Choosing the best portable GPS system

GPS navigation is perhaps one of the most useful technologies human ever invented. I remember back in the days when traveling by car i had to buy a map and rely on asking locals for directions. And i still got lost anyway. These days are over now for most of us living in civlized countries, as we have the GPS systems to help us. However there, are some countries out there still not very good mapped, most of them in Asia and Africa.

Anyway, although i'm sure you know what a GPS system is, i'm going to remind you anyway: it's a small device you set up in your car that comes with preloaded maps of the regions you attend traveling to and that can connect to GPS satelites in order to find your position on the map and navigate you via the roads to your destination. That's why GPS units are also called navigators.

You can find on the market lots of types of different GPS units, from dedicated devices to PDA with GPS functions, for small compact gadgets to big 7" units and from integrated car solutions to portable ones.

Right now, portable GPS systems are the most popular in this class, because they are not integrated in he car's dashboard and can be easily removed from the car and taken away with you if needed. Most of them actually have batteries so you can use them outside for a limited time if needed.

Still, buying a GPS unit might be quite confusing, as there are many many types of portable GPS systems in stores, some better than others and some too pricey for what they're offering. Anyway, when looking for such devices, here are the main things you should take care off:

• the purpose of the device: do you plan to use your portable GPS in your car mainly or do you need something with a big enough battery to carry around for a couple of hours. Do you want something more durable so you can take it with you on trips or you could settle with something more fragile? Do you need a light unit or that doesn't really matter? All these are questions you should asnwer before deciding on the option to buy.
  
• screen size: according to the above, you should choose screen size carefully. If you want somthing more portable i would recommend smaller units, with up to 3" screens. There are even some watch styled GPs units with a 2" LCD that you can wear just like a watch on your hand. If you want something for you car, i would suggest at least a 3.5" screen, with the 4.3" versions being the best choice. Bigger devices will be more xpensive.
• what extra features do you want? Do you need features like Bluetooth compatible with car stereo, traffic congestion manager, Movie playing capabilities, image storing, etc. There are even devices with integrated tuners, but all come with a cost.
• how much do you want to spend? Price is always a problem, so you should try picking the best device according to your budget.

Of course there are other important matters too, like the freindlyness of the interface (some are easier to use than others) or the maps they have preinstalled. I would recommend buying something with all the maps installed for the regions you plan visiting in the near future, or else buying additional maps latelly would be quite costly.

As for brands, i for one used a portable Garmin GPS system for a couple of years and I'm perfectly fine with it. Some of my friends use devices from TomTom and Mio, all these are OK. Mainly i would pick a good brand for my system, but hey, there are lesser known names like Omnitech, Magellan or Navman that make good enough products for cheaper prices.

There are places where you'll find more about this subject, like this site with some the best portable GPS systems on the market. I really like the models they picked there in their top so you should take a look at them.

All in all, there's not much i could add here. Just always try to pick devices according to your needs, try asking some friends about particular versions once you've decided what you need and if you don't have any, try searching for reviews online. You'll always find some good opinions on portable GPS systems from current owners on big shops like Amazon fro example.