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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.
- Address to Address Routing
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.
- Voice-enabled driving directions
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.
- 12 Channel Parallel Receiving System
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.
- External Amplified Antenna
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
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