How To Choose A Sat-Nav

Step 1: Know what's available

Sat-navs come in three different types of device. They can be built into a car, be a part of PDA or mobile phone, or come as a single function sat-nav device.

Step 2: How you will use it?

The type of sat-nav you will need depends on what sort of journeys you will be taking on the road. If you are an occasional driver who just needs to get from A to B, a single function models by companies such as Navman, Garmin and Mio are a good option. If you drive for a living and your car is your office, consider buying a car with sat-nav installed, or installing a system into your existing car. If staying in touch with your office for e-mails and phone calls is important, or you spend a lot time navigating on foot, using sat-nav as part of a PDA or mobile would be the best solution.

Step 3: Research functions

As well as just the basic job of getting you from A to B, there are many more functions that a sat-nav can perform. They can hold information about the roads of most countries, list places of interest such as petrol stations or tourist attractions, receive live traffic information and know speed camera locations.

Step 4: Hidden costs

The difference between entry level sat-navs like the Navman F20 and more expensive units like the Garmin 660 and Mio C710 are the number of features and the amount of detail they provide as standard. Features like live traffic information and detailed maps of foreign countries may have to be bought or subscribed to separately . You may also have to pay every few years for updated versions of your home country's road map.

Step 5: Research devices

Technology is constantly improving, and it is worth checking out consumer magazine to read about the latest sat-navs on the market. The first sat-navs with MP3 players, such as Garmin 660, are now on sale. . Knowing what is about to become available will help you decide what to buy, and when.

For more information about the sat-navs featured in this videojug, please visit these websites. Have a safe and error free journey!