[theDentist]

I must ask: why would you need one? I can understand it in a car, an airplane, on a missile... but why do you need one on a laptop?

[trashcanbred]

What do you want it for? Driving? Hunting? What?
I have had a number of GPS's from the Garmin 2620 to a lowly old Magellan from long ago.

[HairOfTheDog]

We have a mobile unit for trail riding in the woods.

Why do you want GPS in a laptop?

[theFIRMbss]

[Mad Dawg]

Seriously. What are you planning to use this for? I'm on a Search and Rescue team and I have a little handheld that works wonderfully for what I need it to do. I can load local topo and highway maps on it from my confuser. Total cost, not counting confuser, about $500.

BUT it's not terrific to use when driving. It can lose the satellite in some cars unless you hold it by the window, and besides you ought to be watching the (*@#_(*@# road. But if you want to search a grid or if you have somebody riding shotgun it's pretty good.

If you don't need it, I'd suggest holding off. The price is going to come down, I'd wager.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Depends on what you use it for. The map ones are nice for driving and boating. I use mine for hiking in the mountains. I either mark waypoints in the unit and download them to topo mapping software to record where I went, of if there's something on the map that I want to go to I load it's location in the unit and use it to guide me there. I have a Garmin 76, having retired a 38 last year.

[texan75010]

I bought a Garman for $129.00 that runs on my laptop and it has paid for itself in the gas I would spend roaming around Dallas. The software is excellent. You need a DVD drive to load it on to the laptop and you need sound.

I love how it tells me when the turn is coming up, I can see the maps clearly and it even tells you when to change lanes, like "Keep left and take exit left."

You can map out your route before hand and the maps are loaded with area landmarks, stores, gas stations, points of interest, etc.

The software is very user friendly. With the standard GPS unit you are pretty much buying a cheap laptop for the cost, but with no benefits of running any other software other than GPS software.

If your GPS breaks, you dont have to throw away the laptop and vice versa.

I use mine for camping a lot. I plug my laptop in to a power converter which runs off of the cigarette lighter. Power converters are inexpensive. I can find my camping destination with ease.

If I miss a turn, it remaps the route automatically.

I cannot tell you how many times I have had to stop and ask for directions trying to find some remote campsite.

I have also mapped out places that I frequently travel and I have found some valuable short cuts that I was unaware of.

I have saved time, gas money and the embarrassment of having to stop and ask for directions.

My only problem I have ever had was when the GPS cannot find a satellite....and that is rare and passes quickly. Drive about 10 feet and you find a signal.

It has worked regardless of the weather condition too.

No, I am not a sales person for Garman, but when a product works, I am not shy about singing its praises.

[Washi]

I have a Garmin hand-held receiver that cost me $100. It does not have maps. It is great for Geocaching (google that, it's cool), hiking, hunting, etc.

For street navigation, there are hand-helds that do have maps for a higher price.

I use Microsoft Streets and trips software for travel (street) navigation. There are two versions, on that comes with a GPS receiver (~$125.00) and one that does not (~$30.) If you already have a hand-held receiver, it is very likely compatible with the software. You just need a cable that will connect your GPS receiver to either a serial or USB port on the laptop.

Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 works on my P3 laptop, with Windows ME. However, I had to add some third party software for the voice driving directions to work properly. Window XP has the text-to-speech capability built into the operating system, so that is the desired operating system to have. The voice driving directions are a big plus if you are driving alone and using the laptop for navigation. It's a lot safer to hear the directions than it is to have to glance at the laptop repeatedly while driving.

If you get a hand-held, I recommend Garmin over Magelan. I've owned both and find that Garmin more reliably locks up on satellite signals when you need it to. I don't know why that is, just my experience.

[stainlessbanner]

I use this one: DeLorme Bluelogger

If you combine with a laptop, the bluetooth configuration can be a little tricky (might want to go with USB here, I wish I did). Street Atlas is accurate, but I find the controls non-intuitive, but I'm still learning the software. Nice combination for $150-$180.

[TheOracleAtLilac]

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