How to Shop for a Phone With Mobile GPS

A cell phone with a GPS receiver adds the capability to communicate with satellites to establish the position of the phone. In order to get directions and other information, the phone must have some type of mapping program installed. The GPS receiver locates your position and communicates with the map program to set up directions. The mapping program takes you through the steps to get from point A to point B, while the GPS technology tracks your current position on the map.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Get the navigation you want with phones offered by Alltel (see Resources below). The Wave by LG, MOTORAZR V3a, MOTOROKR Z6m, BlackBerry Pearl 8130 and 8830 World Edition all feature GPS capabilities. The BlackBerry models have larger screens to view the maps and full keyboards to make it easy to enter addresses. Alltel's TeleNav system provides maps and voice directions to any address.

2. Shop for your GPS mobile phone at AT&T to find the BlackBerry Curve 8310, 8820 and 8800 and the Moto Q Global. AT&T uses the TeleNave GPS Navigator throughout the continental USA, excluding Alaska. The BlackBerry models may feature moving maps for better performance.

3. Find the Motorola W385, RAZR V3m, MOTOKRZR K1m, MOTORAZR maxx Ve, Samsung SCH-u410, SCH-u540, SCH-u620, SCH-u740, FlipShot, LG VX5400, LG VX8350, LG enV, LG Chocolate, LG VX9400, LG VX8700, LG Venus, LG Voyager, LG VX9400, Samsung Juke, Samsung Gleam and G'zOne Type-S for mobile GPS options with Verizon (see Resources below). The larger screens on the Voyager, enV and Samsung SCH-u740 and LG VX9400 make it easier to read maps. Verizon uses the VZ Navigator program, which provides vocal directions, 14 million points of interest and detailed color maps.

4. Buy the Sanyo SCP-3200, SCP-7050, Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U, AirCard 597E, Motorola i670, i355, i760, i920, i930, Novatel Wireless Ovation U727, Merlin S720, Merlin EX720, Samsung IP-830W, BlackBerry 8703e, 7130e, 8830, 7100i and Palm Treo 700wx for Sprint's GPS enabled phones (see Resources below). Sprint Navigation provides moving 3D maps, voice directions and traffic alerts.

5. Visit GPSreview.net in order to access hundreds of reviews of phones with mobile GPS before making your purchase (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Shop for phones with a larger screen to make it easier for you to read the maps.
• You will need to pay an extra monthly charge to your cell phone provider to use GPS services. You may also have to pay for minutes while using your cell phone's GPS functions. Shop for plans featuring unlimited GPS minutes if you plan to use the navigation function often.

Resources

• Information on Alltel's GPS phones
• Phone with mobile GPS reviews