Guide to Selecting a Real-Time GPS System and Understanding Its Practical Applications

If you are one of the loners who loves to go on an unplanned drive to an unknown land quite often, or if you are an adventure seeker who loves exploring the mysterious locations, or even if you have moved to a new city and are not yet acquainted with the lefts, rights and turns of the city roads, installing a GPS system in your car can be a really smart move.

Even it’s possible to carry handheld GPS devices while traveling by a bike or going on a trekking trip.

The Need for GPS Systems

In fact, having a GPS navigation unit with you all the time just like a cell phone will never be a big hassle; actually, it always will indeed be of great help. The modern GPS systems often come with both visual and audio controls with turn by turn directions clearly defined. Be it finding any address, locating a place of interest, locating a near by gas station, ATMs or restaurants, everything becomes a cake walk with a GPS.

For those who’re planning on buying a new car or have an old car without a navigation system, then a GPS unit could very well be one of your first value-for-money accessories.

Types of GPS Units:

There are 3 different types of GPS navigation units out there in the market –

• Portable GPS Units,
• Handheld GPS Devices, and
• Built-in GPS units (installed in vehicles).

The built-in ones normally come with bigger screens and can often work in sync with other entertainment devices like DVD movies or even video games, when the navigation unit is not in use. Normally, the built-in units are permanent and a big cut on the dash by a professional is needed to install the GPS unit.

The handheld and portable ones have very small screen and so programming a particular destination can be a kind of challenge. The advantage with these two lies in the fact that they can be moved seamlessly from one vehicle to another. Most of the newer GPS models come with turn-by-turn audible directions.

Who Should Choose Handheld Devices?

People who love outdoor activities should opt for handheld devices as they can be easily removed from the dash of your car and kept in your pocket, thus helping your further with your biking, boating and hiking ordeals; having said that, driving a car with a handheld unit can be difficult as it can always slide down from dash or be unstable all the time.

So, it is always advisable to have a co-passenger next to you who could read the device and get you the directions as the small screen will be very difficult to use while driving. A 12 adapter can come handy from keeping the cells of these devices to die in the middle of a long drive.

Always Prefer the Portable Unit

Portable units easily get attached to the dash of your car. The interfaces are accessible and the screens are big enough for the driver to see it without paying too much attention.

For power these portable GPS units can either be connected to the 12 volt supplies or even the cigarette lighters. The advantage again is that it can be moved from one vehicle to another. The obvious disadvantage, however, is that it will hardly go with the theme of your car’s cabin. In fact, it can be an eye sore especially if you are an owner of a car, which particularly has a beautiful and elegant interior. Place it at a spot where it does not catch sun glare, and tilt the screen towards the driver seat. Make sure its placement is not in the way of safety airbags.

Let the Professionals Install OEM Units

The built-in units must be installed by only a professional, because doing it on your own could be quite a daunting task. They are placed at the same place as stereo and they come with CD players and radio tuners. Typically these kinds of navigation units have a screen that pops out of the dash and can potentially cover air vents and other controls on the dash.

So, with all kinds of GPS units explained, now the choice is yours. Install a new GPS in your new car, or revamp the old beauty!

Antony loves to go on adventurous trip in his Mitsubishi Cedia, and BMW X1, and he is simply crazy about installing the latest gizmos in his vehicles. He also loves to set the roads on fire with his Hyosung GT 650R sports-bike. He highly recommends people to make use of the latest gizmos, especially the modern gps tracking to ensure highest levels of safety while travelling.

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