| The best way to get the right GPS device is with a | | | | $150 will get you Garmin and Tom Tom's basic unit. |
| good GPS review comparison! There are too many | | | | $1,000 will buy you Garmin's top of the line model, |
| manufacturers and too many models to choose from. | | | | which had a huge screen and all the bells and whistles. |
| It all gets very confusing. You need a guide! | | | | All GPS devices have the following: |
| If you want to know what these wonderful devices | | | | - Touch screen interface |
| do and how you can save yourself some money, | | | | - Auto-calculation of the fastest or shortest route |
| then read on! | | | | - A database of Points of Interest (POIs) |
| But first let's talk about who makes GPS receivers. | | | | - Voice prompts (but that don't say the street |
| There are a number of manufacturers, but the top | | | | names!) |
| three are Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. Garmin is | | | | - Maps of the lower 48 United States |
| the top dog; Tom Tom is the new kid on the block; | | | | If all you want are these basic features, then get |
| and Magellan was the company that originated the | | | | something like the Garmin nuvi 200 or the Tom Tom |
| whole concept. All three make a great product! That's | | | | One. They can both do all of this and more. |
| the good news. Because if you buy a device from | | | | For more money you can get: |
| any of these three you won't go wrong. | | | | - Maps of Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada |
| The bad new is this. All three make a great product! | | | | - Bigger screen |
| Which, of course, makes it really difficult to | | | | - Bluetooth |
| understand which model to buy. | | | | - Traffic and weather delivered to you in real time |
| Hopefully, I can give you some assistance with that | | | | - Much larger POI database |
| dilemma. | | | | - Ability to route you to multiple routes on the same |
| GPS devices have really caught on over the last two | | | | trip |
| years! And with gas prices so high, I'm sure the | | | | You can get a lot of these upgrades for under $350. |
| demand is just going to grow and grow. | | | | The Garmin 660 currently sells for slightly under $350 |
| To really start to understand what you're buying, you | | | | and can do all of the above except for the multiple |
| need to know how much these things sell for, what | | | | route calculations. That's a lot of GPS for the money! |
| the basic features are, and how much upgraded | | | | Obviously, there's a certain amount of education you |
| features are going to cost. Let me sketch out an | | | | have to go through before you buy your first, or |
| answer to those questions. | | | | next GPS device. |
| GPS receivers sell anywhere from $150 to $1,000. | | | | |