How to pick the value-for-money GPS unit

Thirteen checks towards the GPS unit that works the way you wanted it

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Given that GPS units' screen size and features have been mixed and matched to match every need, prices will definitely vary. A car GPS with a small screen and basic mapping features will cost $ 150, while bigger screens, a satellite radio plus other multimedia perks can be as high as $ 700. A hundred dollars can also get you a simple handheld with tiny screens and no built-in maps. If you want additional topographical and street maps compatible with your unit, be ready to spend $200 to $300.
2. That said, picture out the GPS appropriate for you using the following checklist. Let's start by finding out what function you want your GPS to have.
   
   A non-mapping GPS receiver shows only a "plotter screen" that displays an overhead view of your location. A basemap GPS receiver is capable of showing major roads and other geographical information for the federal highway system. A mapping GPS receiver is perhaps the most advanced for being able to show on your screen the business and residential streets, restaurants, banks, etc. : so-called points of interests. A mapping receiver can let you look up any street address, and navigate to it using an electronic map.
3. Now choose the options that you want.
   
   (For those who will find their GPS useful inside the car rather than outdoors: Figure out how often you will use the GPS (and the average distance of each trip) so you can justify the cost of the unit.
4. How do you plan to attach your car GPS? Remember that windshield mounts may not be allowed in your state. Bottom line: take your pick between air-vent mounts or propping up your GPS on a flat surface somewhere on the dashboard.
5. Find out how often (or perhaps, if you need to) refresh and renew your map updates regularly. Moving from one place to another according to a schedule might mean more updates.
6. Are you particular about how maps look in your unit? Car GPS can display maps in either 3D (much like a race car driver's heads-up view) or 2D view (or bird's eye view). This is important for those with little patience over most handhelds' solely reporting your numerical coordinates and remaining trail to complete. Check if you are willing to pay more for the technology of GPS maps that follow your progress through the terrain and surroundings in real time.
   Check also what you are more comfortable with, given your coordinates-reading know-how and budget: a mapping screen? Or a numerical longitude/latitude readout?
7. The Points of Interest feature is a collection of locations and services--gas stations, hotels, parks, coffee shops, and so on--that are essential to travel. Since businesses change even faster than roads do, POI lists are less reliable than GPS street maps. Better POI lists have phone numbers along with the names and locations of services. Speaking of routing, you'll also save a lot if, based on your experiences on the road, you try to flesh out your automatic destination routing preferences: the more inexpensive point-to-point routing, or multi-segment trips?
8. Most up to date car-centric GPS units have done away with the keypad in favor of touch screens in the name of convenience and ease. Here you have the option of entering addresses, searching for POIs, changing screens, and altering various GPS settings, all via the touch screen. Touch screens now also have virtual, intelligent keyboards, the most advanced of which make data entry extremely fast.
   
   Predictably, most handhelds that settled for non-high-tech, smaller screens have complex controls.
9. Dont fall into thinking that auto GPS will always have better display sizes than handhelds. Auto GPS models generally range from about 3.5 inches to 7 inches diagonally. Nevertheless, a device with a small albeit well-designed screen and clear audio directions can be trusty just the same. And models with smaller screens usually cost far less than their big-screen counterparts. Just the same, large screens still have clear cut advantages: Bigger maps, more room for travel data (such as speed, direction, street labels), and roomier virtual keyboards, among others, could be good investments.
10. Real-time traffic reports: Using a built-in or added-on FM receiver, a GPS with traffic report capability can receive signals from the Traffic Message Channel (TMC), a subscription service broadcast in selected cities. Traffic tie-ups and construction information appear on your GPS map, enabling you to avoid delays by choosing an alternate route. Some GPS models will automatically reroute you, based on the TMC reports.
11. Media card slots: GPS devices store all of their mapping and POI data in one of two ways: on a built-in hard drive, or on flash memory cards, typically Micro SD Cards. Hard-drive models tend to be faster at calculating routes and searching for POIs, but media cards are more durable. Though hard-drive-based models don't require a media card slot, such a slot is useful for updating maps and backing up addresses and favorites.
    With regard to the memory size of routes, go for the standard of a twenty-route memory. But you can go for as many as 50. For the still route-memory hungry, there are the GPS receivers with memory-card slots.
12. Tracks: Another centerpiece of handheld navigation is the Tracks feature. As you walk or drive though the countryside, your GPS device records at the touch of a button your latitude-longitude coordinates. Then it displays a breadcrumb trail of where you've been. This process lets you easily backtrack to your starting point; some models also let you download your track to your personal computer and view your travels on a topographic map. Print out the map and the track for a permanent record of your journey. As in the case of waypoints, low-end models offer limited track storage, while high-end models store many and allow you to identify them by adding custom names.
13. For those who might use their GPS more often outdoors instead of inside the car: a waterproof or water-resistant model may be something that you'll be grateful about in the future, depending on your outdoor activities. For water-resistance ratings, look up the IPX standard of the device; the higher, the more water-resistant. An IPX of 4 should be enough if your concern is the occasional and far in between spatter of rain and water.
14. Channels: Channels determine the number of satellite signals the GPS can receive simultaneously. Low-costs models typically have 12 channels, while high-end models may accommodate up to 24. Roughly speaking, the greater the number of channels, the better the device's accuracy. A 12-channel can get you the best signal even in wooded areas. The latest currently have 15 channels.

Tips & Warnings

• Other Important Features to Look For
• Reflective screens: There are some screens that have a readable display even under direct sunlight.
• Batteries: If you plan to use your auto GPS device outdoors, then you may want to use a rechargeable auto GPS, which is charged in the car's 12-volt power port. If you will go hiking and will need a handheld, then get one that can be taken care of by rechargeable batteries.
• Dead reckoning: This is a feature among the pricier GPS which uses interpolation to account for data gaps when GPS signals become spotty due to obstructions.
• Traffic reports: One potentially useful feature if you're a regular commuter in a metropolitan area that has the TMC FM signals is traffic reports, as discussed earlier.
• Satellite Radio support: Like traffic reports, XM Radio is a subscription service and is found mostly in more expensive GPS models.
• Text-to-speech capability: Up to date models can now pronounce street names.