Mobile Computing: GPS Buyers Guide

Navigational devices are affordable, but the choices are confusing. Here's help.

James A. Martin

GPS Buyers Guide

Ah, the lure of the open road in summer. You take time off work, hop in the car, roll the windows down, turn the radio up, push the pedal to the metal, and head for the highway. Then, while you're peeling the pickles off your fast-food cheeseburger, you miss your exit. So you take the next one, three miles later. But you can't get back to the highway from that exit, and you're forced to turn right when you want to go left. Before you know it, you're lost.

Can the global positioning system save you from such an ignominious fate? Perhaps: I've found that a GPS receiver keeps me on track and, in the event of a misstep, gets me back to where I need to be.

But as with most electronic gadgets, there are various types of GPS products aimed at different types of user and budget levels. This week I present a guide to help you determine which device is best for you.

GPS 101

At its most basic, a GPS receiver is an electronic instrument that pinpoints your current location on a map. GPS devices for consumers are generally available as add-on accessories for Palm OS and Pocket PC PDAs; as stand-alone devices used by hikers, urban explorers, and others; and as navigational systems built into high-end automobiles.

A few rental car agencies, most notably Hertz, provide in-car GPS navigational devices as an option. The Hertz NeverLost system is a color LCD panel that displays maps and allows you to enter information using on-screen buttons. Along with pinpointing your location, the Hertz NeverLost system provides turn-by-turn audio driving directions (to minimize driver distraction). When it's time to turn right, for instance, a gentle voice prompts you.

The GPS network of satellites was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense during the Cold War as a way to quickly pinpoint the precise locations of surfaced nuclear submarines, according to Trimble, a GPS developer. According to Trimble's Web site, the cost of developing the GPS was $12 billion. In other words, your parents' tax dollars paid for today's GPS infrastructure.

Do You Often Travel to Unfamiliar Places?

Before you shop for a GPS device, consider how often you end up in new cities or towns during the course of a year.

To me, the ideal candidate for a GPS device is someone who travels to unfamiliar areas at least five times a year and, while there, must find their way to several locations (such as a client's office, a convention center, a restaurant, and so on).

The frequent business traveler to unfamiliar lands has too much at stake not to consider a GPS receiver. For instance, years ago I became hopelessly lost en route to an interview with a CEO in Tampa, a city I knew nothing about. Needless to say, the executive was fuming when I finally arrived an hour late (this was in the days before cell phones or consumer GPS devices) and the interview was a bust.

How Would You Use the GPS?

The circumstances in which you'd use a GPS receiver should also play a role in your buying decision. Some examples:

Do you often drive by yourself? If so, you need a device that provides audible driving directions, so you can keep your eyes on the road. Example: Garmin International's StreetPilot III (see the "GPS Gallery" below for more details on this and other devices).

Do you often need to find your location on a map while walking? In that case, consider an add-on to a PDA (or a stand-alone handheld GPS device). Because they're small, the devices are easily carried around. Example: Mapopolis' GPS receivers for Palms and Pocket PCs.

Do you often travel by car with a notebook but only occasionally need help? Then a GPS accessory that works on your notebook may be just the ticket. Example: Navman GPS E Series for Notebooks, which connects to a portable computer via USB port.

Do you always drive your own car, or do you rent? If you make frequent business trips with your own wheels, consider investing in an in-car navigation system. They're expensive but could be worth the money. Some BMWs, Cadillacs, and other high-end automobiles offer navigation systems as options. On the other hand, if you often rent a car, consider booking a Hertz NeverLost-equipped vehicle. Or buy a GPS device that sits on the dashboard and can be moved from one car to another, such as the Garmin StreetPilot III.

GPS Gallery

Once you've figured all that out, it's time to go shopping. Here are a few places to start:

Garmin International sells a wide variety of GPS receivers, including the StreetPilot III ($999), a portable in-car navigation system. The device provides a color, glare-free LCD; automated voice prompts for driving directions; and the ability to display nearby highway exits, gas stations, and more. With its beanbag mount, you can position the StreetPilot III on your car dashboard, then easily remove it and store it in the trunk (for security) when parked, or you can move it to another car. For the latest prices, check the PCWorld.com Product Finder.

Garmin also sells the IQue 3600 ($589), which it claims is the first PDA with integrated GPS technology. The IQue 3600 is a Palm OS 5.0-based device with a built-in GPS antenna, mapping software, and a speaker for voice-guided commands.

Mapopolis offers one of the broadest arrays of GPS bundles (software, maps, and GPS receiver) for Palm OS and Pocket PC PDAs. Prices range from $200 for basic models to $350 for newer devices with Bluetooth connectivity. You can check prices for Mapopolis GPS products at our Product Finder.

Navman makes GPS products for notebooks and Palm handhelds, such as the Navman GPS E Series for Notebooks ($140), as well as for boats and cars. You can check prices for Navman products at our Product Finder.

Additional Resources

• GPS World magazine has a Web site for heavy-duty GPS aficionados.
• PDA Buyers Guide has reviews of GPS products.
• GadgetsExpress.com has a GPS buyers guide.

NOTEBOOKS & ACCESSORIES

Hotel Review: A Garden of High-Tech Delights

PCWorld.com's Michael Lasky recently spent the night in a totally wired "room of the future" at the Hilton Garden Inn in El Segundo, California. Lasky tested all the high-tech amenities in Room 267, including free broadband Internet access (via notebook and TV); a 42-inch flat-screen, plasma HDTV with surround-sound Bose speakers; a second, smaller flat-screen monitor next to the Jacuzzi; and a remote control that manages lighting levels and room climate, works the drapes, controls the TV, radio, and DVD player, and even repositions the head and foot of the king-size bed.

The Hilton Garden Inn's toy-filled room also includes a T-shaped desk, an ergonomic chair, adjustable lighting, and an Ethernet port for free high-speed Internet access. If you don't have a notebook, you can check e-mail and surf the Web using a wireless keyboard and the 42-inch plasma TV as a monitor.

Michael's assessment: "The Hilton Garden Inn's gadget-crammed Room 267 is not your typical lodging. But stay just one night there, and you'll want it to be."

News: Ultraportables From Gateway

Gateway has updated its 200-series ultraportable notebooks. The new Gateway 200 models are about half a pound heavier than previous 200 notebooks but feature a larger 14.1-inch display, a built-in optical drive, and longer battery life, Gateway says. The notebooks, designed to be mainstream portables for consumers and mobile professionals, come with Intel's Pro/Wireless 2100 chip for connecting to 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networks, among other options. The entry-level model, the Gateway 200E, retails for $1599.

News: PowerBook Price Drop

Apple has lowered the prices of its 12- and 15-inch PowerBook G4 models by up to $300. The 12-inch PowerBook G4 now costs begins at $1599, down $200, while the 15-inch PowerBook G4 starts at $1999, a $300 savings. Apple's big-boy PowerBook G4, with its 17-inch wide-aspect screen, holds steady at $3299.

HANDHELDS

Review: Updated Remote Access Software

LapLink Everywhere 2.01, the latest version of the Web-based remote PC access service, lets you run your computer from afar via a browser on a PDA. But the new version lacks proper documentation, and interface quirks can make it difficult to distinguish an end-of-session message from an error message, says PCWorld.com reviewer Robert Luhn. Meanwhile, the updated version of Symantec's PCAnywhere, a competitor to LapLink Everywhere, has a new interface that can be confusing. Maybe your best bet, Luhn concludes, is to try yet another remote access service, Expertcity's GoToMyPC, a 2003 World Class winner. For the complete review of these products, see "New Ways to Remotely Access Your PC."

News: PDA Viruses Inevitable

Malicious code will be developed for PDAs as soon as the installed base of devices is big enough, according to Laura Garcia-Manrique, a Symantec group product manager. Garcia-Manrique believes that will happen "probably within two years," as the communications capabilities of handhelds grow.

Until now, only a few instances of PDA-focused malicious code have surfaced, she says. "In August 2000, we saw the first examples," Garcia-Manrique says. "Since then, there's been one virus, written for Windows with a combined payload that got delivered to the Palm when it was synced." The virus was discovered in October 2001; no new viruses have been seen since, she says.

News: Palm to Buy Handspring

Palm recently announced plans to buy Handspring, which makes Palm OS-based devices such as the Treo PDA/phone communicator. The idea is to strengthen Palm's ability to develop devices that combine voice and data, such as the Treo. The merged company will be divided into two business units: one focused on handhelds, the other on smart phones. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

WIRELESS

News: 'The Simpsons' on Your Cell Phone?

Asian electronics manufacturers often introduce the coolest new gadgets in their own markets, then roll them out overseas months later. If that trend holds true, before long you may be watching TV shows on your cell phone. Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant, recently introduced the SCH-X820, a cell phone that includes a built-in TV tuner capable of receiving VHS and UHF broadcasts. You can watch TV shows on the phone's color LCD horizontally or vertically. The phone can even record snippets of video from broadcasts for use as a screen saver or background image.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.

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