Posts Tagged ‘GPS navigation systems’
Choosing A GPS
GPS devices are sure to be one of the top gifts for the holiday season, whether it’s for dad to use on his boat, the wife for her car or your brother for his hiking expeditions. A GPS is so much more than “just a map.” While the features vary greatly, on some GPS systems you can look up restaurants or gas stations, play “Amazing Race” type games, reroute your commute around traffic jams and listen to satellite radio.
“Garmin is founded on the principles of innovation, convenience, performance, value, and service,” proclaims the company website. In fact, Garmin, which has been around since 1989, is the most well-known North American brand name in Global Positioning Systems today. Based out of Kansas, no part of the manufacturing process gets outsourced, as the company designs, manufactures, markets and sells all of their products themselves. They offer GPS navigation systems for all different lifestyles, such as fitness-based systems, automotive GPS systems, systems for hikers or campers, aviation technology, marine technology and site navigation for geocachers.
In addition to Garmin, Magellan is another leader in GPS systems, with their Magellan Maestro 4250 being the most popular GPS model, which ranges from $90-$279 online. Dutch Manufacturer TomTom was founded in 1991 and employs over 3,500 people worldwide. Their most popular navigator is the TomTom ONE XL 330-S (starting at $249), which has a wide 4.3″ screen, customization options, search by zip code functionality, text-to-speech, multi-destination routing, emergency locator service and the ability to search for points of interest near your current location. Lastly, the Navignon 2100 Max Portable Navigator (starting at $248.35) can help you find hospitals, pharmacies and roadside assistance, while also offering text-to-speech, lane assist and reality view maps.
When buying an auto GPS device, you’ll want to look for the number of points of interest. “Points of Interest” include businesses, hospitals, gas stations, stores, restaurants, amusement parks, hotels and other destinations. Most good devices offer something like 6 million, while low end models may have as little as 1.3 million, which can be very frustrating to use. All new Garmin units come pre-loaded with City Navigator’s 6 million POIs, while Magellan GPS devices can range from 750,000 to 6 million.
Taking A Look At The Garmin Gpsmap Features
A Garmin GPSMAP can be used by motorists, bicyclists, hikers and mariners. The crossover GPS devices are usually smaller, which allow for hand-held capacity, especially when compared to the bulkier nuvi automobile models. The navigator maps can range greatly too, as some are in color and some are black-and-white. As well, some are equipped with customizable points of interest, some aren’t; some have 16 hour batteries, some with 28 hour; some with automatic routing and games, some without.
Garmin knew that active individuals needed a reliable crossover device to help them navigate their way. In this world of James Bond caliber adventure, we find ourselves traveling by various modes in our pursuits. At the very beginning of the Garmin line of GPS maps, there are aviation navigator maps for pilots to travel by land, air and sea, such as the GPSMAP 96 or 196, for example. From those basic grey-scale models, Garmin has advanced to full-color portable devices like the GPSMAP 495 and 496, adding airport maps, pre-loaded maps, 3,000 favorite locations, traffic information services, voice prompts, satellite radio and weather.
The Garmin GPSMAP 76 series ranges from $200 to $428.56, depending on the model. The marine-friendly GPS navigation systems are great for serious outdoor adventurers who want a barometric altimeter, electronic compass, location tracking and turn-by-turn directions. The grey-scale Garmin GPSMAP comes with the 76 and 76-S models, while the 76Cx and 76CSx models display in 256 colors with transflective screens. The higher end GPSMAP 76cx and 76CSx models also beat the cheaper 76 models in that they have high-quality receivers for when you’re in deep canyons, dense forests or far-off mountain ranges. Additionally, the more expensive models accept pre-loaded data cards if you want to add more maps without linking up to the computer. If you want geocaching and games, then you’ll need the 76Cx or 76CSx, but if you want the compass and altimeter, you’ll need the 76 or 76Cx.
If you’re not much of an outdoors person, but you fancy yourself more of a road warrior, then Garmin GPS devices has something for everyone in their car navigator models. The 200 series Garmin GPSMAP (which includes the 200, 250, 260 and 270) has a 3.5″ screen and internal antenna. Next there is the 200W series (200W, 250W and 260W), which is the same as the 200 series but with a larger 4.3″ screen. The Garmin 2×5 Series (205, 205W, 255 and 255W) adds live traffic reports via MSN Direct and also includes that nice, larger 4.3″ screen. The 500 Series include crossover models good for hiking, cycling and boating, as well as driving. The 700 series adds anti-theft, multiple-destination routing and entertainment functions. The 800 series adds voice recognition, lane assist and 3-D buildings. The 300 Series and 600 Series, though you can still find them online, have been discontinued; while each step was celebrated at the time with a new series, the newer models include all those features and more, so Garmin is simplifying their line.
What Are The Latest Games GPS Offers?
The games GPS has for users range from traditional arcade and card games to interactive outdoor adventures and treasure hunts. Some games on GPS devices even combine art, filmmaking and social networking too! This exciting niche market is just starting to evolve, with much advancement yet to be expected. Here we’ll discuss a few of the exciting GPS games out now for the restless adventurer in you!
One of the newest games GPS has come out with is called “Geotagging,” which is offered by the Surreal Scania website as a new approach to art. Located in southern Sweden, artists have created videos of the local landscape, then geotagged their contemplative videos to play on GPS navigation systems when users pass these points. The artistic representations beg the question, “What is real and what is imaginary?” The filmmakers show how imagination and location interplay with one another. A similar project was filmed in Singapore and can be found at www.gpsfilm.com. While this concept is new to North America, it’s expected to take off soon, with the increasing popularity of site navigation.
If you have ever watched “The Amazing Race,” then you’ve got the concept of the increasingly popular Geocaching games GPS has to play. Teams or individuals will receive sets of coordinates and will race from waypoint to waypoint, performing different tasks at each location and competing for prizes. In their ventures, seekers often find hidden containers with inexpensive toys, keepsakes or items and log books; they then replace the item with something new and record their name in the log. To find hosting in your area, check out www.geocaching.com to see if one of the 673,265 geocaches can be found near you.
Some geocache games GPS has are more detailed than others. For instance, Magellan GPS navigation systems recently hosted a “Cache Her If You Can” GPS adventure game that sent gumshoe detectives to 30 different American cities to solve a mystery and compete for grand prizes. This second annual game (found at www.magellangps.com) was meant to promote the new Magellan eXplorist 100, 200 and 300 and prizes ranged from trips, outdoor gear, ATVs, and other vehicle navigation packages. “We were delighted by the excitement that thousands of people expressed during our 2003 treasure hunt, so we decided to do it again but with a detective-story twist,” said Karen Carbonnet, VP of Corporate Communications for Thales, who hosted the game. “Our geocaching adventure offers something for everyone, and is the perfect activity to encourage kids, parents and friends to grab their Magellan GPS receivers, get out of the house and enjoy some family fun and adventure while taking in the natural beauty of the great outdoors.”