GPS Tracking Systems

GPS systems are used in a variety of different applications and they have a wide variety of features.  One of the things that is interesting is seeing where these systems have come in the last half decade, and also seeing the price drop of these different systems.  As technology improves, you can do more with less.  There will be a point where the cost of using GPS will come to a low point, as the tracking satelites used won't have changed because of the cost of replacing all 24 satellites.  In this article, the author discusses which of the GPS systems out there is the best one to invest in.  This article focuses mostly on the handheld GPS tracking devices that are available, so if you are looking for other types of systems, this article won't be as helpful to you.  Read on for more.

Well, that's a pretty big question with a lot of possible answers. In this article I'll talk about the GPS marketplace, various features, and also give you some pointers about what manufacturers are the best to buy. All of this is my opinion, so do your research and then purchase your GPS.

Really to answer the question of what's the best GPS system to buy, I would have to know you, your budget, and your needs. For instance, are you going to be using the GPS in the course of your business. Before I became a writer, I sold real estate. This was way back in the day. I had a well used atlas of city streets, and before I left to show properties, I would have to plan my route. For someone like that a GPS that has the ability of inputing more then one route, would have been a life saver. That's called "multi-point" routing, in GPS speak.

Right now, there are several GPS's to choose from with multi-point routing. Garmin has a ton of them. Anything from the nuvi 465 to the nuvi 885 has multi-point routing. Also, the 1490's and 1690's have that, too. This is a functionality that's not prohibitively expensive, too. For instance, the Garmin nuvi 755 costs less than $200, yet has multi-point routing. If you don't want a Garmin, then Magellan has several models with this. Magellan calls this "multi-destination routing", by the way. Many of their RoadMate line has this, along with a few of their Maestros. Finally, TomTom has several models with this. The Tom Tom One has this at a very competitive price.

So, what if you're just using your GPS for trips, or not for business. I can't think of many people who need multi-point routing in their personal lives. Well, if your definition of what's the best GPS system to buy doesn't include multi-point routing, you can save yourself some money.

Other features you might want to think about are Bluetooth, for hands-free calling and real time traffic and weather. If you your definition of what's the best GPS system to buy includes Bluetooth, you might want to make sure the GPS actually works with your particular phone. Sometimes, you'll get a device which is supposed to have Bluetooth (and does), but it's not compatible with your phone. Can you tell this before you buy? If you have a fairly new phone, then you should be okay. Just be aware. You can get models from all the top manufacturers with this.

Personally, my idea of what's the best GPS system to buy includes real time traffic and weather. I like knowing about the weather, and I commute a lot right now, so knowing about traffic snarls helps a lot. Of interest here is some of Garmin's newer nuvi models. Garmin has this new service called nuLink. Pretty cool stuff! Definitely part of my idea of what's the best GPS system to buy.

To learn more about how to choose the best GPS system to buy, take a look at my new website.

Rick Cole is a true GPS enthusiast! Take a look at his website to find out more information about the best GPS navigation systems and his new Garmin GPS 2010 Roundup!

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Publish Date: 04/11/2010