Looking for a new GPS device for you or as a gift? Consider TomTom XL 330S 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator, known for its ease of use, superior maps, and fantastic routing.

The TomTom 4.3-inch widescreen LCD for easier viewing in the car, the TomTom XL 330 and XL 330S features the plug and play ease of use, rock-solid navigation, and sleek design we’ve come to expect from TomTom. Both models come pre-loaded with highly accurate maps for the United States and Canada, with TomTom Map Share technology that enables you to instantly modify street names, street direction, and POIs on your own device.

TomTom XL 330S

Hot Deal!!!

Price: $89.99

Both models share the same navigation and user interface features. Howerver, the XL 330S adds text-to-speech, which means instead of hearing “turn right in 50 feet,” you’ll hear “turn right in 50 feet at Ohio Street.”

Key Features and Benefits

• Easy to Use right out of the box

• Clear Directions from the sensitive touchscreen display with turn-by-turn spoken directions

• TomTom Map Share lets you instantly modify street names, street direction, and POIs on your own device and benefit from others’ corrections

• “Help Me!” Emergency Menu gives one-touch access to local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals

• Preloaded Complete Maps of the United States and Canada with TeleAtlas data

• EasyPort mount is foldable and slim for easy portability

• POI icons easily find gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more along your route. Customize by adding your own points of interest

• QuickGPSfix speeds up the time it takes to fix your GPS position to help you drive off more quickly.

• Traffic-Capable with optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays

• Daily Fuel Prices, available as an optional service, finds the lowest priced gas on your route

Specifications:

• Display: 4.3-inch TFT color LCD touchscreen (480 x 272 pixels, 64,000 colors)

• Connectivity: USB port for charging and downloading maps and updates

• Power: Internal Lithium-Ion battery for up to 3 hours of operation

• Dimensions: 4.7 x 3.2 x 0.9 inches

• Weight: 6.6 ounces

Right now when you purchase this GPS navigator, you can save an additional 50% on accessories from top brands like Case Logic, Lowepro, Bracketron, and Gilsson. Just add both the qualifying GPS and accessory to your cart and the accessory will automatically be discounted an additional 50% at checkout.

Other post you may be interested in reading : Tips to Get the Best GPS System and Decide the Best Auto Navigation System for You.

Music legend Bob Dylan is “talking to a couple of car companies” about becoming the voice of their GPS system.

The singer-songwriter discussed the possibility on his BBC Radio 6 Music Sunday show which was on the theme of street maps.

Renowned for his raspy, nasally tones, the 68-year-old American gave his listeners a taster of what his directions might sound like.

“Left at the next street. No, right. You know what? Just go straight.”

He continued: “I probably shouldn’t do it because whichever way I go, I always end up at one place – on Lonely Avenue. Luckily I’m not totally alone. Ray Charles beat me there.”

The normally reclusive Dylan, whose hits include Blowin’ in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone, admitted he does not normally like telling people what he is doing.

His Theme Time Radio Hour is on Mondays at midnight. The singer is currently on hiatus, and this week’s show was a repeat. His comments had not previously been reported.

Comedian John Cleese is one of several celebrities who have already lent their voices to sat-nav devices.

Other sat-nav voices include Susan Skipper, who appeared as Nigel Havers’ posh girlfriend in the 1980s sitcom Don’t Wait Up; and Eve Karpf, who voice-dubbed the famous line: “Monsieur, with these Rocher you are really spoiling us” in a chocolate commercial.

Original Source : BBC News (August 25, 2009)

By Yenie S. Darian

Car Satelite Navigation

The Car Sat Nav or car satellite navigation now has revolutionized. Satellite navigation devices are now fitted in almost every vehicle such as airliners, boat, taxi drivers, couriers and the family car.

Navigation like car sat nav is just one of the main uses of GPS. To make travelling comfortable and trouble free to find unfamiliar destinations, car sat nav GPS pin point locations from space.

Sat Nav or satellite navigation relies on a constellation of satellites known as GNSS (Global Navigational Satellite Systems). And the Global Positioning System (GPS) is only one fully functioning GNSS in the world today.

GPS has a constellation of more than 30 satellites. For accurate navigation, at any one time at least three or four of these satellites are overhead. The GPS satellites each have onboard an atomic clock that use the resonance of an atom (the frequency at particular energy states) which makes them highly accurate, over a million years not lose as much as a second in time. It is really unbelievable precision that makes car sat nav possible.

The satellites relay a signal from the onboard clock that consists of the time and the position of the satellite. Then, this signal is beamed back to earth where your car’s sat nav retrieves it. The computer in your GPS system will result exactly where you are on the face of the earth by calculation how long this signal took to reach the car and triangulating four of these signals. It is only required three signals on a ‘flat’ earth and four signals if the elevation changes.

GPS systems can only work as a result of the highly precise accuracy of the atomic clocks. GPS systems signals are relay at the speed of light and accuracy of even a millisecond. It could adjust the positioning calculations by 100 kilometers as light can travel nearly 100 kilometers each and every second, although currently GPS systems are accurate to about five meters.

As I was writing the above article, it struck me that you may be interested in reading this too: How To Choose The Best GPS Systems (3) – Now What Do I Choose? and The Review of Magellan GPS Receiver I hope you find it useful.

By Yenie S. Darian

What if your car is stolen or you don’t know where your teen driver has taken the vehicle? You need a car GPS locator or Vehicle GPS Units

A Vehicle GPS Units works much the same way as a personal GPS or even a cell phone that has GPS on it.

A GPS device relies on the network of three or four satellites that are in orbit around the earth and lock on to a GPS device. They can inform the exact location of that device, even inform how fast the vehicle is moving.

GPS systems have various different uses such as provide turn by turn directions for drivers, help you locate or your vehicle, direct emergency services and the like.

If your car is stolen and if you have a vehicle GPS unit installed in your car, you have to go to the authorities with the information about your GPS and they will be able to help you find it soon. But if your car isn’t found within a few days, chances are it is no longer in one piece and will never be found.

GPS devices can also find drivers or your teens, if you don’t know where they’ve gone. Almost all vehicle GPS unit give you the option to logging into a website, online and you’ll be shown a map that tracks your vehicle’s movements accurately.

Vehicle GPS Units

Of course you have to do is purchase and install vehicle GPS unit to using GPS devices in your car. One of these products is Zoombak ZMBK200 Advanced GPS Car & Family Locator that can be permanently installed in your vehicle and can be moved on to different vehicle such as your motorcycles, ATVs, boats and bicycles. You can track your car’s location in real time, or view a map of your car’s current location or location history. You also can create your own customized “safety zones”, and get notified via text message on your cell phone or email when your car has left the zone.

Investing in a car GPS locator as vehicle GPS unit may great idea. It is great for your vehicle protection and family too.

Also, check out my other guide on Garmin Nuvi 200 Widescreen Satellite Navigation System – What’s it Like Then? and Choosing Marine GPS Navigation.

By Yenie S. Darian

Garmin StreetPilot 2720

Here the best portable GPS unit on the market. Garmin – StreetPilot 2720 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator® NT street maps, including hefty Points of Interest (POIs) database with fuel, ATMs, hotels, restaurants and more. But accepts custom Points of Interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras, and lets you set nearness alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.

Garmin – StreetPilot 2720 comes with the features turn-by-turn voice directions, use the remote to enter a destination, simply touch the sunlight-readable screen, and 2D or 3D maps.

The best feature of Garmin StreetPilot 2720 is it minimizes trip distances by calculating the optimal route between multiple destinations. It is perfect for sales and delivery professionals.

The StreetPilot 2720 is also waterproof, a great choice for motorcyclists. The 2720 is much faster, has easier menus to navigate, has 3D navigation, and a screen that is more responsive and easier to operate with.

The weakness are this is a bulky unit compared to the latest generation of GPS, expensive unit, then you need an extra $70 to have current maps and it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of Bluetooth, MP3 playback or an FM transmitter.

I think the newer units are even better but the Garmin StreetPilot 2720 is capable and easy to use. Generally it is a very good unit and an amazing value at this price.

You may want to check out my other guide on Auto GPS Systems and Garmin GPS Navigation.

By Yenie S. Darian

These days, more people are becoming interested in getting GPS Navigation for their cars, because there are many advantages that GPS can bring for driving car easier. They want to learn more about GPS navigation for car details and how it really works.

GPS Navigation for car uses over 24 GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites orbiting the Earth which installed by US Department of Defense. And since 1983, people can use GPS for all activity such as hiking, golf, fishing, traveling and other activities and one of which is car navigation.

GPS navigation for car works with the GPS that enabled receiver installed in your car transmits a signal to the GPS systems and is picked up by three or more satellites to give you the exact location and direction you are going to. By combining it with detailed maps and coordinates, GPS navigation car a lot more useful which you will know precisely where you are relative to your current location, so you won’t get lost even in new places.

GPS navigations systems for car allow you to select a specific destination and immediately, the GPS receiver installed in your car will direct you to the location that you will go.

Other post you may be interested in reading : The TomTom One XL – A Portable GPS Car Navigation System and Introducing Garmin GPS 76.

By Yenie S. Darian

GPS was originally intended for military applications, but over the past couple of years, more people are taking

Auto Navigation System

advantage of it to make easier to find out where they are going, plan their journeys, and keep track of where they are.

Today, the people who spend many hours in their car, truck, or SUV and the people who do extensive travels need the benefits from an auto navigation system.

Most people might just be thinking of one concern, which they will decide the best navigation unit they really need. There are simple things that you need to know are the different auto navigation systems and determine which of these units your needs more.

The different auto navigation systems on the market today:

• Stand-alone Auto Navigation System provides the most detailed and complete mapping utilities.
• Multipurpose Handheld Navigation Devices do not have the full-detailed information that the former can offer you than Stand-alone auto navigation.
• Laptop/Palm Based Systems is better, if you already have your Palm or laptop devices and you often bring them with you while traveling.

How you can use the auto navigation system and GPS technology during your every travel:

• Before you get in your car and start the engine, of course, you need first to Planning your trip and where your destination will be. Auto navigation system will help you to give the best direction.
• While you are in travel, there are some points that you might need to eat some or stop for a while to take rest. So keep track of gas station, malls, hotels, restaurants or theatres.

GPS in the Auto Navigation System allow easy navigation that it tells you exactly where you are and lets you find the shortest way that you can reach your destination. Traveling was never been this easy. And you no longer need that huge atlas or the commercial tour guide. It’s mean you can save fuel, money, time and energy.

We have additional information on this subject you may be interested in reading: Garmin GPS and The History of GPS.

By Yenie S. Darian

Before GPS vehicle tracking systems technology found, it would take days or even weeks to pick up the car stolen from you. Today, with the use of GPS vehicle tracking systems, you can effortlessly report your stolen car and point out where it is being brought to.

This system technology actually derived from the whole concept of the Global Positioning System devices that can easily point out where the device is located exactly.

GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems - Zoombak ZMBK200

Today, GPS vehicle tracking systems are manufactured widely and can be great use to you in saving up big money by keeping your car from being stolen. One of most popular product of this device is Zoombak. Even Zoombak’s Advanced GPS Car & Family Locator that has dimension 9 x 7 x 5 inches ; 3 pounds, will help you locate your loved ones in it, and help bring them home safely. It’s perfect for monitoring teen drivers or other family members you worry about behind the wheel.

Most GPS vehicle tracking systems are registered under an on guard response center that you can call in case your car has been stolen. They will track cars as they can ably communication with personal GPS vehicle tracking systems connected to cars. They will Find the current location of your car online, via mobile phone text message, or via toll-free 24 hour customer service

With any personal GPS vehicle tracking systems, you will also have for yourself a device that comes to tell you that your car has been stolen, in case you are not aware of it.

Article You May Be Interested In Reading: The Review of Magellan GPS Receiver and How To Choose the Best GPS Systems (3) – Now What Do I Choose?

By Yenie S. Darian

Choose the right GPS Vehicle Tracking System will give you peace of mind and save your money as well. There are several things to consider before choosing the right vehicle tracking system for your needs, whether you are fitting a GPS device to your personal car or planning to fit a GPS tracking to your business vehicles as part of a fleet management strategy.

1. Type of Tracking System. There are various types of vehicle tracking systems available. The most common system for individual users is an on-board navigation system that uses GPS technology to give the best route from one place to another. Other GPS systems that mostly useful for fleet management can fit to cars and vehicles monitor the vehicle’s position at any time. Many GPS devices can be activated in case of an accident such as the vehicle lost by alerting the emergency services to the exact location of the vehicle.
2. Quality vs. Price. Cheaper systems will have limited functions and will certainly perform poorly as compared to a higher quality and more expensive system. For a fleet management strategy that will plan to install GPS tracking system, have to consider that it is a business investment to improve the efficiency and will lead to a larger saving overall in the long term. If the vehicle is stolen, GPS devices can also give you safety and in speedy recovery. And a cheap system may let you down when you most need it.
3. Voice instructions. In out-of-the-way locations where mobile phone reception may be non-existent, a GPS vehicle tracking system can also double up as a receiver for instructions relayed to the driver.
4. Real Time Tracking. To get information via a visual representation, Good GPS tracking systems must have an ability to utilize a ‘real-time’ wireless network, so the user can allow the correct route as indicated by the system. And for fleet managers, GPS allows a visual representation of the position of any fleet vehicle at any time, give them the ability to send the nearest vehicle to a pick up point or track the progress of a delivery.
5. Speed Limit Monitor. Some vehicle tracking systems have a speed limit monitor, which can inform fleet managers if their vehicles are drive in high speed. So, they can stop fuel wasted, endanger the lives of themselves or other road users and they can keep good reputation of the company.

We have additional information on this subject you may be interested in reading: Most Noticeable the Benefits of a Car GPS System and The User Friendly GPS – TomTom GPS Navigation.