GPS devices are quite the modern marvel, allowing even the most disoriented traveler to take advantage of guideposts in the sky and find their way. Step inside to see five great tools to guide you on your way.


Photo by mil8.

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite GPS device, whether it was a stand alone tool or built into another device you owned. You responded, and now we're back to share the top five candidates for the prize of Best GPS Device.


Best GPS Device? GPS Devices are the sextants of the modern age, allowing us to pinpoint our locations with accuracy Read more

Note on this Hive: We did our best to divide the wide range of votes into easy to digest categories. Garmin and TomTom, for example, both make a wide variety of models, but Garmin appears twice on the list because both their handheld line and their dashboard line received a large number of votes separately. In the same vein, the iPhone received a large number of votes independent of the general pool of votes for GPS-enabled cellphones.




The Garmin GPSMap series received much praise for its rugged and compact design coupled with useful features. Many of you noted that because of the waterproof design of the handheld GPSMap units, you could easily take the unit from a day of hiking and mountain biking to the city streets on a dashboard mount. The GPSMap line tends to be very sensitive, tuned to pick up signals when you're deep in a canyon or a dense forest thicket, a trait that transfers well to being deep in the urban jungle. The GPSMap line integrates with your computer via microSD and USB. If you're using it away from car, you'll be able to squeeze nearly a day of continuous operation out of the GPSMap series while still taking advantage of the bright, sunlight-friendly, high-contrast display. Whether you're out geocaching or taking a road trip, the GPSMap handheld units can keep pace.


Although most people wouldn't run out and buy a phone and sign a contract for two years just to get a GPS device, the built-in GPS device in the iPhone is capable and has one advantage most of the other contenders don't. On top of being hand held and nearly always with you, the iPhone GPS chip can be used by applications downloaded from the Apple App Store which greatly extends its usefulness. You can use the basic Map + Compass features—although the digital compass is only available in the new 3GS series—or one of the current or upcoming GPS apps from the App Store to get around with more than adequate tools like turn-by-turn directions, route creation, and such. Add in some other free or low-cost applications from the App Store, however, and you can do all sorts of interesting things, like turn the iPhone into an exercise companion, a geocaching buddy, and a tool for other specialized location-based tasks.



TomTom is an old face in the car-based GPS arena; they've been cranking out dash mounted GPS units since 1991. On the low end of the TomTom line, all their products offer spoken directions, proprietary quick-release dashboard mounts, and their Map Share technology for easy map updating. As you work your way up the product line, TomToms add dozens of useful features like spoken directions, advanced lane guidance that displays a mock up of the actual road you're driving on, voice input for destination addresses, integration with Bluetooth phones for hands-free calling, FM transmitters to link into your car's stereo system, and a built in media player. TomTom devices are designed for ease of use while driving and the large screens and easily read text and maps reflect that.


The Garmin Nüvi is Garmin's offering in the automotive category. The units are sleek, wide-screened, and sport of a host of features beyond basic navigation. In addition to the basics (like turn-by-turn navigation, voice prompts, and the ability to switch between bird's eye and street level views), the more advanced Nüvi units offer even more. When you're using higher-end models you can use the ecoRoute feature to track your gas mileage and have your Nüvi plot out the most fuel-efficient routes. If things "turn south," you can use the "Where am I?" emergency tool—tap the screen and you'll be instantly given your latitude and longitude, the nearest intersection, and the nearest hospitals and police stations. Higher-end models also include a built in media player, an audiobook player, and an FM transmitter.


GPS has become common and popular enough that more and more phone manufacturers are including GPS chips in their designs. While the GPS systems in many phones are not as full fledged as, say, the large screen navigation and features provided by dashboard models like the Garmin Nüvi or the TomTom (although TomTom makes a version of their Navigator software for Windows Mobile) they get the job done and are almost always in your pocket. From the HTC Touch to the Nokia N-line, many of you cast a vote for your personal phone as your go-to GPS device.

Now that you've had a chance to see the tools your fellow readers use to keep it between the navigational beacons, it's time to cast your vote for the best GPS device:


Love your GPS device? Can't image life without it? Once almost drove into a lake because of bad turn by turn instructions? Sound off in the comments below with your GPS-related stories and tips.