CNET.com.au's GPS Buying Guide

By Derek Fung and John R. Delaney on 25 August 2008

Prices for GPS devices have come down in the last year and many of us are looking at jumping on the bandwagon. We take a look at how it works, why you should (or shouldn't) buy a GPS, as well as key features to look out for.

1. Is GPS navigation right for me?
2. In-dash or portable GPS?
 3. Features to look for
4. How GPS mapping works

Is GPS navigation right for me?
This year, we at CNET.com.au have fielded a lot of questions from you, our readers, as well as friends and family, about GPS navigators. It seems that Australia has finally caught the GPS wave, which has already swept through Europe and North America. But before you make the leap, let's have a look at the pros and cons of ditching the Melway because, let's be frank, satellite navigation isn't for everyone.

First issue is price. The portable GPS market has matured remarkably in the last couple of years and brand-name navigators now kick off at around AU$350, with nicely featured models congregating at the AU$450 price point. This, however, is still significantly more expensive than a capital city road map from UBD, Gregory's or Melway/Sydway/Brisway, which will only set you back between AU$15 and AU$45. And if you opt for a factory or third-party in-dash unit for your car, be prepared to cough up north of AU$1,000.

Some people purchase a GPS unit thinking that it will unlock the secrets of city navigation — show them hitherto unknown backstreets to avoid choke points, and road blocks — and come away profoundly disappointed. Pit a GPS navigator against an experienced city driver and 99 times out of 100, the city driver will win. That's because GPS devices will route via either the shortest path or through as many main roads as possible — or a combination thereof — without taking into account things like traffic lights, traffic restrictions, speed humps and short turning bays. Thanks to the roll out of the Suna traffic messaging network in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane some high-end models now come standard with the ability to either route around traffic or alert the driver of any possible traffic delays.

Satellite navigators also struggle in the crowded concrete catacombs of the CBD, as well as in heavily wooded areas. That's because they rely on a strong satellite signal to pinpoint your position on the planet, so in these conditions GPS devices often get confused or lose track of your position completely.

Having said all that, sat nav is useful for a great many of us. For example, if you and your partner have no sense of direction, and the latest argument about directions has brought you to the brink of breaking up then GPS may be your ticket to relationship bliss. Weekend escapees from the big smoke may be prepared to shell out for a GPS instead of scabbing yet another tourist map from the NRMA or RAC. Frequent interstate business travellers, for whom hiring a car is more cost efficient than catching a taxi everywhere, will also appreciate the ghost in the shell guiding them around. And those who drive for a living — like field service and delivery personnel, taxi drivers and travelling salesmen — have been early adopters of GPS technology.

Topics: buying, navigation, system, shopping, maps, gps, location, route, travel, driving, in-car, guide, directions

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Comments (13)

  • Wolf commented on 28/05/2008 12:16 Report abuse

    I use the Asus r2h as my gps in the car, 7" screen, media player, bluetooth e.t.c.. and cheaper than any in car system on the market.

  • canberra_photographer commented on 21/05/2008 22:37 Report abuse

    Wow, brand name one should set you back no more than $400-450? I got mine 6 months ago for just $289. Harvey Norman may have one thing on the price tag, but know the code words and you get it for another.

  • Blah commented on 21/05/2008 19:18 Report abuse

    I think it must be noted before even considering looking at GPS models, what you are going to do with it. It is actually illegal (at least in NZ) to have an active display in the view of a car driver. Hope Cnet editors emphasise this in reviews.

  • C commented on 04/05/2008 10:32 Report abuse

    I've used both the Nokia 6110 Navigator phone and CoPilot 7 around Sydney. Nokia 6110 is much more accurate and gives more helpful instructions. CoPilot is so bad that if often can't be relied upon - it will often make mistakes or take you on a very bad route. CoPilot also doesn't know about many blocked streets etc over 10 years old. CoPilot often advises to turn after the turn.

  • moggten commented on 15/03/2008 20:09 Report abuse

    I own 2 tomtom 910'sI have had 1 9 months and 1 18 months both will not hold charge more than 1 hour and because of wear in the cradle wont charge on car charger

  • mark commented on 15/03/2008 04:20 Report abuse

    You can always get maps from open street map, or use shonky maps (google for them!). Better than the commercial offerings for the most part, and priced at $0 by volunteer effort.

  • Paul commented on 03/12/2007 17:10 Report abuse

    I have a Tomtom unit which I must admit I dont often use in my daily driving. However some of the features are really handy even when you do know where you are going. In particular I find the speed indication as compared to the road limit very good and is of course extremely accurate. GPS units really come into their own when you don't know the area you are going to be driving in, and they can show you the way (without turning you up one way streets the wrong way) in the best way possible. the included points of interest make it very easy to find your way to hotels, shops, garages etc. and give you a good indicator of how long it will take to get there. Mine really paid off when I took it to Europe (after downloading the map) and drove myself around France and Switzerland (choosing the non motorway option) for about a month. It was the least stress I have ever had and enabled the finding of places in a lot less time than I would normally. I recommend them if you drive a fair bit to areas that you do not know. If you only drive to and from work every day, then don't bother.

  • Rob Logie commented on 13/10/2007 09:37 Report abuse

    Destinator used Mapinfo data up until the latest version when they changed to Sensis. Copilot used Sensis data up until V5. With V6 copilot changed to Mapteq data. IMHO, the Sensis mapping data has the worse coverage in Regional Australia. When I tried Copilot V5 with Sensis data it was next to useless around where I live. Copilot V6 is huge improvement in map coverage, similar to the coverage offered by the mapinfo versions of Destinator.

  • dux110@126.com commented on 28/08/2007 17:31 Report abuse

    You guys ever tried Master? that's terrific, works very well, it's my first GPS

  • lezstar commented on 10/08/2007 20:48 Report abuse

    I am considering becoming a taxi driver and think a gps navigation system would help immensely.I dont know maybe there standard devices in cabs already,[ Its been a while since I last used a cab]

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