Brothers In Blog

In my brother’s last post, I commented that I had no electronic gadget needs this year and that’s true. I got a laptop last Christmas and sometime afterwards I purchased my first GPS. I don’t do a lot of traveling outside of familiar territory, but when I do I LOVE my Garmin.

Now discontinued, I purchased the Garmin Street Pilot i5 after having the opportunity to see it in action in a friend’s car while on business in Tennessee. I was amazed at its compact size and accuracy and quickly saw how beneficial it could be when navigating outside my home turf. I proceeded with my usual routine of searching out product reviews, which echoed what I had already witnessed.

With so many GPS’s now on the market, allow me to list some tips that will help you narrow your choices:

1. Will your GPS be permanently or temporarily affixed within your vehicle?
   If the former, you may want to consider a professionally installed in-dash unit. This keeps your dash clear of any additional clutter and it’s less likely to attract the attention of a thief.
2. Do you plan on using your GPS in a rental car?
   Keep in mind that how your GPS mounts in your car may not work in your rental. Furthermore, some states do not permit the mounting of a GPS on the windshield (MN and CA at the time of this writing). I have found a dashboard friction mount to work in all the cars I’ve rented thus far. It keeps the unit in place and also makes it very easy to move the unit from the dashboard to the floorboard where it’s out of sight when parked.
3. What power options would you like to have?
   My Street Pilot can plug into my cigarette lighter or run on 2 AA batteries. I can get upwards of 6 hours on a pair of alkaline batteries, but I prefer to use rechargeable NiCads, which last almost as long. With batteries, I don’t have to contend with a power cord, but on long road trips I definitely forego the copper tops. Beware of those units that have a proprietary or built-in rechargeable battery. If the battery dies while you’re on the road and you forget the power cord, you’ll be out of luck.
4. How often will you enter data into the GPS?
   My Street Pilot uses a scroll wheel to select menu options and enter addresses 1 character at a time. Since I usually pre-load my destinations (hotel, airport, meeting location) before I depart this is not an issue. However, if you’re a road warrior and like to enter addresses on the fly you will want to get a touch screen unit. A touch screen also makes it simpler to look up area restaurants, gas stations and other POI’s (Points of Interest) while enroute.
5. Can you update the GPS’s map?
   Make sure that the manufacturer makes it possible for you to download and install updated maps. Also, when you first get your GPS, check the product website for any firmware or free map updates that are being offered.

Today’s GPS’s are richly laden with features and they all come at a price. Once you’ve narrowed the playing field using the tips above, decide what bells and whistles you absolutely have to have. With the remaining lot, check online product and user reviews and buying tips from sources like PCMag, Consumer Reports, NewEgg and Circuit City. You may not find any clear cut winners, but hopefully you can whittle it down to 2 units and then flip a coin. If you’re looking for my personal recommendation, you can’t go wrong with Garmin.