Laverne

The GPS, or Global Positioning System is currently the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). With over two dozen GPS satellites hovering in medium Earth orbit, they are transmitting signals that allow GPS receivers to determine the receiver's location, speed and direction. Since the first experimental satellite was launched in 1978, the GPS has become an indispensable aid to navigation worldwide, and has become an instrument used in map-making and land surveying. The GPS additionally provides a precise time reference used in many applications including scientific study of earthquakes, and synchronization of telecommunications networks. So much for the explanation of what a GPS is and what it is intended to accomplish.

For you and I, its a device with no equal. Its a true benefit of the space age that is a byproduct of the governments need to track the various movements on earth. So we can buy this gizmo that taps their satellites for a very reasonable investment. Available in portable models as small as a deck of cards, it offers travel information like no other service. They come preloaded with maps of every US town and street with international versions available as well. The POI or points of interestfeature let you find a nearby restaurant, hotel, gas station, attraction, or just about anything else. You use the touch screen and input the current address. Then set your course for another destination and it does the work. It displays a map and tells you what to do and when to do it. Here is a typical soliloquy:

Go 3 miles to Route 5. Turn left at Highway 344 North. You are approaching Main Street. Turn left in 500 feet. Now proceed towards Route 5 for 2.9 miles. Stay in the left lane to merge on to route 95 North. Proceed towards Route 5 for the next 2.5 miles.

Thats what the voice says while the map duplicates the route. If you change course, it will recalculate the trip and actually tell you it is changing or adjusting the route. In a recent trip, I printed out a MapQuest route and my Garmin Nuvi followed it exactly. There are many good brands to choose from, and most do the job well. You get to download new maps with new POIs as they become available. So, whats the big deal, besides the trip instructions?

We needed a gas station and it found, using the GPS just one a block away. Try doing that with your cell phone by calling information. It gave us directions to a Mexican restaurant and the phone number. It could even connect us and let us use our blue-tooth cell phone to dial the number. We can save any entry for future reference and has an internal battery good for up to six hours. It comes with a car-power adapter and can be mounted temporarily on the dash or windshield. We travel a lot and it goes with us everywhere we go. At a price between $300 and $600, depending on features, its a great investment. Because once you buy it, except for some low-cost upgrades of the software, its yours forever.

Magellan, Tom-Tom, Lowrance, Navman are just a few of the other brands you can research on the net. Next to our MP3 and Media player, we dont leave home without ours. Thats why I rate this baby a true, gottahavit. And I know you will too.

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix." His latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.