If you’ve been trying to decipher scrawled directions on faded pieces of paper, you need a GPS system. If you’ve gotten lost from using ‘you can’t miss it’ directions from your neighbor, you need a GPS system. If your poor sense of direction has you circling your spouse’s place of employment because you don’t know which side of the building is the south side, you need a GPS system. GPS technology has changed the way the world travels – short distances and long distances.

A common misconception about a GPS is you have to be lost to need one. Not true. You’ll be surprised to learn exactly how far it is to work from your house, how much more efficient you can be running errands on a Saturday, and how many of the street names you’ll learn in your own community. Plus, no more fighting with paper maps you picked up at the convenience store.

Answer the following questions and make it easy to decide which GPS device is right for you and your travels.

1. How often will I use my GPS?

• Once or twice a week
• Several times a day
• Occasionally to once a month

2. What will I use it for?

• During summer camping trips and vacations
• Go back and forth to work
• Places I’ve never been to there before
• All of the above and more!

3. What screen size do I need?

• 3.5-inch
• 4.3 to 4.5-inch
• Larger

4. Where will it be mounted in my car?

• On my dashboard above the car’s gauges
• Attached to the A/C vent above my CD player
• Mounted onto my windshield near the A-pillar

5. What options and features do I need?

• I need Bluetooth®-compatibility!
• Additional maps of Europe for annual business trips
• I require real-time traffic and weather alerts
• All of the above and more!

Now that you know what you want, you know where to get it … hhgregg!

What is a GPS system?
GPS stand for Global Positioning System and is a satellite-based navigation system consisting of a network of 24 orbiting satellites. Originally designed for military use only, the late president, Ronald Reagan, issued a directive guaranteeing GPS signals would be available for civilian use throughout the world. In 2004, President George W. Bush echoed President Reagan’s directive and put into place an updated policy that keeps civilian GPS usage free of direct user fees.

GPS technology is used in everything from commercial aircraft to cell phones and boats to wristwatches. Industries like mining, surveying, and package delivery companies have also found GPS technology to be an invaluable tool which has helped make their lives easier and increased their bottom line. Let’s navigate through the specifications and options available in using a GPS in your daily life.

Maps
The heart of your GPS unit is the quality and variety of the preinstalled and downloadable maps available for your particular model of GPS device. Most units come with software you install on your PC to keep your GPS device up to date and functioning properly. Periodically plug your GPS into your PC to download additional maps and check for updates.

Most basic units will have preloaded maps of the United States (lower 48 states) and Canada. Other units can also have maps of Europe, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska, and more. Ensure your unit has a map of where you want to go before you reach the edge of the earth.

Traffic & Weather
If driving in traffic is seemingly a never-ending part of your day, you’ll want a model with live traffic alert capability. This capability is usually a premium service but well worth the cost if you require it.

If you’re a traffic alert subscriber, you’ll receive real-time traffic and weather-related incident alerts and information right to your screen. With this feature, you won’t have to worry about slow-downs caused by accidents, severe weather conditions, road closures, and more. This feature will automatically prompt you to reroute your trip if there is another road available.

Points of Interest (POI)
If you find yourself needing to take a break during a long drive but you aren’t familiar with the town you’re pulling into, select one of POI (as many as six million or more) preinstalled on your GPS device. The database of POI can make it easy to find the nearest ATM, gas station, 24-hour diner, and more. Searching through the POI database can be accomplished by category or specific name nearest to your position.

Accuracy
The absolute accuracy of your location when compared to a GPS-determined position depends on the receiver you’re using. Most hand-held GPS units have 32-foot (10-meters) to 65-foot (20-meters) accuracy range. For most people, getting this close to finding your destination is easily ‘close enough’ and will never really become an issue. But, there are some units than can get you to within a 9-foot (3 meters) to 16-foot (5 meters) accuracy range of your destination’s front door.

Screen Size
For portable automotive GPS devices, the standard screen size is 4.3-inches wide. A small screen would be 3.5-inches wide while a large screen would be 4.5-inches wide or larger. Ensure the screen size on the GPS device you’re interested in purchasing is large enough for your level of eyesight but not so large it blocks your view through your windshield.

Using a 4.3-inch widescreen with 16:9 format (same as your HD television) can increase the amount of information you view on the screen at one time over a standard 3.5-inch screen. When compared to a 3.5-inch screen, a 4.3-inch widescreen is 32-pixels taller, allowing you to view more of the road ahead. It is also 160-pixels wider which provides a much broader horizontal view of where you’re going.

Sunlight glare can temporarily washout your ability to read the map on your screen causing you to miss your turn or the last onramp to the freeway for 50 miles. Ensure you GPS device is designated as ’sunlight readable’ from any angle or some other type of designation.

Storage
Safely storing your GPS device when it is not needed is important to keep the unit from being damaged and to help keep all your accessories in one place. You don’t want to scratch your screen to the point you miss out on all the vibrant colors and great resolution. Considering your GPS device is operated using a touch screen, excessive scratches could alter and/or damage the way your unit performs.

Storage cases are available in generic, one-size-fits-all size and brand/model specific sizes. Some cases are large enough, though still compact, to encase the dock/mount and the GPS unit itself. This is a great feature when using a rental car or other borrowed vehicle to ensure you don’t leave anything behind.

Battery Life
For the many times you’ll need to use your GPS device without using your car as the primary power source, the life of your battery will become very important. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery with at least a 4-hour battery life will help ensure you don’t run out of power before you reach your destination.

Although lithium-ion batteries are known for their slow loss of charge when not in use, ensure your battery is fully charged before heading out on your next adventure.

Product Support & Warranty
Especially if you don’t use your GPS device on a daily basis, ensure the unit you purchase has at least a one year parts and labor warranty.

Some GPS manufacturers will continue to provide full product support assistance, even after the warranty on your GPS unit has expired.

Mounting
For GPS devices, mounting options are unique in that you’re not stuck with leaving it the way it was mounted the very first time you used the device. It can be mounted on a dashboard in one car in the morning, the windshield in another car in the afternoon, and hand held for a walk along a trailhead at sunset; all in the same day. Here are the mounting options available:

• Removable, swivel A/C vent mount
• Pedestal bicycle mount (does not require tools for installation)
• Universal bean bag with 3.25-inch suction cup mount plate
• Dashboard swivel pedestal mount
• Windshield pedestal mount (adheres to windshield with a suction cup)

Review the applicable laws in your state in reference to mounting a GPS device to your windshield. At least one state prohibits mounting on the windshield at all and another state requires specific locations, down to the inch, where mounting is acceptable.

Voices
Yep, you’re hearing voices, lots of different ones. Your GPS device will have preloaded generic male and female voices to guide you through turn-by-turn directions. Additional voices, including celebrity voices such as Mr. T, Dennis Hopper, and Burt Reynolds are available as a premium service.

Imagine driving home and missing your exit and then hearing, “You missed the turn, fool!” If you’d rather have you wife’s voice guide as a backseat driver to work and back, there are online tools available to record her voice saying the 59 required phrases.

You can talk back to your GPS. No, we don’t mean yelling at it. Some models feature activating your Bluetooth® capabilities or audibly entering your destination addresses. Both examples will allow you to maintain hands-free use of your GPS and keep your eyes on the road where they belong.

Thickness = Thin is In
Finding a GPS device which is as thin as possible might suit your needs if available space is a concern for carrying the unit in your pocket while walking or in a backpack while hiking.

Look for a ‘pocket-sized’ designation or something similar. There are 4.3-inch screen GPS devices available which are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.

Bluetooth® Compatibility
Some models are Bluetooth® wireless technology compatible allowing you to audibly voice a command using a built-in microphone to enjoy hands-free control of your Bluetooth®-enabled phone.

Bluetooth® is a separate service that requires activation from the wireless company of your choice.

Spelling
Some models have an auto-complete spelling feature which can help immensely if you’re not sure how to spell a street name or city. This feature can also speed up your address data entry because every letter you type narrows the list of available selections remaining so that you don’t have to type the entire name.

For those of you who are poor spellers, it will even correct your spelling without making you stay after school.

MISCELLANEOUS TRAVEL TOOLS
Just when you thought your GPS device couldn’t amaze you anymore than it already does, along comes added travel tools to make your traveling life easier. Here are a few of them:

• Currency Converter
• World Travel Clock
• Automatic Time Zone Transition
• Unit Converter (feet to meters, etc.)
• Basic Calculator
• JPEG Picture Viewer
• Animated vehicles that show your location on the map (premium service)

FINAL THOUGHTS
Using a GPS unit can literally save your life, save you time and money, all the while guiding you to your destination. It is amazing how satellites which are orbiting some 12,000 miles away can safely guide you and your family from home to destination and back home again. Once you use a GPS device, you’ll wonder how you ever worked and played without one.

Still have questions? – feel free to speak with an hhgregg associate. We offer the best-educated associates in the business who are smart enough to make it simple. Price and Advice Guaranteed!

This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Personal Electronics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.