feature to be aware of is having the GPS device actually say the street name of the road you need to turn on. So, instead of "Turn right, here," a better GPS system would say, "Turn right on Highland Avenue," or "Take a left onto the entrance to I-95." Devices with spoken street names usually start around $300.
Wouldn't it be nice if your GPS device could not only tell you how to drive from Atlanta, Georgia to Charlotte, North Carolina, but could alert you to bad traffic conditions in time to take a detour? Well, many of the more expensive units can. How does your GPS device know what the traffic is like up ahead? GPS devices that have this capability are tuned to either an FM or satellite radio frequency that broadcasts this information. If your device has this function, then it will usually come with a free trial subscription to this service. After that, it's going to cost you, but the cost is fairly low, especially considering how useful real-time traffic is. Along with real-time traffic usually comes real-time weather as an added bonus.
Do you use your cell phone while driving? It's problematic to hold the cell phone in one hand and negotiate your way through heavy traffic on a busy interchange, and in a lot of places is illegal. If your phone supports Bluetooth technology you can get a GPS receiver with that same capability and actually use it to make and receive calls. You answer an incoming call by just tapping on the touch screen. You make an outgoing call by either entering the number in your GPS's touch screen key pad or by accessing numbers stored in the device, downloaded from your phone when you first set up your receiver. If you make a lot of calls while driving, this is definitely a feature you need to think about.
As to what Bluetooth is going to run you, the Garmin nuvi 550 is one of their Bluetooth models. It currently sells for slightly more than $300. Virtually all of their upper end products have Bluetooth. Two of the Magellan Maestro series, the Maestro 3250 and the widescreen version, the Maestro 4250 have Bluetooth. They run around $280 and $350 respectively. The TomTom GO series has Bluetooth. They run anywhere from $350 to $900.
Points of Interest (POIs) are names, addresses, and phone numbers of possible destinations, anything from the nearest Starbucks to ATM's. The lower priced units come with less than 1 million POIs. That's not enough, if you're going to be using this feature. For use outside of your normal travel routes, you really want a few million POIs. Virtually all GPS devices now come with this, except the lowest prices models, like the Garmin nuvi 200, which only has regional maps and less than 1 million POIs. (There's nothing wrong with fewer POIs, if you're not planning on needing them, but they sure can come in handy.)
Yet another feature to keep in mind is screen size. The standard size is 3.5 inches. This is measured on a diagonal. So the screen for the nuvi 270, for instance, measures 2.8" by 2.1". The so called widescreens measure 4.3 inches on the diagonal. You're actually getting 70% more screen this way.
Why is screen size important? It has to do with ease and safety of use while driving. The difference in price between a regular screen and a widescreen is about $80. That might be money well spent. On the other hand, if you drive a smaller vehicle with less windshield area, the wider screen might be more of a hazard than a safety feature.
Whatever you do, don't procrastinate. Even with a good GPS review, with all of these confusing choices it's tempting to just wait for whatever the next model is going to be. What you're missing by doing that is lots less stress while driving.
