How to Shop for a Mobile GPS

When Ronald Reagan made GPS satellites available for public use at no cost in the early 1980s, very few companies took advantage of the opportunity. In the last decade, an explosion of GPS technologies and usages has taken place across the USA. Today, you can use GPS to help you track positions during fishing expeditions, rounds of golf, trips across the country, flights and more. When you shop for a mobile GPS, you need to know how you will use the system. Next, you need to know exactly what you can to expect to find as you shop for a mobile GPS receiver.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Find your destinations accurately every time by getting the best navigation maps possible featuring detailed information. The map database must cover every location you plan to visit in the coming years.
2. Extend the portability of your mobile GPS unit with long battery life, especially for foreign travel. A four hour battery life is specified under optimum conditions by the factory. If you take long drives or walks, you need a battery that lasts up to 12 hours.
3. Listen to the quality of the mobile GPS system when you shop. Look for systems with excellent text-to-speech capabilities for hands free directions while traveling. Use a system that gives clear directions, such as, "Turn left at the next street named Main Street" instead of, "Turn left at the next street." Some programs provide up to 50 voices to choose as your guide.
4. Forget about the cords by using a Bluetooth enabled mobile GPS system to communicate information within your vehicle. The Garmin GPS 10 and DeLuo SiRF Star III provide accurate information to PDAs, phones and laptops with Bluetooth functionality (see Resources below).
5. Compare how the device mounts to the dashboard or front windshield of the car. A GPS system that simply rests on the dashboard will slide around during travel, making it harder to use.

Tips & Warnings

• If you travel to major cities, shop for a mobile GPS system with traffic updates or the ability to navigate you around traffic jams. You may need to purchase additional traffic services for the GPS mobile system.
• Purchase small, yet powerful, GPS mobile systems if you will carry the system with you from one place to another. Avoid systems weighing two pounds or more.
• Windshield mounted mobile GPS devices are illegal in California and Minnesota.

Who Can Help:

• Find Electrical Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.