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.

TomTom 1.2 Update – GPS Navigation App for the iPhone OS (Review)

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