Reasons why Portable is better
We all love portable items. We love the freedom they give us. We take them anywhere we need them and we can share them with our friends and family. These are just some of the reasons why people are buying hand held gps systems. Could you enjoy the convenience of owning your own hand held gps system?
Maybe answering the following questions could help you decide if buying a portable GPS system would be a good purchase move for you.
Do you jog a lot?
Do you like to chart the jogging or hiking courses you take?
Do you get lost a lot?
Do you like devices that can serve more than one function?
Do you drive around a lot for work?
Do you own more than one automobile?
Do you fish or do a lot of boating?
Do you want to compute the average speed you are driving or running?
If you answered yes to one or some of the above questions than a hand held GPS system may be something you would enjoy. If you bought a hand held GPS system, you could enjoy all of these options as well as the added convenience of being able to carry and move it around with you at will.
Portability and function are the two main reasons people enjoy the hand held choice of GPS navigation. They like the fact that they can strap or attach the system onto them and then take off running. Most systems are light weight and never get in the way. Plus, most systems will function for 6 or more hours without having to be charged.
What other capabilities do these GPS systems have? First, you must realize that there are two basic reasons why one would buy a hand held GPS navigation units. One is for navigational purposes used in driving an automobile of sort. The other one is used for navigating is sporting type activities. Each purpose would require different functions from a GPS system.
A hand held gps that would be used in an automobile should have such functions as:
Mapping capabilities
Built in maps (some may have all 50 states, plus Canada and Puerto Rico, all ready installed)
Installed Point of Interests (These would be common interests people would find traveling along major interstates and highways such as: restaurants, motels, rest stops, etc).
Built in antenna
An easy to read display
Easy to understand street mapping (possibly turn by turn)
You may even want extra functions such as:
Built in speaker
Text to speech directions
Speed alarm settings
A hand held gps system that would be used in outdoor activities should have such functions as:
Durability (important because chance of dropping or scrimping increases)
Waterproof
At least 12 receiver channels
Back tracking function (in case you still get lost)
You may even want extra functions such as:
Compass
A self set alarm to indicate trouble
The main difference between a handheld GPS system used for outdoor activities and the other systems that is used in automobiles is the way the maps are downloaded. Most systems that are used just for automobiles can function on the preloaded maps. But if you are going to be jogging or hiking, you need to be able to download your coordinates into the system and the system needs to be able to tell you how far you need to go still and what direction to go.
Yet, some systems are capable of pulling double duty and can work as an automobile navigational tool and still work as a navigational tool for hiking, jogging in the woods, on your local streets or any coordinate you choose.
What should be your deciding factors in choosing a handheld GPS system?
First, start with how much money you can spend. If you do a budget, you quickly can see what you can and cannot afford. This will help you weed out some choices that are out of your range.
Then decide where you will be using the hand held gps system the most and what capabilities you would like it to have. By knowing whether your main goal is to have a portable hand held GPS system that will be used in your automobile or for sporting purposes, you can narrow down your choices further.
Now talk with friends who may have one and see what they suggest. You may even want to check out some reviews of the current models.
Finally, check out some websites, visit some stores and actually see the selections you have. Check about warranties and return policies.
