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How to buy a GPS (satnav) device

Posted on 24 Jun 2009 at 18:18

Our experts reveal what to look for in GPS (or satnav) device, and how to decide how much to spend for your needs.

There are some extraordinary deals to be had on GPS devices, with the very cheapest weighing in at under £100. But a good GPS unit will make your life easier and your journeys shorter, so it’s important to choose the right one.

The most important aspect of a GPS device – the underlying map data – isn’t something you need to think about. Navteq and TeleAtlas are the only two companies currently supplying map information to GPS manufacturers, and there are no significant differences between the two. Instead, you need to pay attention to exactly which areas of the world are covered by your new device. Don’t buy anything that doesn’t cover at least all of the British Isles, and investigate the cost of upgrading to full EU coverage if it doesn’t come with your GPS as standard.

Instead, the most crucial thing to keep an eye out for is responsiveness and performance. Behind the touchscreen, a modern satnav is performing a number of processor-intensive jobs at once. That means that when you miss a turning, not only does your satnav need to keep track of exactly where on earth you are, but it suddenly needs to perform a route recalculation. A decent satnav will plan a huge trip – London to Scotland, for instance, in under 30 seconds. Performance testing forms a significant part of PC Pro’s testing.

The front of a satnav device is almost all screen, so it’s critical you’re able to read it in bright sunlight. It’s also important that the touchscsreen is responsive, and that the user interface is presented with big buttons, which make entering destinations and route changes quicker. Should you manage to find a GPS device with a stylus, don’t buy it. The stylus will get lost and entering addresses with a fingernail is frustrating to the point of tears. Most recently-released GPS units have widescreen displays. Not only do these look natty compared to old-style 4:3 devices, they also have higher resolutions, making them easier to read at-a-glance. PC Pro’s road testing ensures that you have the best information regarding readability – we make sure that information is presented legibly, and that everything on the screen is relevant to the job at hand.

The list of what a top-end GPS device can do is spectacular. Whether you want a packed specification list will depend on whether you need to use GPS every single day, or if you just want something to make occasional forays into the unknown with. Some high-end GPS devices have Bluetooth built in. Not only does this mean you can download real-time traffic data to your satnav and circumnavigate snarled up sliproads, your GPS can also be used as a hands-free kit, allowing you to make and receive calls without needing to touch your phone. Some GPS devices have TMC (Traffic Management Channel), an FM-based service, to get traffic information. You should, however, ignore “added value” features such as MP3 or video playback, and digital slideshows. You, presumably, already have a car stereo, and the reasons behind watching picture slideshows on a 3in screen designed for something else eludes us entirely.