By Yenie Darian
Today at the market, there are many models and brands of Portable GPS Receiver available. The new portable GPS receiver offered from US$ 100 to more than US$ 500 depend on the features. Usually, build-in GPS is too bulky, not efficient and more expensive than portable GPS receiver. The portable GPS receiver is very economical and useful for daily activity, driving or outdoor activity.
TomTom GO 730T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Receiver
The basic type portable GPS receiver is around US$ 100. Usually, they offer basic features such as the United States map in details, a small color screen, voice guidance and power adapter. This basic type have enough features to assist you during driving, although you couldn’t get additional features such as voice recognition, FM traffic receiver, add custom points of interest (POI’s), JPEG picture viewer, MP3 player, world travel clock with time zones, Multi-Destination Routing, trip calculator and so on.
Unfortunately, the portable GPS navigation system doesn’t have internal compass accelerometer or a device used to measure the car’s speed. So, it can’t navigate as accurately as a build-in GPS system. It is important to buy a portable GPS receiver that has a build-in accelerometer, if you use the GPS very frequently or live in an area where there are a lot of high rises and tunnels.
The portable GPS receiver usually compact and pocket sized. You can carry it anywhere you go and avoid stolen if you leave it in your car.
Other post you may be interested in reading : Introducing Garmin GPS 76 and GPS Navigation Systems. How to Get the Best One?
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Garmin nuvi 285W/285WT
Do you want the hot Garmin nüvi 285WT, which allows hands-free calling? Or how about the popular Garmin nüvi 260W that already has hundreds of great reviews? Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll get a great deal on the right Garmin nüvi model for you in this sale.
Discount is reflected in current price. Discount applies only to products sold by Amazon.com; does not apply to items sold by other merchants on the Amazon.com
Don’t get lost ! Use the right GPS ! Buy now
Garmin nuvi 850 with MP3 Player
With the nüvi 800 series, Garmin adds smooth speech recognition to its bestselling line of sleek portable GPS navigators. As with all nüvis, you get a slim, pocket-sized navigator with a gorgeous display, detailed NAVTEQ maps that let you search by name for more than 6 million points of interest like stores, restaurants or hospitals, and an easy, intuitive interface. All of the 800-series navigators also feature a rich array of features including spoken directions in real street names, integrated traffic receivers, MP3 player and photo viewer, and an FM transmitter that will play all the nüvi’s audio, including voice prompts, MP3s, audio books, and more, directly through your vehicle’s stereo system. The 850 also features an integrated traffic receiver and enhanced MSN Direct content with traffic data, reas-time gas prices, movie times and more.
Key Features/Benefits
- New – Voice Recognition — Just tell it what you’re looking for (Learn more)
- Easy to use interface (Learn More)
- Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
- Pre-Loaded Maps for North America with 6 million searchable points of interest (POIs), plus add your own custom POIs (Learn more)
- Multi-Destination Routing — tells you the best way to get to a lot of different places in one trip (Learn More)
- FM Transmitter lets you hear spoken navigation prompts, MP3s or audio books through your car’s stereo system
- Add FM traffic incident data or Enhanced MSN traffic flow data and content with an optional antenna (Learn more)
- Where Am I? — instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)
- Where’s My Car? — never forget where you parked again (Learn More)
- Widescreen — gives you a better idea of what’s around you (Learn More)
- microSD card slot — store extra maps, travel guides, photos or MP3s
- Photo Viewer and MP3 Player (Learn More)
- Customize Your Onscreen Vehicle Icon (Learn More)
- Garmin Lock (Learn More) — keep others from using your navigator
- New – Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
- New – Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
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.
]]>There are many GPS navigation brands out there which each brand has unique feature and characteristics that are not found in other brands. Today I try to write the strengths and weakness of TomTom GPS Navigation as one of the most popular GPS Navigation devices available.
Strengths
- Easy to use: TomTom GPS Navigation is simple to use interface that most users experience with their feature
TomTom GPS Navigation
easy-to-see commands and straight-forward.
- Good Guidance: TomTom GPS Navigation allows good guidance with text-to-speech directions that any beginners could operate effortlessness. They can learning quickly and can use it for everyday navigating.
- Traffic information: The feature traffic information receivers on the advance type of TomTom GPS Navigation, allows information of upcoming traffic jams and heavy traffic up ahead.
- Quick signal-locking GPS receivers: TomTom GPS Navigation also features quick signal-locking GPS receivers that are complemented with a fast 400 MHz built-in processor that competent performing with smooth refresh rate and quick command response.
- Driver Tools: Some of more advanced TomTom features driver tools that let you know if you are over the speed limit, and also Lane Guidance tool, an in-depth look to lane switches in busy and complicated interchange.
- “Help Me!” feature: shows local emergency facilities and phone numbers, plus the current location of your unit in cases of emergency.
- A buddy tracker: For notifies the user where their buddies are, several TomTom products even features a buddy tracker that notifies the user where on the map their buddies are.
Weakness
- Design of all TomTom GPS Navigation is very similar style and colors, with the same user interface.
- For some vehicles, the mounting kits that usually come with TomTom GPS Navigation devices is difficult to reach which it makes the users difficult operate the touchscreen.
- The integrated Bluetooth hands-free technology is still too new and many users have complained of difficulty of hearing with low volume mic pick-up by the user calling.
Finally, TomTom GPS Navigation is great for users who need to have an easy, a simple device and straightforward navigation system with plenty of driver tools.
Just thought you may be interested in reading this guide: In Car GPS Navigation Systems Make Reaching Your Destination a Breeze! and A Review of Garmin Nuvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
]]>Before you go shopping a portable GPS device, make sure you know what to look for. Here is the Portable GPS Devices Guide and Tips:
Map availability. Make sure to check that you can buy maps for other countries if you like to travel.
Free map update. The Manufacture of Portable GPS device should allow you to download free map corrections, because 15% of the road network changes every year.
Traffic congestion support. Look for traffic software TMC-RDS support in any navigator you will buy that will help you avoid traffic hotspots and allow you to receive the Suna Traffic Channel broadcasts.
“Where am I?” feature is important when you get stranded on a remote country road at night.
User interface. Try out a few to see how easy it is to do basic things, such as switch between day-night brightness, navigate to a new destination and access your favorite destinations.
Touch-screen quality. A navigator touch screen should respond to a light touch; that makes typing addresses very easy.
Windscreen mount. The best Windscreen mount for Portable GPS Devices are simple: compact one-piece mounts that the navigator clips onto easily, allowing tilting and swiveling.
Computer syncing capabilities. Get Portable GPS devices that come with software to help you upload maps, back up your favorite locations and so on. And make sure it works on your computer (especially if you have Windows Vista or a Mac).
Speaker loudness. Check the navigator has a loud enough speaker if you have a car that doesn’t seal out noise from the outside world perfectly.
Handsfree features. Portable GPS devices that can double as a handsfree speaker-mic for your mobile phone is a great value-add to look for.
As I was writing the above article, it struck me that you may be interested in reading this too: Using a Portable GPS System and Most Noticeable the Benefits of a Car GPS System I hope you find it useful.
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Garmin Portable System - Garmin Oregon 300
The newest of the handheld mapping GPS models to enter the market is The Garmin Oregon. It has the larger 3 inch screen which makes viewing map details much easier. You can choice The Garmin Oregon 300, a low cost base form that will give you a lot of great features.
The waterproof Garmin Portable GPS – Oregon 300 is Easy to learn and simple to use. It’s a high-sensitivity GPS receiver and preloaded worldwide basemap with shaded relief for incredibly detailed map presentation on the unit, and that can also be easily supplemented with additional mapping or charts for your adventures on land or at sea.
The Garmin Portable GPS – Oregon 300 offers a high-resolution, color 3-inch touchscreen that reacts as you tap or drag through menus and options. Unfortunately, this Garmin Oregon is not as shiny as the Colorado which reduces the amount of reflection during daylight operations.
Even GPS location in heavy cover and deep canyons, with its high-sensitivity, HotFix satellite prediction and WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, Oregon 300 locates your position quickly and precisely
It’s also equipped with an electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you’re standing still and barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude.
The Garmin Oregon 300 have MicroSD card slot that located inside the waterproof battery compartment for optional mapping and data storage for all your outdoor activities on land or water. When you insert an optional Garmin MapSource card with detailed street maps, you can get turn-by-turn directions to your destination.
The device of this Garmin Portable GPS lets you customize five profiles (automotive, fitness, recreation, marine or geocaching) make the most helpful features for each activity the easiest to access through quick shortcuts.
Also, check out my other guide on The TomTom ONE 125, a Portable GPS Navigator and How to Choose the Best GPS Systems (2) – Decide What You’re Looking For.
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