Heard about GPS but not sure how it can benefit you? You’ve come to the right place.

Is GPS for me?

GPS has many beneficial uses, from standard car navigation to outdoor recreation to finding locations of stores and businesses.

In considering what kind of GPS unit to buy, the first thing to keep in mind is that different types of devices tend to be best suited to specific types of activities (though some units are capable of crossing over into several activity types).

What type of unit should I consider?

Since your purchase will be determined in large part by how you intend to use your unit, here are some common activities that utilize GPS, along with an idea of the types of units that are suited for each:

Automotive navigation: In recent years, the most popular use of GPS has been for getting turn-by-turn directions while driving from point A to point B. With the right GPS unit, getting to business appointments, kid events (think about those weird soccer field locations), social events and vacation destinations is no longer a stressful adventure. Several types of GPS units are suitable for automotive navigation, including specialized in-car units, portables, and even GPS-equipped mobile phones.

Marine and aviation: Specialized GPS units help mariners and pilots, both recreational and professional, arrive at their destinations quickly and safely.

Fitness: Fitness buffs such as runners and cyclists often use GPS units the size of a large wrist watch. Such units can track performance, offer encouragement (via voice) and even monitor the user’s heart rate.

Hiking and geocaching: Hikers often use popular handheld models. Handhelds (and sometimes other types of units as well) also are useful for taking part in a form of outdoor “treasure hunt” called geocaching. This activity has become a favorite past-time of hundreds of thousands of outdoor-oriented adventurers. Tens of thousands of “caches” are located all over the world, and many likely are located near you. Visit www.geocaching.com to view a listing of geocaches.

Finding locations (of just about anything): Increasingly, GPS is being used to provide users with the locations of all kinds of things – ATMs, hotels, restaurants, even friends. New “location-based services,” as they are sometimes call, are being introduced by cell-phone carriers and other providers almost daily. Such services can be available on many kinds of devices.

Keep multiple functions in mind: Many GPS units are useful for more than one type of activity. This is true both of dedicated GPS devices, and of units such as mobile phones, PDA’s and notebook computers where GPS is a “secondary feature.” In addition, many GPS add-on devices (for plugging into laptops, for example) are available for well under $200, and include a GPS receiver and software for navigating.

How much should I spend?

You can spend about $100 to $1,000 and more. It mainly depends on the functions and features you need.

Increasingly, cell-phone carriers offer basic navigation and location services for selected phones, typically starting at about $10 a month.

Dedicated GPS devices offer more features and specialization, and typically do not require a monthly subscription charge.

A basic handheld GPS unit will cost between $100 and $400. Units at the lower end of this price range typically have some basic navigation functionality, but usually will have monochrome displays and no background maps. Closer to $400, you get a bright color display, background maps (depicting roads and highways, points of interest, marine navigation charts, etc.), and sometimes even a built-in barometric sensor and electronic compass. Also, some units within this price range offer roadmaps with turn-by-turn directions.

Above $400, there is a wide range of units with impressive features. Most are designed with turn-by-turn directions, millions of points of interests (gas stations, ATMs, shopping malls, etc.) and larger color displays. At the upper end of the scale, multi-function becomes more typical: some have MP3 players, calculators/currency converters, or the ability to display digital photos, and some can be used for hands-free calling with a built-in microphone, speaker and Bluetooth technology.

While many of these higher-priced units are designed to mount semi-permanently in your vehicle, there is also a new breed of portable GPS units specifically intended for several uses. They have 3.5-inch-plus displays and are ruggedly built. They include a menu of options on the main screen ranging from vehicle navigation to boating to basic navigation to hiking with onboard topo maps. Windshield mounts are included but they also have an impressive 8-plus hour battery life for “grab-and-go” capability if you want to take them with you outside of your vehicle.

Features to consider

Once you’ve decided what you want to use your GPS unit for and how much you want to spend, it’s time to determine which specific makes and models fit you best.

If the unit is going to stay permanently in your vehicle for navigation, then screen size, sound and vehicle mounting are important. Be sure to check out screen readability attributes such as brightness, font size, map clarity and so forth from all angles. Also, vehicles are noisier than you might think. Road noise can drown out weak sound systems and make them difficult to understand. Be sure to spend time checking out the sound quality as much as possible. And bear in mind that vehicle mounting seems to be a weak point with some systems. Most units designed for vehicles have windshield mounting hardware with a suction cup. Make sure you actually try attaching/detaching in the store a few times and simulate using the mounting hardware as much as you can.

If you plan on taking the GPS unit out of your vehicle, then battery power, ruggedness and portability are very important. Batteries are expensive so make sure they are rechargeable and have a reasonable charge life (at least 8 hours of continuous use). If they aren’t rechargeable, be sure to budget for after-market rechargeable batteries and a charger. Ruggedness is a broad term, but you can usually tell when you hold something in your hand if it’s well-built. If you’re going to be carrying it around, it’s going to get thrown in a backpack, shoved in a glovebox and occasionally dropped. Items sticking out of the unit like the antenna or connectors have the greatest chance of breaking.

Other considerations include maps and software. Do included maps cover the areas and purposes (street, topography, etc.) that suit your needs? If not, are the right types of maps available, and of so, at what cost?

Where to buy?

With a little diligent web-surfing, it won’t take long before you exceed the knowledge level of the salesperson at your local electronics store. But it’s certainly worth stopping by a few stores for “touch and feel” to help zero in on the unit you are interested in. Ultimately, you may be tempted to buy online because pricing can be lower than at local stores. GPS Maniac can be helpful here, since we offer price comparisons on specific products, enabling you to find the lowest price at a range of retailers once you’ve decided on a unit. (Simply find products on our site via navigation or search, and you’ll be on the path to making price comparisons.) Of course, you may want to do a little research on the reputation of the online vendor if it’s not a company you’ve heard of before. Lastly, occasionally there are some very good deals for used GPS units on eBay, but eBay can be tricky and is best left to experienced users.

Wherever you buy, make sure to check the return policy.

But What Does TTFF Mean?

Confused by the lingo of GPS technology? Check out our GPS glossary.