Simplicity always stays in complexity. Some manage to find it and some manage to forget it. GPS stands for global positioning system and is a very good communication medium. This system consists of a constellation of medium orbit satellites which revolve around the earth. The total number of these satellites is some number between 24 to 32. GPS receivers locate the precise microwave signals given out by these satellites and determine their location. Receivers all around the world determine navigation guidance with the help of three mediums which are time transfer, relative movement and absolute location.A GPS works by calculating its position from the satellites which is sent out signals to the receiver. The receiver calculates the transmitting time of the signal from the receiving time and determines its position in the form of coordinates. These coordinates are then converted into latitude and longitude and hence the user of this GPS receiver can thus figure out his position on the map with these two figures.The world has many GPS systems that get produced by leading companies involved in this field. There are many GPS Navigation Systems which are quite capable in doing their primary task. However, the major ones are the Garmin Nuvi 880, the Magellan Maestro 4250 and the TomTom Go 930 GPS. These are the best in the business when it comes to these types of navigation systems.Bluetooth GPS Receiver is also a very good mechanism. This is a sleek machine which can be kept in a pocket and also can be mounted on a car. It is a small but a powerful instrument that can be used even with PDA’s as well as Smartphones. This receiver uses the Bluetooth as the receiving technology and is a very useful device. This is a very reliable mechanism and with the help of additional technologies effectively calculates the position and it is thus a wonderful device to have. Given the fact that this receiver is extremely portable and compact and easy to use. Hence this receiver is a must have medium for things such as long journeys and travelling to unknown locations.

A popular sat nav at the moment is the TomTom One XL and it’s easy to see why. This device takes as little time as 30 seconds to power up and can connect to the weakest of signals, even those through windows or under trees. Once on the device you will notice that the screen is extremely clear, bright and sharp, meaning that viewing the directions when out and about on the roads is made a lot easier. Something else that makes this unit user-friendly is the intuitive touch screen that it possesses as it helps the user by being fast and also precise. This TomTom sat nav is also very quick at calculating routes, even between European countries. The One XL can also review routes as a text list and add things to the journey such as rest stops easily and without hassle. The most important point that needs making about this sat nav is that its navigation skills are unparalleled. The directions are spoken clearly and destination names are given at complex junctions in order to make it simpler. If you were to miss a turn, the recalculation skills of the unit are also very impressive, it will calmly give you your new set of directions without the usual, and sometimes very unhelpful, advice of ‘make a u-turn’ that many weaker devices resort to. On top of all this clarity and precision, the One XL also offers many more impressive extra features. It has the ability to download updates and scenic route options from the internet with the help of the Home software, it also has the ability to be set up for left-handed users. In the event of a sudden traffic jam, you can use the fingertip zooming capabilities and there are also animated guided tours which tell you all you need to know about the key functions of the device. If you own a Bluetooth enabled phone, you can hook this up to the One XL and receive weather forecasts or have it read your text messages out to you when you are driving. The other plus of having your sat nav hooked up to your phone is that you will be able to locate your TomTom owning friends when they are out and about. The Garmin Nuvi 660 and the TomTom One XL are just two of the many sat navs available to buy at the moment and although they have fantastic features they may not be the best for you or offer you exactly what you need. If this is the case then the best thing to do is to shop around and compare a few different models to make sure that you are getting the model that suits your needs best.

This TomTom sat nav is very quick at calculating routes, even if they are between European countries. A plus that this sat nav offers you is that if you have it hooked up to your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone, you will be able to locate your TomTom owing friends. The Garmin Nuvi 660 and the TomTom One XL are just two of the many sat navs available to buy at the moment and there are many others available that you can compare.

The Garmin Nuvi range of Sat Nav units has got some fantastic ‘family’ members each unique in services and functionality from the basic GPS (Global Positioning System) with mapping through to voice recognition and multimedia capabilities.

The need for maps and several atlas’ just to get from one side of a county/state to the other is thankfully far behind us now as this technology advances. With fantastic coverage and accurate maps these devices can at the push of a few buttons effortlessly guide you on a journey of 100’s of miles without a missed turn.

This ability has be developed and perfected over many years from map makers to computer programmers all trades have been employed so the unit you see in front of you, with the colour touchscreen can guide you to a friends house or out of trouble in seconds.

One of the biggest yet most forgotten bonuses of the Sat Nav unit is that it will guide you through areas of your own city/town/village/hamlet that you never knew existed. You’ll see sights that would have passed you by all along this quicker route was around but you never found it.

As for guiding you out of trouble this is entirely possible with a short wait and a button presses a friendly voice will give you directions to where you want to go or at least feel safer. If for some reason you didn’t use your Sat Nav unit at the start of a journey, and found yourself lost never mind. Set-up the unit and plug it in while it boots up, you’ll then be asked where you want to go, press a few buttons and hey presto here’s your route.

With the ability to track speed and fixed items such as cameras it is also possible to plot the amount of time the journey should take as well as warn you when speeding while approaching a camera. The ability to plot distance and time allows the unit to give you a fully accurate ETA (estimated time of arrival) so you can call ahead or plan your journey before it starts. No more guessing I think it will take 2 hours and finding out it will only take 1.5 or worst case scenario it takes 2.5 making you late for the meeting.

I truly believe as a professional driver my GPS device has saved me countless hours and pounds over the years in route planning and maps I didn’t need to buy.

Within the Nuvi range of units are several model numbers each with slightly different modules and functionality. I will review each of these units in a greater detail one by one in seperate posts, even covering some of the accessories that can be purchased for each unit.

The GPS system is fantastic and as a professional driver I can atest that my sat nav unit has probably saved my days worth of hours when making deliveries to customers. The need for the old paper maps and hundreds of street planners is something of the past (thankfully).

Being able to switch on the gps unit and although you have to wait for it to pick up a satelite signal it is well worth the wait. With maps being updated and whole countries if not continents worth of road maps available at the touch of the screen, it is much easier to operate than dozens of maps that maybe out of date.

We all know the usefulness of a sat nav unit espcially if your going to a new location or if your ‘lost’ in a town or area that you don’t know to well just plug it in, switch it on, and tell it to take you home, in seconds you have a fully mapped out route with details and travelling time to get you there. It will even show you a few short cuts you never knew existed depending on the planning settings you make in the devices menu.

With the voices most of which can be annoying but thankfully changeable via downloads, it is like you have company guiding you to your planned destination. I normally disable the voice personally as the default ones annoy me and the downloadable ones lose appeal very quickly.

With most Garmin sat nav units it is also possible to program the unit for the vehicle your in i.e a car or even an articulated lorry, this functionality is important to prevent a lorry going places it shouldn’t be on the grounds it’s to high or to heavy for the roads.

When a route is planned and set into the gps unit it is also possible to get the estimated travelling time, so you can work out when to leave to get somewhere at a specifc time, or even call ahead and tell the person your visiting ‘I will be there at ….. ‘ knowing you won’t get lost and the timing is accurate. The travelling is is worked out by knowing the speed limits of the roads onroute and multiplying by how far you must travel on the road, this is correct if you stick to the speed limit, if however you don’t adhere to the speed limit the timing will adjust automatically.

I will add posts on each of the Garmin GPS units in the Nuvi range below for you to read and make your own mind up on which unit is best suited for your needs.

The hottest Christmas gifts for this year: Sat Navs If you’ve got long distance friends or relatives coming to visit you this Christmas you can be sure that a Sat Nav system will be a popular gift, if only to help them get back home!

Sat Navs and GPS have been wildly popular since they first appeared in cars helping people with directions to their destination of choice, but they have come a long way since then too. Next generation Sat Navs, which are expected to be huge this Christmas, can include anything from 3D maps to live traffic information. If you’ve got plenty of cash to splash it can be worth picking up a top-of-the-range Sat Nav for £200-£400.

However, sometimes technology is best kept simple and there are more affordable models on the market that retail at around £100. So which system should you opt for? Here are some of the best:

• TomTom sat nav– The Dutch manufacturer’s name has become synonymous with high quality navigation systems and in particular the TomTom GO which is an all-in-one GPS device. The latest models are the TomTom GO 740 Live the TomTom GO 940 Live (both of which include safety alerts, fuel prices and local search with Google.

• Mio Satellite Navigation– Mio satellite navigation aims to provide ‘technology to help you explore the world’ and it has a range of car navigation products available. One of the best is the Mio C250 which has a 3.5 inch touchscreen making it easier to use than most devices and has a unique traffic message channel which helps users pick alternative routes based on traffic jams and hold-ups. Something many of us could use on our daily commute!

• Navman sat nav– If you prefer to keep things simple with technology then the Navman S30 is one of the more stylish and affordable models around. It’s slim, light with an easy to use menu and a crisp clear map display on a 3.5” touchscreen, providing powerful navigation without emptying your wallet. Also look out for the Navman S30 3D, which has cool new features such as pop-up landmarks and 3D maps.

• Garmin sat nav– Another option if you want a straightforward device that just gets the job done is the Garvin Nuvi 250 Sat Nav. It comes with preloaded European maps, a touchscreen and gives you alerts about safety cameras and school zones.

There are some extras on there too – including a world travel clock with timezones and a currency converter. A Tomtom sat Nav is a great idea but do not forget about a Garmin sat Nav as they also are of a high quality. Find the best deals on all Sat Nav online.