When you are considering which GPS system to purchase, there are several things you need to look out for and know about. The first thing to think about is what type of GPS (global positioning system) you require – do you need a car GPS, or do you simply want one of the best GPS systems available? Do you want a boat navigation system? Do you need a mobile GPS system or a fixed one? For example, the Magellan GPS Roadmate 700 gives you voice and visual directions, so with this global positioning system you really can’t get lost. What’s more, this GPS system has a touch screen, and an auto-complete feature for when you’re entering addresses, meaning no more misspelled addresses or suburbs. While we’re speaking about addresses, you can create an address book you’re your favorite or popular destinations. This Magellan GPS system really has it all!

Another one of the great GPS systems is the Magellan Roadmate 2000 GPS auto navigation system. This car GPS system boasts over 1.3 million pre-programmed points of interest, and has a function that helps you avoid traffic! Use global positioning to not only work your way through the city streets, but in the quickest and least stressful way (although, we can’t help with the husband or wife’s backseat driving)!

But not only can you purchase the best GPS systems to help you get around town – you can also use them as a GPS auto tracking system, for those of you who truly value your automobile and can’t bear the thought of anything happening to it. With a GPS system tracking your car, if the worst happens and your car does actually get stolen, the global positioning system can be followed to wherever the suspects might take it – or it can be intercepted by the Police before real harm comes to it! No more worrying about where you car will end up if it is stolen!

Mobile global positioning can also help with keeping track of wayward teens who borrow your car – no more do you have to worry about where your son or daughter has taken your car, you can simply keep track of it via the global positioning devices you have installed (and your children don’t even have to know the GPS system is in your car!). Plus there is the added benefit that the GPS system will help your children get from A to B, and not get lost in between – very important for any parent!

GPS solutions are many and varied, so before you go out and consider all the GPS systems, have a think about why you want it (keep track of your beloved vehicle, or monitor your son who just got his license and a new girlfriend?) and for what vehicle – boat, car, bike or something more adventurous! Your global positioning system is an investment for many reasons, so do your research and don’t make a decision you’ll regret.

By: Matt Morrison

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Best Sport GPS Systems Reviewed

There are many professional uses for GPS systems. Some are simple, such as using a GPS system to find a worksite before it is actually surveyed. Others are more interesting. One is the GPS Compass. A pair of GPS systems can accurately determine direction without worrying about magnetic declination, as magnetic north can be slightly different than true north in some parts of the world.

Weather Reports

Another professional use for GPS systems is to increase accuracy for weather reports, with special systems able to determine information such as air density, temperature, moisture and electron density. This information can be fed into computer models in an attempt to increase the accuracy of the system.

Emergency Services

Perhaps the most dramatic uses are for emergency services. Both in terms of calling in locations when initially reporting the issue and aiding first responders to quickly find the location afterwards. E911 requires that all mobile phones be locatable by GPS, though not all parts of the US are E911 compliant at this time. GPS location is actually less power hungry than the radiolocation system which was the previous standard while increasing the accuracy.

Digital Cameras

Some digital cameras can be connected to GPS systems and insert the datetime group and location into the picture, useful when there is reason to desire pictures to be tied to a specific time and place, such as pictures of work sites or crime scenes.

Some tasks require precise timing and are connected to GPS systems, not for location but for timing. The systems are self correcting to ensure the GPS itself requires very accurate time in order to function, and there is no reason for other devices not to take advantage. So some devices such as seismology sensors which are in known locations have an integral GPS in order to keep that accurate time.

Surveying

Surveying is also becoming a GPS dominated function, with Survey quality GPS systems used to place survey markers, roads and buildings. Mapping quality GPS systems are used to keep accurate locations down to 10cm. Geophysicists and geologists use GPS systems to record locations in realtime, which can be of exceptional value in circumstances such as a volcanic eruption, a sinkhole or other rapid movement.

Military

The original intended use for the GPS system was military, and the armed forces are still heavy users of the technology. The systems are so popular that some soldiers who are not assigned a GPS system will buy a civilian system for the added convenience of having one at any time it might be needed.

Navigation


Boats and ships make exceptional use of GPS systems. From knowing where they are on the chart to quickly reporting the location of a crisis such as a ship in distress or man overboard, a working GPS system turns navigation from a task requiring an extensively trained professional to a task that can be accomplished quickly by an amateur. This does not mean it isn’t a good plan to have such a trained professional handy, of course.

By: Alan King

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Best Sport GPS Systems Available

There are so many variables in GPS Systems, it is a little overwhelming to sort out the best. Below you will find our choices for the top 10 GPS systems. Our selection was by no means scientific, but it is based on reviews from Amazon customers, best sellers listed by Amazon and Pricegrabber, and editors’ picks from GPSMagazine.com.

In this group, only vehicle GPS receivers are listed, since, as a group, they are by far the largest segment of GPS systems sold. But don’t worry, if you are an outdoors enthusiast, we do have listings for cycling, motorcyles, marine and wilderness units as well. You will find these listed in another article.

The manufacturer with the greatest number of models listed in the top ten is Garmin. Their volume of sales in the U.S. outranks all other manufacturers, therefore it is no surprise to see them listed so often. Keep in mind that models differ in both price and features, so do your homework and research a little further rather than just

pick form the top ten list when making your choice.

Let’s get right into it. Here are our Top Ten GPS Picks for 2010:

1. Garmin Nuvi 765T-Best Overall GPS

With the ease typical of Garmin Nuvis’ touchscreen, this product also includes Bluetooth, traffic alerts, text-to-speech, route planning, lane assist and ultra-quick map refresh rate. With all these features, there is good reason to rate this GPS receiver number one.

2. Garmin Nuvi 265T

The 265T, along with other “five” series Garmin Nuvis, comes with free real-time traffic updates. It also features “predictive” technology that allows for faster satellite lock. Included are maps for North America, and text-to-speech capability, announcing the required directions with street names. As with other Nuvi models that have the “T” designation, this unit comes with an integrated traffic receiver featuring traffic updates.

3. Garmin Nuvi 285WT

This GPS receiver comes with real time traffic updates through MSN Direct, has all the features of the Nuvi 265T, and also allows you to use hands-free telephone calls with Bluetooth technology.

4. Tom Tom XL 340-S

A budget GPS with some upscale features, this unit has “advanced lane guidance” which users say works well. Text-to-speech, 3-D junction view and IQ Routes make this system a winner at a budget price.

5. Magellan Maestro 4700

One of Magellans most recently developed GPS units, this receiver has some great features. You can manually exclude any roads you want to avoid, a rather unique feature,in addition to which you can customize the menu to display only the things you want to see. As with most upper end units, it has Bluetooth and traffic alerts and you get a list of upcoming turns well in advance.

6. Garmin Nuvi 855-Best Voice Command GPS Unit

In addition to having complete contol over this GPS system with voice commands, it is the only Garmin Nuvi that allows you to exclude specific routes. The 855T gives you traffic updates through MSN Direct. The preloaded map feature has over 6 million points of interest, with City Navigator NT street maps for U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

7. Garmin Nuvi 1350T

A recent release from Garmin, the Nuvi 1350T has all the navigation features of lower-priced models, plus Advanced Lane function and Text to Speech functions. Additionally, it has the option to load City Explorer maps for pedestrian and transit features in some cities.

8. Garmin 255W/255WT

The slim design on this inexpensive unit makes it easy to carry if you choose to. It features predictive technology, for faster satellite acquisition as well as complete maps for North America and spoken directions of the street names.

9. Tom Tom One 140-S-Best Pick under $100 (tied with Garmin Nuvi 205W)

Advanced Lane Guidance and IQ Routes technology which shows you the fastest route to your destination make this budget-priced unit a great choice for a GPS.

10. Garmin Nuvi 205W (tied with Tom Tom 140-S)

With an average consumer rating over 4 stars, and priced under $100, this Garmin GPS is popular and easy to use. It has preloaded maps for North America, along with millions of points of interests, and “HotFix” technology to quickly lock on to satellites.

A note about Garmin Nuvi 260, 360, 760 and other units. Although still available for sale, and reaping high marks previously, these units are being replaced by new series (ending in 5). The Nuvi Models 260, 360, 760 and others are listed on Garmin’s website as “discontinued”. As with any electronic gadget, the technology is ever-evolving. Our suggestion is to buy the latest models that are available, particularly when the manufacturer lists previous models as being discontinued.

By: Robert Freer

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Best Sport GPS Systems Available

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about the different navigation and tracking devices on the market that not only help people travel throughout a city without getting lost, but also can keep up with a vehicle if it gets lost (or stolen). But, believe it or not, there are even more reasons why people do and should buy GPS systems with these features, so in this article we will look as some of those reasons.

Vehicle Navigation

I think the number one reason people buy GPS systems is to help them navigate from Point A to Point B in their vehicle. Each year, new systems are released, which means each year they are becoming more accurate, reliable, and sophisticated. One of the devices that customers seem to love is from a company that expert reviewers love even more: Garmin. Their Nuvi 660 navigation device is considered top-of-the-line in its category of devices and is definitely one to think about purchasing. It offers detailed 2D and 3D maps of North America, has Bluetooth compatibility, millions of points of interests its directory, and very accurate turn-by-turn voice command speech-to text navigation instruction, making it a definite top pick among its competition.

Marine Navigation

Those who love to get out on the water can take advantage of the many units available that help them to not only find their way around the many rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans of the Earth, but also to find fish underneath those waters. In particular, the Tracker 5505 comes highly recommended as a great marine navigation unit with its high resolution screen, C-Map cartography, daylight color viewing, and fuel management options. In addition, it has a 16 MB world background map, a weather station display, high speed panning capabilities, and a Dedicated Man Overboard (MOB) hotkey.

Hiking

Some people who buy GPS systems are looking forward to spending time outdoors and need navigation assistance while trekking through non-urban areas. A great device to do this with is the Magellan SportTrack, which was created to help people who hunt, boat, fish or hike. This device is WAAS enabled and offers a quadifiler antenna that lets you pick up all 12 of the orbiting satellites in the sky. Because of this higher level of accuracy, you can trek all over the land – and on the water – with no problems. Even more, you can store up to 20 routes, 500 waypoints, and 2,000 track points that can all be downloaded to your computer and then re-stored again on your device. Some other features of this device include the ability to located Sun and Moon positions and accurate calculations of fish and game in the area.

Vehicle Tracking

Vehicle tracking is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds, which is why many buy GPS systems devices that will help them locate their vehicle if it is ever stolen. One device that works well for this situation is the Shadow Tracker 2000. Though it is meant to keep up with an entire fleet of vehicles, many single individuals purchase it because it tons of extras you can take advantage of. For example, you are able to track each time a vehicle reaches its location – and it automatically downloads into its system so that you don’t have to do it manually. In addition, you can print out detailed maps and reports of each trip so that you can visually see actual stops, customer locations, mileage traveled and the amount of time that was spent at each location.

Teen Tracking

One of the number one problems parents have today is the safety of their children when traveling alone. But because so many families carry heavy schedules, it’s difficult to make sure you’re always with your teen. If you are concerned that in the event of an emergency you may not be able to track down your teen then you can buy GPS systems created specifically for this purpose. The T-Trac XS is a great device to purchase for teen tracking because it allows you to set up a geo-fence on the system’s virtual map that lets you determine where your teen can travel and alerts you if they go outside that area. Also, you can track your teen’s driving speed and how much time they’re spending in one location. But best of all, if your teen gets in an accident, you can immediately direct law enforcement to the car.

As you can see, why people buy GPS systems can vary, but it’s good to know there are devices to accommodate a variety of needs. So what are you waiting for? The next list of reasons you should buy GPS systems? Get out there and purchase one today!

By: Jeffrey Meier

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Best Sport GPS Systems Available