Should you buy a hand held GPS unit or a Dash Mounted GPS unit?
knowledge | December 7, 2009
Should you buy a hand held GPS unit or a Dash Mounted GPS unit?
Hand Held GPS
Many people wonder which is the best type of GPS unit to buy, a handheld one or a dash mounted one. Each, of course, has its own advantages and disadvantages. Of course, one type may be more appealing to a certain consumer than it would be to another consumer. To help you make this decision in type of hand held to buy, consider these issues.
Will you primarily use the unit in your car?
Do you mostly want a new unit to help you find directions when you are driving?
Would you enjoy owning a GPS unit with extra features such as a MP3 player, blue tooth capabilities and an audio player? Would you actually use these features?
Will you mostly use it while jogging, hiking, etc?
Would you use a GPS unit to actual chart your own courses for fitness or fun?
Do you think you will be moving it from one automobile to another one?
Do you think your needs will change or do you plan on sharing this unit with another family member? (for fitness or navigational purposes)
Do you plan to take up a new sport such as boating?
Those questions can help you on your search as to the type of unit may be the best for you. Some other things you might want to consider some of the pros and cons of each type of unit.
First, lets look at the pros on having a dash mounted GPS unit.
It is more secure. This means it is less likely to be damaged or stolen.
Most have easy to use touch screen controls and
Generally, will also run off a cigarette lighter.
May have more mapping features.
May have voice commands even voice to speech commands
May have great FM reception that will allow you to play your mp3 tracks, your audio player and even allow you to access your cell phone via the automobile speakers.
They may have additional features such as the safety feature Where Am I which will tell you where you are by location and address, special feature which will tell you the local prices of gas, even a safety feature which may alert you of the current speed limits on some highways and interstates.
Greater overall reception.
Some of the cons of purchasing a dash mounted GPS unit are:
They are sometimes more expensive
You may have to buy these all ready factory installed or installed by professionals.
They can not be taken from place to place.
Now lets look at some of the pros and cons of purchasing a portable hand held GPS unit.
Some of the pros are:
It is portable therefore you can take it where you want.
It is less expensive than most dash mounted models.
Most are durable and waterproof.
Most of these comes in many styles, colors and sizes.
Many of these are light weight
Most are user friendly.
Great reception
Some of the cons of purchasing a portable hand held GPS unit are:
The screens are small, which means they can sometimes be harder to read or understand
They have smaller buttons. This makes it more difficult for people with big fingers to operate.
Battery life doesn’t last long when using the extra features such as the illuminating screen
Not as much in the way of mapping capabilities
Can loose reception in wooded areas easily
Some have antennas that have to be extended to get full reception power
With all the pros can cons for each model, how do you choose?
Think about your specific needs. Go back to the questions you first asked yourself: Where are you going to use the unit the most and why do you need it?
What features and options do you really want and need?
Think about how much money you are able to spend. Of course, the more money you have to spend the better unit you can buy, whether it is a hand held GPS unit or a dash mounted one. Plus, if you have extra money you can purchase additional software to add to possibly either type of unit.
Also beware of the fact that some hand held units now come with dash mounts or you can purchase these separately. This allows you to the freedom of moving the unit around and still mount it when needed.
The final choice of course is yours, the consumer. The best way to come to the choice of whether a portable hand held or a dash mounted one is for you is by doing some thinking and a little researching.