GPS: on the spot

location based services

Navigating accurately has never been easier with portable GPS devices, write Nick Galvin and Siddharth Raja.
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Rarely does a new gadget come along that can be declared a deadset winner from the off and that a lot of people want to own. A classic example is the iPod, which immediately ticked all the boxes for good design, ease of use and utility.
The portable Global Positioning System unit is another device in this class. In a couple of years GPS units will be standard equipment in all but the most basic of vehicles and most of us will wonder how we ever did without them. Getting lost will become a thing of the past and the street directory will be consigned to the bin. Trust us - the idea is that good and that useful.
At the heart of the GPS network are 24 satellites orbiting the globe at an altitude of about 20,000 kilometres. The GPS unit calculates its exact location by reference to four of these satellites. The calculations are made possible by a process called trilateration, which is a more complicated version of the triangulation most of us remember from high school maths.
So much for the wizardry behind the screen - the result for the driver is a system of quite staggering accuracy.
All entry-level GPS units on the market conform to a basic design. They have a colour LCD screen of about 8.9 centimetres, a built-in speaker so you can hear the voice commands and some means of inputting addresses, generally via a touch screen.
When you first use a GPS device it is almost spooky as you see your location displayed on the road map in front of you to within a few metres. But you quickly get over it and then, if you are like us with no sense of direction, you come to rely on it.
Where the average GPS begins to fall down, however, is in city centres. It is particularly noticeable in cities such as Sydney, with its tall buildings, which stops the unit "seeing" the satellites. Be prepared for your GPS to let you down in such circumstances.
There is a wide range of GPS models to choose from. Prices have fallen to almost $500 and are likely to continue tumbling. However, not all GPS devices are created equal and there are several things to consider.
All the units rely on a cradle device and suction cup to attach them to the windscreen, which is a potential weak link. You will clip and unclip the unit thousands of times during its lifetime (unless you leave it attached, in which case there is a good chance it will be stolen), so make sure the cradle is robust and that it is easy to attach and detach.
The other thing to watch out for is the device's overall ease of use. I prefer units with few buttons - touch-screen controls are much easier to use.

Also assess the interface, which can range from being simple and intuitive to frustratingly obtuse. In particular, you need to be able to enter a destination with as few clicks as possible.
There has been a tendency recently to load GPS devices with a grab bag of extras ranging from cameras to MP3 players. Don't be too swayed by these bells and whistles, which you're unlikely to use anyway. The job of a GPS is to help you navigate safely and accurately to your destination. You can do without the other stuff.
Four contenders
Mio Digiwalker C510$799 http://www.mio-tech.com.auRating: 2/5
This unit looks smart, with a bright 8.9cm screen. The mount is reasonably sturdy but a little awkward to get on and off. The controls are a mixture of touch-screen menus and four recessed buttons down the side, which are tricky to use. The Mio falls down, however, in the interface, which is, frankly, baffling. Setting the unit to navigate to a given address should be simple but it instead turns into an exercise in hide, seek and guess.
Navman N40i$849 http://www.navman.comRating: 3/5
The Navman is a compact, lightweight unit with a surprising number of bells and whistles, including buttons to point you to the nearest petrol station and car park (no pub button, though, which is probably a good thing). It also has a rather silly camera, whose purpose we've yet to work out. Getting around the interface is straightforward. The mounting bracket seems unnecessarily fussy and kept falling off in testing.
Garmin StreetPilot c510$699 http://www.gme.net.au Rating: 4.5/5
The c510 managed to score well thanks to its simple interface and quick route calculation. Setting new destinations is straightforward, as is finding points of interest. It's a little bigger than the other devices we tested but it has a large screen that's easy to read even in bright sunlight. Voice navigation is also good, with the option of an Australian voice that gives clear and concise instructions. The mounting bracket is easy to install and remove but isn't as sturdy as the one supplied by TomTom.
TomTom One$649http://www.tomtom.comRating: 4.5/5
Where this unit scores over the competition is in its simplicity. All functions are controlled via the touchscreen, with no fiddly buttons. The interface is beautifully intuitive and selecting a destination takes just a few quick commands. The simplicity extends to the mounting bracket, which works well and makes both positioning and removing the unit a snap. Navigation commands are clear and timely but this unit, like most GPS devices, shouldn't be relied on around tall city-centre buildings.
Verdict
In-car GPS is a fast-maturing technology and manufacturers are falling over themselves to differentiate their products by adding extra functions. All the units we looked at here do this to some degree. However, the TomTom stands out from the pack for the elegant simplicity of its design and interface.