Gps For Just About Everything

I’ll admit it right off the bat. I love gadgets. If it slices, dices and “that’s not all”, you’ve got my attention. Given this, is it hard to believe that I am in heaven in this golden age of gadgets? Perhaps one gadget niche that is particularly amazing is the GPS system.

As an American male, it goes without saying that I don’t need no stink’n direction. I always know exactly where I am and where I am going. I am man. Here me drive around aimlessly! Still, I like a good gadget and GPS units definitely qualify. Most people associate them with driving and rightly so. Auto GPS units are so cool that many manufacturers have included them in the standard car set up. For those that haven’t, you can buy aftermarket versions from Tom Tom, Magellan, and Garmin to name three of the bigger brands.

The great thing about GPS is it is not restricted to cars. You can now get units that are tailored to specific situations such as hiking, flying, golf and so on. It should come as no surprise that there is also a version made for boating. Historically, sailors were the dominant group staring into the sky trying to figure out where they were. Ironically, the modern GPS unit doesn’t work much differently.

How does a GPS unit figure out where you are? GPS was developed in the 1980s by the Department of Defense. It uses a group of 30 plus satellites as reference points in the sky. The satellites send out unique signals. A GPS system then uses the concept of triangulation to calculate where you are in reference to the satellites. By taking multiple readings, it can pin point you location. It is a bit more complicated, but this is the general idea.

Is a GPS unit worth your money? Yes, particularly if you do a lot of driving.

By: Tom Ajava

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Thomas Ajava writes for BestGPSAutoNavigation.com - where you can learn more about the Garmin Nuvi 885T and other auto navigation GPS units.