BlueTomorrow.com

Bluetooth GPS receivers, and really all GPS receivers, come with several features and benefits. You will find that most makes/models offer the "standard" features (Features that any decent GPS receiver offers), however, there are some GPS receivers that provide more advanced features and benefits. When buying a Bluetooth GPS receiver, one must take into account which features they personally need.

Here is a listing of the features/benefits that are available for you to consider:

Software for the GPS receivers is either bundled with the GPS hardware or can be purchased separately and usually comes in the form of a CDROM. The software allows you to install all the necessary programs that you will need on your PDA. Most software programs will provide an adequate method of initializing the position of the GPS, which will allow your receiver to accurately find a satellite to connect to. The software may also contain road and street maps.

Detailed road map displays are a crucial feature of a good Bluetooth GPS receiver. You can now buy navigation software for your PDA if the GPS unit does not come with this feature.

It is important that you find a GPS navigation system with user uploadable maps (or maps on its built in CDROM, Compact Flash card, MiniHD, or other memory) for the area you need. You can download or buy software to upgrade your maps or other new features like more Points of Interest (POIs).

Many GPS navigation systems offer a 3-dimenisional display.

Most GPS systems that you buy for automobile use should have this built-in capability for automatically guiding you to a specific street address. It's no help when the GPS system can't get you exactly where you want to go.

Some car GPS navigators use only street addresses, road intersections, points of interest, hotels, restaurants and such.  These standard features are nice and useful but other GPS navigators offer a lot more.  For example, all Garmin models offer "mark waypoint" capability for locations and the ability to "point" to a desired destination on a map.  We like these a bit better,  but this feature isn't absolutely necessary.

Make sure the unit will give you the signal you want for making the next turn. We find the best units have voice and visual aspects for turning.

A standard feature on most modern GPS system is Automatic Destination Routing. This feature allows you to enter your destination and where you'll be departing from, and the GPS system will automatically plan out the best route.

If your PDA has an integrated microphone (Most do), you can use a voice-recognition program that some GPS systems offer. You can use voice-recognition to zoom in and out, select full- or normal-screen mode, and move left to right and up and down without touching your PDA.

A standard feature for many GPS systems, which allows you to hear directions from your PDA’s speaker.

A convenient feature that most GPS navigation systems offer is an extensive list of POIs. A POI is a location like a restaurant, hotel, landmark, etc. which is displayed on the map. Some GPS units offer over 3 million POIs.

This feature is needed for getting the best reception in difficult terrain and heavy tree cover.

Make sure the unit you select is able to be mounted securely in your vehicle. This is not a big problem with Bluetooth since your Bluetooth enabled PDA and GPS receiver do not have to be wired together. Some packages may even include a vehicle mount and/or cigarette lighter power adapter for you PDA, but you can also purchase these separately.

Like most electronic devices, battery life varies between the different models/makes of Bluetooth GPS receivers. Some receivers use rechargeable lithium-polymer batteries and others use standard alkaline, so battery life depends on which types are used. We’ve found that the average lithium-polymer battery life between charges is around nine hours. Alkaline batteries last around 30 hours, but they must be replaced.

Some Bluetooth GPS receivers come with a power adapter that will allow you to plug the receiver into your car’s cigarette lighter. This is a nice feature if your receiver’s batteries happen to die.

Many Bluetooth GPS receivers will most often have LEDs, which indicate Bluetooth connectivity, satellite status, and battery power.

This can improve performance by allowing full view of the sky and maximum position accuracy for any GPS receiver that will be used in your car. However, most new GPS receivers work OK without one.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

• Bluetooth GPS Receiver Buying Guide