(Square Web 2.0 Style Icon Set 1 image by Maggie Molloy, Royalty free)
Prices for GPS devices and apps 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.
(Square Web 2.0 Style Icon Set 1 image by Maggie Molloy, Royalty free)
Over the last few years, we at CNET Australia have fielded a lot of questions from you, our readers, as well friends and family, about GPS navigators. Australia is now definitely riding the GPS tidal wave, which has already engulfed 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.
Price
The GPS market has matured and evolved remarkably in the last couple of years. Factory or third-party in-dash units for cars cost north of AU$1000. Brand name portable navigation units have RRPs that start from around AU$250, while there are a wide variety of options available to those with GPS-equipped mobile phones. Most of these options are still 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.
What a GPS won't do
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 a 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, difficult to perform turns and short turning bays. Thanks to the roll out of the Suna traffic messaging network across major capital cities many mid-range and above 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. This is especially true of many mobile phones — we're looking at you iPhone — that moonlight as GPS units.
Plus points
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 a GPS may be your ticket to relationship bliss. Many weekend escapees from the big smoke find shelling out for a form of GPS preferable to 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.
Prices for GPS devices and apps 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.
Once you've decided it's time for some sat nav action, your next decision is which type of system is best for you: a mobile phone application, a portable unit or an in-dash unit? Each solution has benefits and drawbacks.
(Credit: HTC)
Mobile phones
Many higher-end mobile phones and smartphones come equipped with GPS technology built into them. Some, like Nokia 6710 Navigator, come bundled with navigation software, while others, like the iPhone, require you to purchase the software separately. This is usually the cheapest way to hop on the sat nav train, with most nav apps priced at under AU$100.
There are some things to keep in mind though. Firstly, most of these phones don't come with a windshield mount, so you'll need to purchase one of those. Without one, being guided around town by a GPS-equipped mobile phone is not only downright dangerous, it's illegal. Even after you've bought your mobile companion a cradle, many mobiles feature screens that are just too small or too reflective to be used in-car on anything more than an occasional basis.
Check out our round-up of the best GPS-enabled mobile phones, as well as our round-up of iPhone navigation applications.
(Credit: TomTom)
Portable units
In the last few years portable units have not only become more affordable and feature rich, they've also styled themselves up a bit. Their biggest plus points are affordability and the ability to move them from car to car. Maps which cover our entire dry, dusty land are stored in flash memory.
All brand-name models now sport colourful, user-friendly touchscreen interfaces. They are usually ready for use right out of the box, with installation only taking a minute or two — stick the suction cup windscreen mount on, place the unit in the mount, connect the in-car charger and voila!
(Credit: Volkswagen)
In-dash units
Many of today's new cars — including Corollas and Commodores — offer in-dash GPS as an option, while more expensive luxury models offer it as standard equipment. While in-dash systems are considerably more expensive than their portable counterparts, they usually feature larger screens and integrate better with other vehicle electronics — for instance, most will turn down the music volume when instructions are given or there are incoming calls. Some luxury car makers even offer navigation systems with voice recognition.
Even if you don't order your new car with a GPS option, aftermarket in-dash models are available. They can be just as expensive as the factory models but are a good option for either older cars or models without the option of factory-fit sat nav.
The beauty of an in-dash system is how it integrates with the rest of your car's interior. Additionally, there are no wires or 12-volt power adapters to contend with, nor will there be suction cups adorning your windscreen. After-market units are still somewhat susceptible to theft and you can't take them with you to use in other vehicles.
Further reading
For more information on the ins and outs, pros and cons of each type of GPS, check out our comprehensive portable versus in-dash GPS feature.
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.
When shopping for a GPS, salesmen, marketers and makers alike will bombard you with features which they say will rock your world. Here's a cold hard look at what's available.
Screens
As far as displays go, bigger is generally better, although the clarity and aesthetic appeal of the on-screen graphics plays a big part too.
Screen size will be primarily determined by which type of GPS you plump for. Phones with GPS typically have screens between 2 and 2.5 inches, while smartphones go from about 3 to 3.5 inches. If you're looking for a phone that will spend a lot of its time navigating, try to find one with a big, but not too glossy screen, and that's capable of working in landscape mode.
If you decide on a dedicated, portable nav device, there are four screen sizes currently being offered: 3.5-inch on entry-level models, 4.3-inch widescreen on most units, with 4.7- and 5-inch units rounding out the list.
Most factory or aftermarket in-dash GPS units sport large screens ranging from 5 to 7 inches diagonally. Factory-fit units are often integrated with the car's stereo and either mounted flush along the dash, in a recessed cubby atop the dash or, even, as pop-up unit. Generally, aftermarket devices come as either double-DIN units with front-mounted screens or single-DIN units with pop-up screens.
Maps
Many Australia-bound GPS devices come with maps from Whereis — the mapping service owned by Telstra's Sensis arm that also controls the Yellow and White Pages. Navteq — a wholly owned subsidiary of mobile phone maker Nokia — is the other mapping provider in Australia and is currently available in many factory-fit sat navs, some apps, as well as Mio and Navman's portable devices.
Spoken instructions
Most brand-name GPS devices will provide directions via voice prompts and on-screen instructions (both graphical and textual). Nowadays most portable devices ship with text-to-speech technology to deliver specific street names rather than more generic instructions, so "turn right in 400 metres" becomes a more helpful "turn right in 400 metres on to George Street". Many of these text-to-speech units stumble with some Australian pronunciation and street names.
Points of interest
Many GPS devices tout the comprehensiveness of their point-of-interest (POI) database. Most will feature airports, hospitals, dining options, shopping, petrol stations, and more, which is useful if you're travelling in unfamiliar territory. However, there's usually little difference between brands because most of the POIs are provided by the map makers. Many GPS devices and applications feature red light and speed camera alerts, which is especially useful in states, such as Victoria, where fixed cameras are not signposted.
Try before you buy
Regardless of what type of GPS you're looking at purchasing, be sure to go to a store or a mate's place and check out the ones that you're interested in. With portable and in-dash units, get the sales staff to put those models into demonstration mode — this way you can see route graphics and listen to direction instructions. You might discover that certain brands appeal to you more than others.
Bluetooth hands-free
Many portable and in-dash units now offer Bluetooth. This allows you to pair up a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone with your GPS navigator, allowing for hands-free usage. Be careful, some devices have Bluetooth profiles which aren't compatible with some phones — again a case of try before you buy.
Multimedia
A lot of portable navigators proudly extol their multimedia credentials. If it's a portable device that you're looking at, make sure that it's got an FM transmitter so you can listen to your tunes on your car's stereo, as a portable device's tinny mono speaker is unsatisfying in the extreme. Video and photo playback on these units usually suffer from a lack of screen resolution and processing power.
On the other hand, when these same features are offered in an in-dash model they're often quite compelling. Being part of the stereo system, MP3 playback should be almost on par with listening to CDs. And the big screens of in-dash systems should provide a much more satisfying movie watching experience — when you're parked, of course.
Traffic messaging
Some mid-range and high-end portable GPS units have traffic messaging receivers built-in. Currently, Suna's traffic messaging service is available in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra. At the time of writing, Ford is the only manufacturer to offer traffic messaging on its GPS-equipped cars, and only on Falcon sedan and ute models. However, many cars fitted with an in-dash GPS unit, especially European models, have a built-in traffic messaging receiver but lack the requisite map upgrade and Suna subscription — hassle your dealer at service time to see when, or if, traffic messaging will be made available as a retro-fit option to your current ride.
Accessories
Most in-car navigation systems are ready to use right out of the box and come with everything you need to get up and running in a matter of minutes. Still, there are accessories available that will help you get the most out of your investment, including auxiliary antennas that can be mounted at the base of your windshield to improve signal reception and carry cases to protect your GPS unit when not in use. You can also pick up various mounting devices, including motorcycle-mounting kits and low-profile external antenna mounts that adhere to the boot of your car. Additionally, you can purchase overseas maps.
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.
Now that we've run through the pros and cons, and ins and outs, of purchasing a GPS system, let's a have a look at how it works. Originally developed in 1973 by the US Department of Defense for military purposes, the Navstar GPS network consists of upwards of 24 satellites orbiting the earth every 12 hours and five ground stations that monitor the satellites' position in space and operational status. In order to accurately determine your location and other data such as current and average speed, directional heading, and elevation, GPS devices use a receiver to acquire signals from at least four of these satellites. This is known as a 3D fix, and it's why GPS antennas require an unobstructed view of the sky to work correctly.
Armed with your precise latitude, longitude and other location data, the GPS receiver can overlay this information onto map files stored on the unit, revealing your current position on the map as well as where you've been. Since the receiver is constantly recalculating your position relative to the satellite's position, the GPS unit can track your location in real time. A typical GPS device contains a 12-channel receiver and an antenna to capture satellite signals, as well as a CPU to process the data. The quality of the receiver and your geographic location will determine how long it takes the device to acquire a 3D fix. For example, it's harder for the receiver to lock onto and hold a signal if you're travelling through a dense forest or an urban area with tall buildings.
The first time you fire up your GPS, it collects certain satellite information to determine your whereabouts. In this state known as a cold start, the receiver is essentially blank and needs to know what time it is, where the satellites are in their orbital patterns, and where it is in relation to the satellites. Most systems take around 30 to 45 seconds to acquire a 3D fix during a cold start, while others can take several minutes. Thereafter, it can take as little as three to four seconds to lock in since the unit already has your coordinates and a general location of the satellites. A good receiver will instantly recover from a complete signal loss when you drive through a tunnel, for instance, while weaker units will require more time to reacquire a 3D fix. In some cases, you'll have to stop the car to give the receiver a chance to lock on to the requisite signals.
How well a GPS unit works in your car depends on the location of the antenna. If your vehicle has a factory installed in-dash unit, chances are the antenna is integrated into the dashboard in a place where it has an unobstructed view of the sky, which is ideal. Many portable models are designed to be positioned directly on the windshield via a suction-cup-mounting device, giving the antenna a wide sky view. There are also add-on antennas available for GPS units that allow you to keep the receiver close to the front seat for easy viewing without sacrificing signal quality.
