In the past, a Global Positioning System was used solely by the government to track and navigate aircraft, to rescue downed pilots, to create reconnaissance maps, to help soldiers navigate enemy terrain in the dark and to guide missiles. Civilians were later permitted to use a it for a number of reasons. Hikers would use GPS systems to find their way around canyons, forests and mountains, and boaters would find their way to land. Mountain bikers could plot a course, previewing the terrain and rest stops on their devices. And fishermen could track fish patterns below the boat to ensure a big catch. Today, a GPS has become exceedingly popular to put in automobiles, making trips easier and less stressful.

“Garmin is founded on the principles of innovation, convenience, performance, value, and service,” proclaims the company website. In fact, Garmin, which has been around since 1989, is the most well-known North American brand name in Global Positioning Systems today. Based out of Kansas, no part of the manufacturing process gets outsourced, as the company designs, manufactures, markets and sells all of their products themselves. They offer GPS navigation systems for all different lifestyles, such as fitness-based systems, automotive GPS systems, systems for hikers or campers, aviation technology, marine technology and site navigation for geocachers.

The Garmin 200 series (starting as low as $119 at Circuit City) offers a no-frills GPS for automobiles that includes 6 million points of interest, voice-prompted directions, as well as a picture viewer, a calculator, a currency converter and a world clock. The Garmin nuvi 250W also adds Alaska and Canada to the map set. Of course you’ll miss out on functions like an MP3 player, adding live traffic info and the ability to call out upcoming street names. (The nuvi 260 or the nuvi 350 will have the street name call-out function.) By contrast, a really high-end Garmin, like the Garmin nuvi 760, adds multi-destination routing with automatic sorting to ensure the most efficient route, speed limit display for highways, automatic marking of your last position to help you find your car in parking lots, the “Where am I” safety feature for emergencies and MSN Direct browsing. These GPS devices start at $325 at www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com.

Commuters might like the Dash Express GPS, which displays crowd-sourced traffic data and allows live internet searches to find the best way around traffic jams. Boaters might like the Lowrance iWay 600C’s marine navigation mode with point-to-point navigation and satellite imagery. Hikers, campers and hunters can try the Magellan CrossoverGPS, while the Mio Digiwalker H610 works best for pedestrians and bicyclists. Garmin seems to be top dog for automobile GPS systems, although the TomTom ONE XL 330-S and Magellan Maestro have also made the top 10 list.

If you’re looking for the games GPS has to offer, then you might be surprised to see how few there are. Poker, Solitaire and mazes may not interest you. However, there are a few special GPS games that players can enjoy that console or computer players cannot. In fact, GPS navigation systems have turned the concept of games on its head. The common perception is that kids who play these games are lethargic, but GPS games have kids outdoors on active adventures.

At www.gpsgames.org, you can find some of the funniest games GPS has to put forward. For instance, “Shutter Spot” is a game where players take pictures and other players are challenged to find that exact location where the photographer was standing to take the shot. “GeoPoker” takes the usual assembling of a card hand and adds a twist: players must first find and move a container holding a GeoPoker log to earn their virtual playing cards! “GeoGolf” has you moving from waypoint to waypoint to get your score. Then there is “Minute War,” which is like Capture the Flag, and other exciting, interactive navigator maps games like “Geodashing” and “Geocaching.”

If you have ever watched “The Amazing Race,” then you’ve got the concept of the increasingly popular Geocaching games GPS has to play. Teams or individuals will receive sets of coordinates and will race from waypoint to waypoint, performing different tasks at each location and competing for prizes. In their ventures, seekers often find hidden containers with inexpensive toys, keepsakes or items and log books; they then replace the item with something new and record their name in the log. To find hosting in your area, check out www.geocaching.com to see if one of the 673,265 geocaches can be found near you.

Whether you like the games GPS has created to date or not, this is just one more neat function of GPS devices. The latest technological trends are in all-in-one multimedia devices that allow users to share information, create and upgrade. GPS is no exception! With your Garmin, Magellan or TomTom, you can look up information at the touch of a button, play your satellite radio, talk on your cell phone with Bluetooth technology, gather directions where you’re going, plan your rest stops, get the weather, play a game and so much more!

With the number of GPS systems on the market growing all of the time, it can be difficult to find the information you need to choose the best GPS for your particular needs. Each model has certain strengths and weaknesses that will need to be considered before settling on which one is right for the way you drive. Obviously, price is a major concern. GPS units start out at slightly more than $100 and can range up to $1000, depending on the features and accessories you need or want. When you look into the choices that are available, one of the options you’ll want to examine is the Garmin Nuvi 255w.

Garmin products are considered to be the Cadillacs of the GPS world, and the Nuvi 255 is no exception. The 255 is portable and will fit into almost any pocket or purse and also mounts on the windshield or dash while driving. Text-to-speech allow directions to be given clearly and concisely. Instead of hearing “Turn left in 2/10′s of a mile” as in some more basic models, the 255W includes the street name in the verbal directions, “Turn left on Main Street”. in 30 yards”.  Since your GPS will speak to you, albeit in somewhat robotic tones, you won’t be distracted by having to look
at the 4.3” screen very often.

The Garmin Nuvi 255 is preloaded with maps of all of North America. In addition, the unit has a JPEG picture viewer, a rechargeable lithium battery, a currency and measurement converter, and a world clock.The anti-glare display provides easy viewing, especially when combined with the touch screen technology. With the larger screen of the nuvi 255W you will see more of the area you are driving in than with a smaller screen unit.

Of course, like with all GPS technology, there are some downside issues to contend with when using the Nuvi 255. You need to be aware up front that the price of the unit itself is not the only cost you will be facing. Although software updates are part of the package, you’ll only get map updates by paying extra fees. These can be purchased as lifetime updates or singly. Another potential expense is that you won’t be able to replace the battery yourself. Although the battery is designed to last for a number of years, if it should happen to crash on you, you may or may not be able to find a technician who’ll be able to change it for you, especially at a cost that’s economically-feasible.

Other Garmin Nuvi 255w reviews have commented that the user’s manual is too basic to be of any assistance, but some say that the operation is so simple that anyone should be able to figure it out. Although there is a website to help you if you run into problems, some users find it to lacking in useful information and not very user friendly. If you’re trying to plot the route of a long trip, it’s also likely that you’re going to end up frustrated because there isn’t enough memory to do long, elaborate planning like this.

General consensus has it that the Garmin 255 is going to be easy to use and give you all of the features you need to travel in unfamiliar territory. This model does not come with Bluetooth capabilities to allow for hands free calling. However, if you’re looking for the basics and a unit that’s going to be reliable and efficient, the 255w will probably be a good fit.