Vehicle in- Dash GPS

It's the mark of a high tech vehicle! Cars with GPS abilities and features are still novelties today. Some car manufacturers make tie-ups with GPS device manufacturers to add a lot of value to their units, and the market is very perceptive of this.

GPS-Guided Vehicles

The GPS in vehicles have a different kind of navigation. It is not the driver who does the navigating but the GPS device itself. Installed in the device is software that gives you directions to your destination while on the road. Some can even update you about road conditions and other important data. Most give audio directions so that the driver would not have to look at the display at all. Others do not even use a display, while some have maps. More importantly, these systems are very easy to operate, and the directions given are easy to follow. You can choose between cars with built-in GPS receivers and consoles or portable GPS solutions that can be mounted in cars and detached just as easily. Usually the built-in receivers already come with the model of the car as an optional feature, and the brand is specified by the car manufacturer.

Other Forms of Vehicle GPS Systems

Aside from these two standard forms of vehicle GPS navigation systems that are widely used in the market, there are other less known ways of making your ride GPS-enabled. PDAs that connect satellite-guided navigation with a Windows Mobile 2003 PocketPC can link to the internet and show you the weather and traffic conditions in your area while displaying moving maps and giving audio directions. Another way is to use attach small, waterproofed receivers onto the roof of your car and connect it via USB or Bluetooth to your laptop and get power from the car's 12v car battery or have its own power source. You don't even have to own additional specialized GPS receivers and antennas to have your custom vehicle GPS system if you already own an ordinary handheld GPS device, mapped or without maps. You can just mount the device on your dashboard and hook it up to your PDA or laptop. The PDA just has to have navigator software that will enable it to read NMEA and it will run smoothly.

There are many solutions on how to bring GPS technology into your car, and all these can give you a hassle free trip during vacation or just save you minutes of frustration finding a street in a cramped city. The options are abundant and the technology is just out there waiting for you to take advantage of it.