The Best Handheld GPS Devices on the Market Today

The Navman PiN (Personal Interactive Navigation) combines the latest GPS technology with elegant design to deliver the ultimate cable-free navigation solution. Navigation on-the-move, the compact and stylish Navman PiN sets a new standard for handheld GPS technology. Navman PiN enables you to accurately navigate from door-to-door across 16 European countries with full turn-by-turn voice guidance. Navman's SmartST Version 2 professional mapping software means you can effortlessly enter your destination, set your route and begin your journey with confidence whether in a car or walking city streets. Whichever you choose, the quickest route or the shortest, you'll benefit from full 3D color map views, enhanced street level detail, automatic 'Back-on-track' re-routing and 'Avoid Areas' function. In addition to knowing how to get to your destination, you will also know where you are with an accuracy of 5 meters 95% of the time with Navman's leading integrated GPS Antenna. Delivering all the benefits of a top of the range Pocket PC, the Navman PiN is cable free and totally portable. The unit runs on Windows Mobile 2003 OS and is packed with many key features including the leading Navman SmartST 3D Mapping Software, discreet GPS Antenna, 3.5" Color Transflective LCD Display, MP3 Playback, User Voice Recording (Mono), Touch Panel Screen, Memory Card Expansion Slot, Lithium Ion Battery and USB port.This powerful combination of NAVMAN GPS technology and SmartST Professional mapping software means you can have complete state-of-the-art navigation in the palm of your hand.
Customer Review: This thing totally sucks !!!
Horrible software - very hard to enter addresses. Lets say you're looking for restaurants, you'll need to enter a 'Area'. So you enter a city - it will bring up several options with the same city name. You don't know which to choose. It cannot serach for POIs based on the current location. Worst gizmo investment I ever made.
Customer Review: GPS and software are fine; Windows and the PC platform useless
I got this as a gift in Christmas of 04. All the other things you have read are basically true: good value, lots of accessories included, everything you need is in the box, except a decent sized memory card. I was very impressed for the first couple of weeks of use. No database or software is going to be perfect, so I can understand the strange routings and the incomplete/incorrect street information. Having to install NavMan into the thing straight out of the box before you could use it was also really annoying, but I guess you would have to do that anyway when you buy a larger memory card. Trying to find a town or address was definitely very clunky and almost impossible. Still, for the money, I thought this was pretty decent, at first. First problem was when I tried loading some other software on for hiking. Turns out you have to power off/kn the unit or else the gps receiver would not be released by the navman software for use by the other program. Cycling the power made all memory go away, so I was forced to realign the screen and go through the annoying Windows tutorial every time. I gave up on the topo software. The biggest problem by far is that the battery cannot hold a charge. If you take this out of your car for more than a few days without leaving it on a charger, the unit seems to forget that the Navman software was ever installed. What a huge hassle! I went through this a couple of times, then it seemed like even when leaving it on the charger it would go south. So, when I went to grab it and go on a trip, I had to mess around for 20 minutes reinstalling everything each time. Finally, it would not "remember" the installation at all, and I contacted NavMan tech support. They were pretty nice and sent me a refurbished unit, about a year after I first received it. It worked OK for a couple of trips, and I was careful to leave it on the charger, but then a couple of months later, I went to use it, and... dead again. I have officially given up. Again, I believe this is a Windows/platform problem more than a NavMan problem, but it still amounts to a useless piece of junk. Anyone want to buy mine, cheap? I have since gotten a Garmin ETrex Vista Cx, which is 10 times better, includes a barometric altimeter and electronic compass, and always works when I turn on the switch... what a concept! The screen is smaller, but it still gets the point across, and I can take it hiking and biking as well. Garmin gouges you for software and maps, but I would still rather have something that will actually work.


Remember the days when GPS units could only be installed on the dashboard of your vehicle? We do too - and that's why we were thrilled when we learned that our favorite techie toys are now incorporating GPS technology from trusted brands like Garmin, Magellan and TomTom. Products from cell phones to PDAs have caught the GPS fever, turning everyday electronic essentials into convenient - and affordable - hand held GPS devices.

Want an electronic device that will allow you to store emails, maintain your busy schedule and even keep track of those to-do lists - all while navigating you from Point A to Point B? Then you need to check out the latest PDAs with GPS capabilities, many of which can be found in your favorite department or electronic store. Not in the market for a new PDA? Not a problem - there's tons of great software on the market today that will turn your normal PDA into a navigating dream. These great multi-tasking devices take all of the stress out of managing your day-to-day routine while directing you from one meeting or social function to the next. You can even use your PDA with GPS capabilities to look up information about your favorite restaurant, movie theatre or mall - all from the palm of your hand! We recommend TeleNav, an innovative third-party GPS software system that's compatible with most PDAs, as well as some sophisticated smartphones.

Pocket pcs are also catching on to the GPS trend, as more recent models are designed with inherent navigation and mapping capabilities. If you want to get your hands on one of the best pocket pc GPS products on the market today, check out the W800 Pocket PC, a sleek and portable device that not only lets you surf the internet and play your favorite games - you can choose from any of its detailed maps to navigate yourself anywhere in the country! Add in the fact that you can download third-party applications and can easily find a model for under $250 online, and you've got a pocket pc GPS device that will give you a huge return for a small investment.

Another great handheld GPS unit on the market today is the Palm Treo 800w, which not only has all of the great benefits of superior GPS navigation - it has Wi-Fi capabilities as well. With a high-resolution touch screen, a slim design and a camera that would make professional photographers envious, the GPS for Palm Treo 800w has really stepped up the game, even besting some of its more popular competitors. Recently released this past summer, you can find this hand held gps device for under $250.

These days, you don't have to limit your handheld gps devices to your vehicle. Thanks to major innovative advances in electronics, you can purchase the latest PDA, smartphone or pocket pc with superior GPS capabilities, or download navigation software that adapts to the device that you own right now.