Archive for August, 2008
Your One-Stop-Shop for Cheap GPS Systems
Having you been dying to get your hands on a cool new navigation, mapping or tracking device but just don’t think you have the money to buy one? They can be a little bit pricey overall, but because there is so much competition out there, the odds of you find some that are not as expensive is getting better and better. In fact, there are some brands and models that fall into the inexpensive category – and they don’t make you compromise the quality. So let’s look at a few cheap GPS systems to see which might work for you.
What is Considered Cheap?
Before we tackle the idea of finding cheap GPS systems, let’s uncover what is considered “cheap” in the GPS world. Usually, devices that fall under the umbrella of $250 or less fit into this category. If you find some under $100, it is likely to not be a reputable brand, or might be in bad condition. In other words, no matter what, you’re probably going to come out of close to $200 for a decent one, but in the entire landscape of systems, it is considered discount.
Brands and Models
There are some brands and models on the market today that have great, top-of-the-line devices, but they are not necessarily known for offering cheap GPS systems, however, each company does offer one or two devices that are at a discount price. Let’s check them out.
Garmin – Garmin is one of the most reputable companies in the industry and its StreetPilot c530 device, that sits at around $250, is great for those who like a lot of accuracy, and a few extra features. It is a “plug and play” system that is ready to go as it comes out of the box. It monitors traffic jams, and has an optional traffic receiver as well. It lets you know when there is road construction, weather-related delays, and even offers alternative routes if necessary. It has preloaded maps, offers 2D or 3D perspectives, and even has turn-by-turn voice directions with street names.
Magellan – This reputable company is not normally known for offering cheap GPS systems, however, they do offer the RoadMate 2000 that sits at around $200 and gives you a true mapping experiences with an easy-to-read touchscreen, accurate instructions, and perfect reroutes if you’re caught in a jam and need a new way to go. It is very simple – even simpler than some of the devices found on this list – but it is reliable. What more could you as from a simple device?
Navigon – Navigon was one of the first companies to start the revolution of navigation units, and it is still moving strong with great devices. To accommodate customers who need a break with price, they offer the $250 Navigon 2100, which offers a 3.5” easy-to-read screen, a 3D Reality View feature, and text-to-speech technology. And if you want additional optional features, you can get Lifetime Traffic, and Zagat Ratings and Reviews.
Websites That Can Help
There are a lot of websites out there that dedicate their time to accumulating all of the cheap and discount items in the world that are for sale. So of course there will be some that can help you find cheap GPS systems. Here is a short list of some websites that have decent reputations for being reliable and having discount items:
ShopCartUSA.com – This website has a section dedicated to discount units and allows you to sort them by price – and even offers a list of websites that offer each product at different prices. This makes searching for discount devices easier because you don’t have to travel to a lot of different websites to do the searching and comparing on your own.
Yahoo Shopping – Yahoo offers an online marketplace that accumulates all of the discount devices for sale by price then allows you to sort them by price. Unlike shopcartusa.com, it doesn’t have a function that lets you see the item and the list of all locations that offer it according to price. But you still get a sense of what is available and how much it will cost, which means it serves its purpose.
Cheap GPS systems are easier to find now than ever. But it is important that you make sure to do your research on not only the company and model of the system, but also the company offering the system, before committing your hard earned money to a purchase. After you feel comfortable with your decision, you can enjoy taking advantage of the many cheap GPS systems on the market that will actually give you the mapping, navagation or tracking experience you hoped for.
Cell Phone GPS Your best Friend
Cell Phone GPS is something fairly new and now everyone is ready to embrace it just yet. Why is that? Many reasons probably abound for the slow process of acceptance to GPS and the cell phone. One of the biggest issues is privacy and that will probably never change anytime soon. We all value our privacy and people think that that will end when we put GPS onto our phones. Let us look a little deeper and see the benefits of having a cell phone with GPS.
There are so many advantages that GPS on a cell phone that you would be stupid not to include it in your cell phone plane. One of the first ways that it helps you out is it can show you how to get to where you want to go, one turn at a time even if you are totally lost. How many times have you driven in circles for hours with no idea of how to get out of a certain area? That will no longer happen if you have a cell phone with GPS on it. Many of the cell phone providers have great GPS software that is included that you can also look for a place to eat even if you have never been to a city or that section of town. The points of interest database are very vast in these cell phone carriers so you should have no problem finding restaurants, gas stations, or a hospital. This is just one of the advantages that this new technology gives you. No more worrying about which exit you need to jump offs on to find the nearest restaurant if you have GPS technology on your cell phone.
GPS in cell phones was originally installed for e911 services so it would be much easier to find someone who was hurt or in trouble. The enhanced 911 though has made this much easier and because of the GPS integrated on the cell phones since 2005 this means many more lives has been saved because of quicker response times to accidents. As the GPS, technology gets better over time and is acceptable more the numbers of deaths should come down dramatically because we will be able to arrive quicker access the situation and get treatment rolling right away.
Your cell phone GPS can be used as a tracking device as well. Our kids are one of the most important things in our lives and we try to do all we can to protect them. Giving them an enabled GPS cell phone could be the best investment, we ever give them for a couple of reasons. Many times kids lose there, sense of direction when they take a walk or it gets dark out and they just do not remember the way home. Parents will be able to find the exact location with software that they can download on the computer. Therefore, even if they are not lost they will always be able to know they are safe and sound. The software also lets parents see who has called the child and whom he or she has sent messages to. This is one way to make sure your child is doing what they say. In today’s world, you can never be to safe as many people in this world on the lookout to harm kids and we must protect them any way we can.
As you have noticed the cell phone and GPS unit together is a very powerful thing. Most people have yet to realize how these can work hand in hand, to their benefit. If you are new to the GPS technology than a cell phone gives you the perfect opportunity to give it a try without costing you a fortune. Most cell phone providers will let you use it for a monthly fee and if you do not like it than you can always cancel it.
Cell phone GPS units will continue to grow and many companies are starting to make them standard equipment on their higher end models. As more people see the benefits of this new technology eventually it will become standard equipment on all cell phones just not the higher end ones. GPS technology is something that will help make our life much easier and make traveling from point A to point B much easier as well. Safety is one thing that GPS technology has really made an impact on as drivers can pay more attention to the road instead of trying to figure out how to get back on track.
