Posts Tagged ‘Personal digital assistant’

You, Too, Can Be a GPS Geek

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

You know those maps you see at shopping malls and site seeing areas that have that red dot – You Are Here. Thats kind of what a GPS is, except it moves with you wherever in the world you are. Its not restricted to a building or event area. In addition, it helps you find where you want to go. You just tell it the location you want to find and it gives you directions to get there. Newer models will guide you audibly, tell you nearby attractions, restaurants and gas stations and get you back on track when you turn the wrong way.

GPS, or Global Positioning System, is made up of a series of 28 orbiting satellites. It was originally developed by the military, but has spread to consumer use. If you have a GPS unit, it receives satellite signals that help it to determine your location. Consumer GPS units are accurate within few yards or meters, but the military and government models are even more accurate. Your GPS unit can give you instructions to another location if software for mapping is installed, which most for consumer use do.

GPS units can come as standard or extra equipment on new cars. They are available in many rental cars, usually for an extra fee. GPS mapping software for street use is the most common consumer usage today. If your primary purpose in seeking a GPS unit is so you can get from one place to another via a reliable navigation system, this is the type for you. Your dealer can build them in or you can purchase one that will attach to your dashboard. Some available features you may want to consider are voice directions, detailed included maps for your area and any area you know youll travel, rerouting when you get lost or detours force changes to the GPS-suggested route and a points of interest database.

The GPS is most commonly found for car use, but thats not the only type you can get. Think about how you might use your GPS. Perhaps you may need your GPS outside of your vehicle. Handheld GPS units are great for hikers, bikers and sportsmen. There are plenty of GPS units geared toward to outdoors person. Features you may need in these include lightweight, rugged, waterproof, long battery life, tracking (so you can tell where youve been), speed and distance measuring and even built in radios and party locators.

Marine GPSs help you find the fish! If youre an avid fisherman, this is the type of GPS youll want. These are designed to be on the water and are all waterproofed. Look for a bright screen that will be easy to read in the sun. You can get them with water and shore mapping, fish hotspots and sonar. You can get marine GPS units that double as car navigation units, as well.

PDAs, or Personal Data Assistants, are starting to be bundled together with GPSs. Most of these are limited at this time, but they will improve as more people are attracted to this combination. For now, its recommended to buy your PDA and GPS separately.

There are also GPSs designed specifically for airplane pilots. If youre a private or commercial pilot, you already know about these. They give mapping based on what can be seen from the air.

No matter what kind of unit you need, there is one with the features youre looking for. Your GPS will be a continued source of accurate and helpful information and even a great deal of fun!

PTV Loxane intros new GPS for truck drivers

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Truck Navigator GPS

Usually in the truck GPS department, there aren’t many good GPS’ available. However, if you live in France and drive a truck, you might want to consider purchasing one of these units.

Basically, there are 2 models, the TNP4 sports a 4-inch screen, specifically meant for smaller trucks, and the second model is the TNP7, which boasts a 7-inch screen, specifically meant for larger trucks. These GPS’ get their maps from Navteq, and a cool feature is that it also displays info such as weight and height limitations for any bridges or tunnels, and any roads prohibiting truck traffic.

These GPS’ are set to go on sale early ‘08, with the TNP4 selling for 549 Euros and the TNP7 selling for 649 Euros. Also, they are offering navigation software for computers or PDAs sold separately for 249 Euros or a DVD for 99 Euros.

GPS Can Save You Gas

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Unless you’re in the oil industry, then like everybody else, you in all likelihood got hit severely by the high gas prices. If you live in those big metropolises where it is easy to gain access to mass transportation, then you can get past this trouble moderately well by getting the bus, the underground, or a taxicab to and from work.

Yet, if you’re like the bulk of people who have to drive their own automobile, then you can not easily escape from this.

By putting in a GPS tracking system into your car, you’ll be able to cut down your costs on gas. You may be questioning how this is possible. This is because a Global Positioning System will consistently afford you the best direct routes to where you want to go. If you’re going to be driving in a heavy cloudburst and driving visibility is less than normal, then a GPS unit can help you navigate so that you can find your way irrespective of where you want to go.

This can save you not only cash from gas, but it can likewise save you a good deal of time that you usually waste by driving around lost. It can likewise relieve you of the worry you inescapably get from getting lost and frustrated. Your GPS unit will not just give you accurate directions; it will likewise afford you an approximation on how long it will take you to progress to your destination by taking a different route. This will enable you to compare the dissimilar routes and the times it takes to go down them so that you can choose the best route for you.

When you think of all that a GPS unit has to offer, then you can see why paying a few hundred bucks for the unit is zilch compared to what you are going to be saving in the long haul. For instance, if it costs you $40 to fill up your gasoline tank up each time and you get it filled up at least once a week, then over the course of a year you’ll drop $2080 on gas alone.

On the other hand, if you’ve a GPS tracking system established in your auto, you’ll be able to progress to your destinations faster by choosing shorter paths. This will rapidly diminish how much gas you usually waste by not getting lost as you’re driving. If this cuts down the number of times you buy gas to every fortnight, then you’ll be saving $1040 a year just on gas.

This is simply an example. Your real amounts will be dissimilar, but you can see how much you can economize and how rapidly your Global Positioning device will pay for itself. A good GPS system costs anywhere between $100 to $1000. Still, you can purchase one in the $200 to $400 price range and acquire everything that you require from the system as a whole and not have to dole out a ton of cash.