Compare GPS Systems - Laptop GPS Receivers or Hand Held GPS?
Before you compare GPS systems, you first have to decide whether you want a hand held GPS navigation system or a laptop GPS system. If you have a laptop, there are several laptop GPS receivers on the market that will turn your notebook into an awesome navigation tool. If you want a more compact GPS navigation system, a PDA GPS or hand held GPS would be perfect.
Compare portable hand held GPS
When you are ready to compare portable hand held GPS systems, you first have to decide whether you want to use your PDA or if you would like a separate handheld GPS. Any comparison of GPS navigation systems should also take into account the price and features of the whole system. If you have PDA or need the additional functionality of a PDA, then a PDA GPS would be a very useful solution. Many hand held GPS units also have a calendar feature, and can often be enough of a PDA for most people.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both PDA GPS systems and hand held GPS systems. A PDA based system will have an external GPS receiver that will either connect via the serial port or through a compact flash/PCMCIA slot. A stand-alone handheld GPS will have the GPS receiver integrated into the unit entirely.
Once you have decided on either a PDA GPS or a separate handheld GPS, you can use the global positioning system comparisons to decide which navigation system is right for you. If you will be using your GPS as a portable car navigation system, you will also want to review voice navigation gps software. However, if your purpose is for another activity like geocaching, you will want to make sure the unit has the required functionality.
Laptop GPS Receivers - Give your laptop added functionality
There are several laptop GPS receivers on the market. Choosing the right one depends on several factors - perhaps the most critical factor is how the GPS receiver will connect to your laptop. Laptop GPS receivers can connect to the laptop via Bluetooth, USB, CompactFlash/PCMCIA, or even through a serial port. Another factor is the GPS mapping software - you will need to ensure that any software you want to use is compatible with the laptop GPS receiver. Often, you can eliminate this issue by purchasing the GPS receiver and GPS navigation software together as a bundled package.
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