Finding the Right GPS Unit

Anyone who knows me can tell you I have no sense of direction. If I were lost in the woods, I wouldn't be able to find the North Star, figure out which side of the tree had more moss growing on it, or any other wilderness survival skills for that matter. Nevertheless, it wasn't until I squandered an entire tank of gas trying to get "un-lost" from various job interviews, that I finally felt the need to purchase my first GPS unit.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System and it works by "talking" to satellites orbiting the Earth, and then overlaying your geographical coordinates on pre-loaded maps. Thus, it can provide real-time information on directionality, speed, and estimated times of arrival.


 GPS used to be a luxury which required quite a bit of initial investment. Now, however there are many entry-level models for under $100 which have many features and widgets which were previously only seen on more expensive units.

CNET offers a thorough walk-through of how GPS works, and also what features to look for when shopping for units, which you can access here. Once you narrow down your search, you can use the following invaluable websites to compare the features available amongst the various models made by TomTom and Garmin.

I'd advise you not to get caught up with some of the fancy features. According to GPS Tracklog.com, some GPS features you can do without are:

1. Bluetooth - Usually sound quality is not so great especially if your car does not have adequate sound-proofing.
2. MP3 Player - Who really wants to listen to music on those tiny speakers? Plus if you are listening to the directions then the music will constantly get interrupted.
3. Traffic - Sometimes there are unreported traffic delays, plus there may be additional fees to pay with this service.
4. 3D Buildings - "Useless eye candy."

I'd like to add my own advice on some features that ARE worth paying for:

1. Portability - Useful for pedestrian trips.
2. Durability - Is it shockproof and/or waterproof? Murphy's Law says you will drop your unit; it will fall onto a rock, and then bounce into a puddle.
3. Usability - Is the screen big enough for your hands to type on the on-screen keyboard?  How well is the touch response?
4. Text to Speech - The unit will read out the street name you must turn onto while you are driving. This is useful because you don't have to keep looking back and forth between the screen and the road. 
5. Points of Interest - Get a unit with at least 4.5 million POIs which will allow you to find the nearest restaurant, gas station, movie theater, etc., without having to manually input the address.
6. Multi-Destination Routing - Plan a trip with multiple destinations to get the most fuel-effective route ex: grocery store, dry cleaners, doctor's office, etc.
7. Powered Mount - This is my favorite feature because the USB cord does not need to be disconnected and reconnected every time you remove the unit from the mount.

If you are a true tightwad and are trying to get a cheap unit, try Craigslist>Electronics for people selling GPS units they received as presents. Sometimes they will be never used since the seller likes their old unit better.

You could also look at refurbished units which can sometimes sell for less than $50! Refurbished units can have either cosmetic or mechanical defects, which were reported and subsequently rectified by the manufacturer. If you are still a little wary of buying a refurbished unit and your mother's words, "penny-wise, pound foolish" are ringing in your mind, check out this article for more reasons on why buying a refurbished model might be right for you.

It's arguable that buying a GPS unit actually saves you money. You would have to calculate how much gas you waste buy not taking the most fuel-economic route, or by being perpetually lost (like myself). However, from a quality of life perspective, having a GPS could open the door to you taking more road trips and exploring destinations you've always wanted to see, but didn't have the confidence to drive to. Don't forget that you can take portable GPS units for pedestrian trips as well, this includes hiking in Arcadia National Park, walking the Boston Freedom Trail, or searching for a new GeoCache with your family and friends (more on this in the next post).



SideNote: After finally purchasing a GPS, I took it on a test run to my friends birthday party in the city I have lived in for the majority of my life. I still got lost....for 45 minutes.....but this may be due to my aforementioned bad directionality rather than any deficiency with the GPS unit. :)