How to Buy Portable GPS Car Navigation Systems
By Sharon Albright
I was researching for a portable gps car navigation system
the other week because my job requires me to travel a lot in
different cities.
It was just practical for me to get a portable system that I
could carry around with me.
While most portable gps systems have basic functions such as
voice narrations to help direct you where to go, it's worth
the time to figure out exactly what other features you may
need.
For example, there are some models which will tell you which
lane to be in so you can make turns in high traffic streets
more easily. This could come in handy if you're traveling in
a congested city such as Chicago.
When considering the features that you want in your portable
gps navigation system, it's important to consider if you'll
actually be needing that feature or if it's just an added
bonus.
Here are some things to consider:
Size of the GPS Unit
You can find pocket sized units which are very portable but
have small screen sizes. If you want a larger screen the
units will be less portable so make sure to consider how
you will use your unit.
Price of GPS Unit
Cost is always at the top of everyone's minds when
it comes to technology purchases. As with anything,
you get what you pay for. Skimp on a low priced
unit and you may just end up with something that
functions half the time.
My brother-in-law spent $175 on a no-name brand
GPS unit and after using it to help him move across
the country, it took a permanent vacation.
You should also consider some of these other major
features:
Street name announcement -
Does the voice narration announce the name of
the street or does it just say next street?
Time to destination -
Will it calculate how long it will take you to
arrive at your destination? This feature is
invaluable when you want to know the closest
destination out of several choices.
Automatic rerouting -
If you make a wrong turn, does your navigation
system reroute you?
You'll find a lot of choices when purchasing a portable
gps car navigation system. My suggestion would be to
figure out what options you would like, then find the
units which have those features and check the units
out physically at your local electronics store.
You can then go online to find the best deals for
your unit. Often times, I find the best deals online
after viewing the units in a store.
As with most technology, you will find that in a few
years there will be more GPS units with more features
for lower prices.
I'm very excited to see this technology develop.
Sharon Albright operates a Portable GPS Car Navigation System
website at http://www.portablecargps.net where she lists all the top brand GPS units on the market and she also shows you
where to get them for rock bottom prices! Visit her site
now to review top car navigation models.
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