A Variety Of GPS Hardware Available

By Luisa Sharpe


There are various types of GPSs, which are used for different purposes. People mostly use these units to track and provide the immediate data of where certain people and vehicles are located. In order to choose your preferred GPS hardware with ease, you would need to know the various options available in the market.

Laptop-based systems come with a packaged receiver, map and software loaded into a hard drive. The map allows the operator to navigate through pattern of the area where the person or vehicle being monitored is. The receiver for this unit is attached with serial ports or USB that connects it to the laptop. The great thing with this unit is that, it allows the operator to use their laptop CPU power, memory and hard disk to manage their navigation work.

Sports and training units are made portable to be worn on the wrist or any other part of the body where the user feels comfortable. These devices come with various components among which are: calorie count monitors, lap or racing timers, virtual partner and heart rate monitors. The recent models are integrated with PC software to enable the user to plan and analyze their workout statistics.

The portable units have a small screen and small storage capacity. The devices store maps of certain areas since the hard drives and DVD disks used to store such maps have limited storage memory. Data in these units is mostly kept in built-in memories, CD ROMs or SD Cards. Portable systems come with different components among which are; xm satellite radio services, picture viewers, MP3 playback capacity, audio books and blue tooth integration.

Other types available are the basic systems, which are designed to record information in term of longitude and latitude. Basic units come with certain processors and memory capacities. Most people use these devices when navigating places that do not require much work such as for educational purpose or fun.

PDA based units are loaded with the same features as a personal computer. Some devices use the Palm OS software while others use the mobile operating system. Once you purchase a personal data assistant computer, you would also need to purchase a global positioning system add on module. The add-on module helps you to monitor places with ease.

The portable add-on and In-dash car units are other popular hardware available. The portable add-on device comes with a suction cup, which connects the unit to the car windscreen, battery charger, car power adapter and external antennas. The In-dash car units come with the same features as the portable add-on units even though they are installed permanently in such cars.

Manufacturers create GPSs in different ways to be used for varying applications. The main types available usually have different features and components hence would work in different ways. Therefore, in order to be able to choose your preferred option easily, it is important to make sure you know the main types available as this would give you the potential to determine the best one that suits your needs and specifications. It will also enable you to enjoy the advantage of choosing the correct product that meets its intended use.




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