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In an ideal world, the GPS unit you purchased would be portable, have great battery life, be able to hold all maps in memory, give perfect driving directions, have a bright color screen, plan an alternate route in heavy traffic, be rugged and waterproof, and be able to communicate easily with other electronic devices. And, you would get all of this at an affordable price.
I have good news and bad news. The good news – all of those features are available on GPS systems. The bad news – no GPS system offers all of them on one unit.
When you’re out shopping for a new GPS unit, there are four main types of GPS devices you’ll encounter: the car navigation system, the handheld GPS, the boat GPS, and the PDA/GPS hybrid.
The Car Navigation System
Most luxury models now offer built in navigation systems - it’s even standard on some. It’s also becoming common to find a navigation system as an option for mainstream vehicles. However, if a built in system isn’t an option for your new car, or if you plan on putting GPS in your current vehicle, there’s always the dash mountable option. Companies such as TomTom, Garmin, and Magellan offer some of the more popular dash mountable GPS devices.
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The Handheld GPS Device
The GPS devices designed for outdoor enthusiasts are the most affordable type of GPS unit. Low end models cost as little as $100. High-end models cost about $500. These units are great to have if you spend a lot of time hiking or camping. They are also the type of GPS units anyone who wants to start geocaching (http://www.gpsmaestro.com/geocaching) will want to use. Some of the features you’ll find on a these units: base maps of parks, lakes and mountains where you plan on hiking; a built in compass, the ability to input coordinates; chart plotting so you can tell where you’ve been and can retrace your path if necessary; color or monochrome displays depending on the model; an altimeter; a rugged durable housing; and water resistance or full waterproofing.
If you’re looking for a jack of all trades GPS device, then you may want to consider the PDA/GPS hybrid units. Many of these systems are full featured PDAs with built in GPS capabilities.
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