Category — GPS

Here’s a TomTom GPS system likely to find its way on to many Holiday wish lists.  The TomTom GO 930 portable GPS receiver features MP3 playback for listening to your favorite music while traveling. This TomTom also comes preloaded with maps of the United States, Europe, and Canada,  and gives audible turn-by-turn reminders.

As far as memory, the GPS unit includes a 4GB flash memory, and an SD card slot.  I like that drivers can switch between 2D and 3D viewing on the 4.3 inch LCD  touch screen.  For me, 3D viewing is best for the city, and 2D on the highway.

This TomTom GPS receiver is Bluetooth compatible, and has a audio output for piping the sound through your car stereo system. A single charge of the built-in rechargeable battery powers the unit for 5 hours.  I found the TomTom GO 930 at Best Buy.

Cruising the freeway with a dashboard GPS system can be a lot of fun until you have to pull a Russian roulette, Evil Knievel-inspired stunt to get your vehicle into the correct exit lane. Garmin apparently noticed this was an issue, because they’ve included lane assist with the release of the new Garmin Nuvi 785T.

The new Nuvi guides you into the correct lane while displaying realistic road signs as you approach interchanges and junctions on your route. As for other tech specs, the Nuvi 785T offers turn-by-turn directions, comes pre-loaded with City Navigator NT, and includes a “Where Am I?” emergency locate feature.

I especially like the Bluetooth compatibility feature on the Nuvi 785T. Link up with your mobile phone, and talk hands-free. You can find the Nuvi 785T at Tiger GPS.

Hey Garmin, since you’ve got lane assist figured out, can you help me with parallel parking?

Erratic driving habits leaving your GPS on the floorboard? Here’s a portable friction mount for your Garmin GPS system, that will securely hold your GPS wherever you want it wthin your car or SUV. The base of the mount will hold firm to a dashboard or center console, and then you just pop on your GPS unit.

The ball attachment allows you to adjust your portable GPS system to the angle that’s comfortable for you. This is a “no tools needed” project- the base grips the dashboard on contact, without adhesives or fasteners.

The GPS mount works with many Garmin GPS models, including the Nuvi series, the Street Pilot i series, as well as C530 and C550. The portable Garmin GPS friction mount is available at Day Deal for $32.99.

Have you ever read any of the “For Dummies” books? There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of them that give advice on everything from laptops and digital cameras to how to take care of your pets. Now you can get that same “For Dummies” style in a GPS system. As far as I know, GPS Navigation for Dummies is the first electronic gadget that’s designed to mimic the famous “For Dummies” series.

The GPS for Dummies unit can include up to 4 million points of interest, and is equipped with text to speech capabilities. In true “For Dummies” style the GPS system features a simple, icon-centered navigation system. The unit, actually a GPS Navigation Device FD-350, comes equipped with an internal GPS antenna and 20 channel SirF Star III chipset.

I found GPS Navigation for Dummies at Dell for $229.

Designed for runners and cyclists, this GPS watch tracks your distance, speed, and even your heart rate.  The Garmin Forerunner 405 has a touch bezel for easily controlling all the features while you’re working out.  It’s also equipped with wireless capabilities for transferring your information to and from your laptop when in range.

Some of the functions on this Garmin GPS watch are very similar to those of handheld GPS units.  It allows you to mark waypoints, save locations, and has a back to start feature.   Just in case you have friends who have the same watch, you can even share information with other Garmin Forerunner 405 wearers.  It’s waterproof to IPX7 standards, which means it can take up to 30 minutes under a meter of water.  The battery lasts up to 8 hours in workout mode, or 2 weeks on standby.  I found the Garmin Forerunner 405 at Modell’s for $349.99.

Want a portable GPS unit that can handle a little rain or a day of fishing? The Lowrance iFinder H20 C is waterproof to IPX7 standards, meaning it can withstand up to 30 minutes of immersion in 1 meter of water. It sports a 16 channel GPS/WAAS receiver and a 2.83 inch diagonal screen.

For the price, I like the background mapping feature on this waterproof GPS system which includes all of the continental US and Hawaii. And, there’s an SD card slot for mapping and recording. There are optional programs available for the unit, including FreedomMaps, Fishing Hot Spots, and Lake Master.

The Lowrance H20 C operates for up to 14 hours on 2 AA batteries, and it includes a 12V power adapter.

With all the popularity of GPS gadgets, it just wouldn’t be right to leave out motorcyclists.  The Garmin Zumo 450 is a motorcycle GPS system that’s specifically designed for open road riding.  It’s made with left hand controls that leave enough room for you to use them with your gloves on.   And, the Garmin Zumo GPS is waterproof for those days when the weather takes a turn on you.

The motorcycle GPS system features voice directions, and it comes with City Navigator NT already installed.   The Zumo 450 is also programmed with information that is helpful while traveling, such as restaurants, ATMs, and hotels.

If you want to see the Zumo 450’s big brother, check out the Garmin Zumo 550 GPS for motorcycles.  The Zumo 550 includes Bluetooth capabilities, XM satellite, and text-to-voice.

GPS systems are springing up just about everywhere, so why not get one for your bicycle? This GPS device attaches to any standard (1-inch) bicycle handle bar, and comes off easily if you want to use it as a handheld GPS. The bicycle GPS system allows you to program more than 100 waypoints and up to 20 of your favorite bicycling routes. This GPS gadget also has a speedometer, trip meter, and keeps track of your average speed.

The bicycle GPS system, made by Atech is accurate to 10 meters (approximately 33 feet) in pinpointing your location, and it’s made to withstand the elements with a waterproof cover. In case the GPS isn’t enough to keep you headed in the right direction on your mountain bike excursions, there’s also a compass for good old-fashioned navigation. You’ll find this bicycle GPS system at Hammacher Schlemmer.

Who needs an old-fashioned telescope when you’ve got this new gadget? The Celestron SkyScout is a personal planetarium that uses GPS technology to identify stars and constellations. To identify a specific star, users point the device at the star and click. To find a star, planet or constellation, users select the name of the star from the SkyScout menu, and the personal planetarium uses GPS to generate arrows pointing the user in the right direction.

The SkyScout has an SD slot for inserting the optional guided sky tours, and the GPS planetarium can tell users the best stars for viewing based on the date and their exact location. More info on the Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium.

Here’s a personal GPS tracking gadget that looks like interesting: the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker Messenger. It has a built in GPS chip which monitors and reports the user’s location from anywhere on the planet, and it works with Google Earth to provide real-time location mapping. The SPOT GPS tracker has a built in help and emergency buttons which allow the user to immediately send location reports to select family members, friends, or emergency services.

Here are a few ideas for using the SPOT GPS tracker:

Track a Teenage Driver: This GPS tracker can be tossed in the glove box of a car to monitor your teenager’s location at all times.

Child Safety: Clip the SPOT GPS tracking system inside a child’s backpack for added peace of mind.

Hiking/Camping: Use for added safety when no cell phone service is available.

Photo by Cabela’s.