GPS systems used to be the domain of the military and companies that could afford this relatively young technology. Used to accurately pin-point locations on the earths surface these devices have gravitated into the consumer market and are now more then affordable for just about anyone. The technology has advanced so much in the last few years that many GPS providers have plug-ins that allow you to turn your PDA into a GPS unit.
In layman’s terms a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is a pocket computer that basically fits in the palm of your hand. Think Blackberry and you get the general idea and in fact many of these PDA’s have developed into cell phones, giving you communication and computing capabilities that we could only dream of only 10 years ago.
There are a few things you need to think about when it comes to PDAs and GPS. First off many of the newer PDA/Cell Phone devices come with GPS capability already built in. In some cases you may have to pay extra for this feature but it takes much of the guess work out of deciding which GPS system will work best for you.
On the other end of the spectrum are PDAs that do not have any GPS capability built in. This does not mean that you cannot take advantage of all that GPS has to offer because you can purchase additional hardware and software that will do just this. For instance if you own a Palm m500 the Magellan GPS Companion system is the perfect plug-in for you. It will turn your palm into a fully functional GPS receiver.
There are also hybrid type PDA/GPS units that are a joint effort between PDA makers and GPS makers. An example of this type of unit is the Garmin iQue300 which was the first PDA device to include GPS technology built in. Its operating system is the Palm OS 5 while Garmin provided the GPS functionality. This device went so far as to be able to respond to voice commands.
There are a variety of choices when it comes to PDA style GPS devices. Which works best for your needs is something that you will need to determine. The best way to figure this out is through thorough research of the different units and deciding which GPS unit will do what you need it to.
In layman’s terms a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is a pocket computer that basically fits in the palm of your hand. Think Blackberry and you get the general idea and in fact many of these PDA’s have developed into cell phones, giving you communication and computing capabilities that we could only dream of only 10 years ago.
There are a few things you need to think about when it comes to PDAs and GPS. First off many of the newer PDA/Cell Phone devices come with GPS capability already built in. In some cases you may have to pay extra for this feature but it takes much of the guess work out of deciding which GPS system will work best for you.
On the other end of the spectrum are PDAs that do not have any GPS capability built in. This does not mean that you cannot take advantage of all that GPS has to offer because you can purchase additional hardware and software that will do just this. For instance if you own a Palm m500 the Magellan GPS Companion system is the perfect plug-in for you. It will turn your palm into a fully functional GPS receiver.
There are also hybrid type PDA/GPS units that are a joint effort between PDA makers and GPS makers. An example of this type of unit is the Garmin iQue300 which was the first PDA device to include GPS technology built in. Its operating system is the Palm OS 5 while Garmin provided the GPS functionality. This device went so far as to be able to respond to voice commands.
There are a variety of choices when it comes to PDA style GPS devices. Which works best for your needs is something that you will need to determine. The best way to figure this out is through thorough research of the different units and deciding which GPS unit will do what you need it to.
