The 700 series of the Garmin Nuvi GPS navigation device has a “Where Am I?” feature that will let you know exactly where you are at any given time. This locator feature gives you your latitude and longitude. The Nuvi 750 even remembers where you parked. It automatically marks your position when you remove it from the windshield mount, so you can navigate with Nüvi on foot and find your way back to your vehicle. Perfect for unfamiliar spots and crowded lots such as amusement parks, stadiums and malls.

It was also give you information on the address and intersection closest to your current location. Included in this information are the addresses of places you may need to access in an emergency: police stations, hospitals and gas stations. This is good to know. You can feel safe hitting the road with a 700 series Garmin Nuvi. It will be there to help should you experience an emergency.

As you can see, a Garmin Nuvi can be of great assistance in unexpected situations. It can also help you plan beforehand and make for smoother travels.

For example, the Garmin Nuvi 750 Widescreen GPS Automotive Navigation System has an array of great planning features. One of these is the route planning feature that lets a drive save 10 routes. You can preview simulated turns on the 750’s wide screen. In addition, Nuvi 750 automatically sorts multiple destinations to provide an efficient route for errands, deliveries or sales calls. It also displays speed limits for highways and interstates. So the Garmin Nuvi 750 can help take the guesswork out of the getting to places that are familiar.

With a Garmin Nuvi you get the best of both worlds–information and assistance in for expected and routine situations. Visit ActionGPS.com to learn more about the Garmin Nuvi 750 and other Garmin products.

News reporters are big fans of portable automotive GPS navigation units. On a daily basis they travel into unknown cities and neighborhoods in search of the news. A wrong turn or missed exit can mean they lose the story, and there’s nothing worse in the news biz than missing the scoop. So who better to test the capabilities of the top GPS devices for your car?

That was the thinking behind a recent comparison test conducted by Boston.com and Blast Magazine. In search of the best portable automotive GPS unit, reporters put the nine top-selling models to the test. This was no laboratory test, but a hands-on, down and dirty, get there or die trial that put these GPS units through their paces in everyday situations by real people. At both the entry and expert levels, Garmin’s Nuvi received enthusiastic reviews.

For cost-conscious consumers looking for practical functionality with a low price tag, testers liked Garmin’s Nuvi 200. Here’s what reviewers said: “The Garmin name without the price tag. Obtains a GPS signal quickly and has hyper-accurate maps and tons of points of interest.” The only drawback to the 200 model is that it doesn’t speak street names, a feature Garmin added to the Nuvi 250. With the 200 you don’t get all the bells and whistles of later models — music, video, Bluetooth capability, etc. — but you get an incredibly accurate GPS at an unbelievably low price; lower still if you purchase one of ActionGPS’s refurbished Nuvi 200 models.

On the expert level, testers raved about the Garmin Nuvi 880 which offers speech-activated navigation, MSN Direct and 6 million POI. But they were a little annoyed by processing delays in the 880 that were not found in Garmin’s Nuvi 650, and Nuvi 750 models which they noted “are known for their quick, responsive touch screens that let you zip through the menus to plot your course.” The Nuvi 650 and 750 offered nearly all the same advanced features as the 880 without those niggling new-product bugs — and at a fraction of the cost.

Bottom line, testers said, “You can’t ever go wrong with a Garmin.” How right they are. For a complete selection of Garmin GPS units for cars, boats, hiking, fitness, geocaching and recreation, visit ActionGPS. 

When it comes to navigation and giving directional assistance, GPS knows no limits. Researchers in Germany have been experimenting with how they can use GPS navigation to assist with transportation by air. They have been successful in showing that satellite navigation through GPS systems can be used for manually-flown helicopters. This makes since, since just as in a car that is on the ground, a helicopter that is being flown by a person, rather than a machine can use a little GPS assistance. The pilots how participated in these GPS tests did not report any problems with using such a system.

These experiments made use of one of the GPS industry’s top brands, Garmin. The modified Garmin navigation devices used by the German engineers are not ready to hit the market yet. However, these tests prove that GPS is not just for those who are on the ground.

Remember the Jetsons? Everyone was whizzing around in their own little flight machines, yet the traffic looked much like it does now. Well, maybe these nifty GPS devices for helicopters that were the subject of these German experiments will be available when we start flying around. But for now we are still driving on the ground and you can get a GPS navigation device to keep you on the right track. In the event that you still manage to get off course, a GPS device can re-route you.

GPS devices like the Garmin Nuvi 650 GPS Automotive Navigation System come pre-loaded with and accept points of interest (POIs), so they can point you to where you want to go. The POI database on many GPS devices also comes preloaded with information on scores of useful places like ATMs, hotels, restaurants and gas stations. Or they can help you remind you of that place you’ve been before when you can’t quite remember.

As you may know, Garmin and other GPS navigational devices come with all kinds of alerts. They not only keep you on course, they also let you know what you will experience as you go. You can get traffic alerts to let you know which areas you may want to avoid. Your GPS device can alert you to weather conditions. Since many GPS devices come pre-loaded with points of interest (POIs) and allow you to add your own favored destinations, a GPS device can let you know that you are near a restaurant you like. There are even some GPS devices that will inform you of where you can get the best deal on gas to fill your tank.

But did you know that some GPS devices can also alert you to the presence of wildlife? This may not mean much if you are traveling through the urban jungle, but if you are in some bodies of water it can make a big difference. More and more boaters are using GPS navigation devices to aid them with navigation.

Garmin entered into a partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s Manatee Awareness Coalition (MAC). Information about manatee zones is available on all new Garmin GPS chart plotters. Boaters can also buy navigation chips (SD cards) to update a GPS device that they already own.

Information about where the manatee zones are, and how far they extend is invaluable for boaters. This data empowers the boaters to do their part to help protect both manatees and the bay’s shallow-water sea grass meadows.

If you are looking for a Marine GPS device, look no further than ActionGPS.com. They have some great GPS devices like the Garmin GPSMAP 178C or the Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx Portable Handheld Outdoor Color GPS
that will take you through charted and uncharted waters.

My brother-in-law is a techno-phobe. Even in the post-50 crowd he’s a dinosaur when it comes to technology. He can use a computer to write a letter or quiz questions for his poly sci classes, but ask him to e-mail you and he has to call in his 14-year-old son, a gaming and internet wiz. He doesn’t do cell phones or answering machines or program the VCR. It’s kind of a family joke because this is a guy who rewired and replumbed his 1920s-era home. You’d think he’d have some carry-over skills, but you would be wrong. The most complicated electronic device he can operate is the remote control for his plasma screen TV. So the family was shocked when he not only embraced the Garmin Nuvi 350 automotive GPS his wife gave him for his birthday (did I mention he’s also directionally challenged?) but has become an enthusiastic user.

With his son standing by for backup and my sister enthusiastically pointing out the Nuvi 350s many outstanding features (”you won’t get lost any more”), he pulled the Garmin out of the box with a groan and lamented, “I’ll never figure this out. What were you thinking?” (See my sister’s ”lost” comment.)

Well that was barely a month ago and you should hear my brother-in-law now. He’s become a huge Garmin fan, extolling its virtues to anyone who will listen. He and my sister just moved across country so the Garmin’s been getting a real workout. My brother-in-law used his Nuvi 350 to find hotels, restaurants and gas stations en route to their new house. He’s finding it handy now as he explores his new community. To everyone’s dismay, he had absolutely no trouble learning how to program the Garmin and has become the self-proclaimed “family expert” on automotive GPS devices.

Actually that’s not too surprising. Both Garmin and TomTom, the two best-selling GPS brands in the U.S., pride themselves on their intuitive, easy to use software and user interface. “Right out of the box, our flagship line of nuvi navigators are ready to go,” said Garmin spokeswoman Carly Baltes. TomTom’s VP of marketing development Tom Murray echoed, “We like to say with a TomTom, there’s no manual required — even though we put one in the box.”

My brother-in-law has been so impressed with his Garmin Nuvi 350, he’s starting to eye the Nuvi 660 Bluetooth model. At ActionGPS’s prices, they’re highly affordable. (Don’t forget to check out the even cheaper factory refurbished models.) My brother-in-law may never become the techno wiz his son is, but his experience with Garmin has at least given him a toehold on the modern world!

If you already have a Garmin, then you know how great these products are. Garmin does more than navigate you, they make sure that you have exactly what you need to make traveling around town or out of town a stress-free experience. Not only do they help you direct you to your destination, they also provide you with great information like the location of the nearest gas station or hotel and traffic updates so you can plan ahead. And if you have a Garmin with Bluetooth capabilities then you know that you can catch up with friends and relatives or tell them that you are on your way without having to take your eyes off of the road.

Since a Garmin navigational device can already do all of that, the company just took the next logical step: Garmin is soon to offer the Garmin nuvifone. Garmin now estimates that the nuvifone will be available to consumers by summer of 2009.

“The nüvifone is an all-in-one device offering unmatched integration of utility and function in a single mobile device,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “This is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for — a single device that does it all.”

With the nuvifone, Garmin fans will have the world wide web at their fingertips and get rating information for their intended destination. The nuvifone will also have personal communication functions including e-mail, text messaging and instant messaging. And here is the great thing about the Garmin nuvifone: you will be able to use the phone at the same time that you are getting GPS directions.

However, if you like to keep your functionality separate or if you just cannot wait until next year, you can still get a great Garmin Nuvi now. ActionGPS.com has a great selection when it comes to Garmin GPS devices, so visit today and get your own Garmin.

With higher fuel prices and more stringent shipping demands, more and more truckers are looking to GPS for assistance. In the past, truckers used GPS navigation devices to track loads and map out routes. These days they are also using GPS technology for its turn-by-turn navigation.

While there is no official survey to chart just how many more truckers are using GPS devices to find their way around, their popularity is evident by the increasing presence of GPS devices on the shelves on the trucker stops around the country. Not only are truckers trying to get ahead by buying their own GPS devices, some of their bosses are also looking to get into the act. Trucking companies are buying large quantities of GPS devices and having them installed in all of their vehicles.

Even the Federal Highway Administration has taken notice and issued reminders to truckers and all drivers that they need to program their GPS navigation devices prior to starting a trip. That way, they will not need to try to program the device and drive at the same time.

When used properly, GPS navigation devices can make the roads safer for everyone. Truckers and others can drive confident that they know where they are going. There is no need to look away to consult a paper map.
Truckers who use GPS devices can avoid making sudden lane changes that can endanger passenger cars. And with a GPS device like the Garmin StreetPilot C550 GPS Automotive Navigation System that gives traffic updates, truckers can avoid problem areas and road closures. The FM TMC traffic receiver notifies drivers of upcoming traffic delays. By just touching the screen, a driver can view traffic details or recalculate a route to avoid traffic.  The StreetPilot also come equipped for hands-free calling and an MP3 player to make long trips a little less tedious. The StreetPilot C550 and similar GPA navigation devices are available at ActionGPS.com.

The TomTom GO 720 Color GPS Navigation System with Mapshare will keep up with you wherever you go. It is packed full of all the functionality you need to easily get wherever you want to go, plus it is loaded with features that will make your travels safe and a lot more fun.

Here are more reasons that the TomTom GO 720 makes an excellent driving companion:

Fully Loaded
The TomTom GO 720 has an award-winning, user-friendly interface that is ready to hit the road as soon as you take it out of the box. Use the TomTom GO 720 to go anywhere in North America with the knowledge that your GPS system is pre-installed with complete maps.

It comes with millions of POIs, yes, that is right, location information millions of gas stations, restaurants, and hotels will be waiting for you once you remove your TomTom GO 720 from the box.

Always in Style
Although TomTom products come with comprehensive maps that give you door-to-door directions, things do change. You will be able to get new maps and software upgrades from TomTom’s “Home” service at no cost to you.

Willing to Lend a Hand
The TomTom Go 720 comes with an extensive “Help Me!” menu with relevant information like the nearest police station, hospital or auto repair shop. If needed, you can figure out where you are quickly so that emergency help can get to you faster.

High Compatibility
The TomTom GO 720 works well some rather exciting accessories. Add the TomTom Plus service and you will be able to check the weather and get current road conditions for the start of your journey. Then you can also get a five-day forecast so you can plan ahead.

You can also share content with other road warriors who’ve chosen to take the TomTom Go devices along for the ride, so you can take advantage of y your friend’s functionality.

Visit ActionGPS.com to check out the TomTom Go 720 and other high-functioning TomTom GPS devices!

I noticed something interesting during a recent visit to New York City. As I settled into the backseat of the cab and looked around I noticed something I hadn’t seen on previous visits. Perched on the dashboard, just above the meter, was a GPS unit. I was meeting my daughter at a new restaurant in Greenwich Village. She had warned me that it would be hard to find and had e-mailed me what looked like some pretty convoluted directions. Tracing the directions, I couldn’t even find the place on my map; hence the cab. I decided instead of struggling, I’d just put my life in the hands of a cabbie and let him worry about it. I figured I’d pay through the nose for a lot of wandering around, but at least I’d get there — eventually.

As I got into the cab, I gave the driver the address and handed over the directions. Imagine my surprise when he handed them back and punched the address into the GPS unit. As we sped along with traffic, I could see the GPS screen changing. I couldn’t hear the turn-by-turn directions because the cabbie was using a Bluetooth set-up. As we entered the Greenwich area I began to understand why this place was so hard to find. In Greenwich there are a fair number of diagonal streets that play havoc with NYC’s normal grid system. This restaurant was located on a tiny triangle just one building wide at a confusing 7-point intersection. Add in the complication of one-way streets and it’s a wonder diners ever found the place. (Excellent Thai food, by the way.) Armed with his GPS, however, my cabbie didn’t seem to have any trouble. He deposited me at the curb in front of the restaurant with time to spare.

I have to tell you, I was impressed. I’ve lived in a couple of big cities and visited a few more. I’ve become jaded about big city cabbies over the years. I’ve been given the run around in unfamiliar towns where the cab driver takes an unnecessarily circuitous route to build up the fare. I’ve run into drivers whose command of English and street names seemed marginal at best. I’ve been stung by gypsy cabs. My overall opinion of big city cabbies has become considerably less than fabulous. This last trip to NYC could change that.

Equipping cabs with GPS guarantees that the driver takes the most efficient route to a destination, thus guaranteeing the passenger of the quickest trip and lowest fare. Seems like a win-win scenario to me. I can even see value in cab companies advertising their use of GPS. As a consumer, I’d certainly choose a GPS-directed cab over the competition. Something for cab owners — and consumers — to think about.

The day is coming when paper maps will be no more than antique shop curiosities. Like cassette tapes, VHS movies and (soon) analog TV, roadmaps and street directories are becoming modern day dinosaurs. Maps have gone digital and GPS devices are now the preferred method of getting from point A to point B. In fact, incoming college freshman, most born in 1990, have never known a world without GPS — or caller ID, Harry Potter, Nintendo Game Boy, karaoke, plastic soda bottles, and late night TV with Leno and Letterman, according to the Beloit College Mindset List, an annually published list of common collegiate references geared to help college professors update their teaching references and make the rest of us feel old.

GPS technology was developed by the military and honed to deadly accuracy during the Gulf War. (They bragged about hitting targets the size of a 50-cent piece.) When they first hit the consumer market, GPS devices were a bit unwieldy and exorbitantly priced, kind of like early mobile phones. But like phones, which have gone from the size of a hefty brick to not much bigger than a credit card, advances in electronic circuitry have trimmed the size and price of GPS units each year. Today, you can buy a GPS unit that fits in your pocket or purse for less than the cost of your monthly cell phone bill, particularly if you live with teenagers.

GPS devices have become so popular that sales topped $4.1 billion last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. In a CEA survey, 18% of online adults already owned a GPS device and 24% wanted one. With online suppliers like ActionGPS offering GPS devices at highly affordable prices, there’s no reason to live with envy. Owning a GPS is within the financial grasp of even the most budget conscious, particularly if you buy one of ActionGPS’ very affordable factory refurbished models. To view our full line of GPS devices, visit the ActionGPS website.

Those wonderful geeky guys at Consumer Reports just put automotive GPS devices through their paces, giving Garmin’s Nuvi series its highest rating. I love the CR crew. They put products through their paces and don’t pull any punches when they tell you how they held up. CR is my Bible when I’m looking to invest in a new product, whether it’s a new car, a DVD player, laundry detergent or a GPS unit, I know I’m getting honest, accurate information I can trust. They haven’t steered my wrong yet, and they’ve kept me from plunking my money down on some well-advertised lemons. But enough about my favorite guys in white lab coats; here’s what they said about GPS devices.

After exhaustive testing, Consumer Reports awarded the Garmin Nuvi 760 its highest rating. Nearly identical are Garmin’s Nuvi 650, Nuvi 660 which is Bluetooth enabled, and Nuvi 750 widescreen. All of these outstanding GPS automotive navigation systems have nearly identical features and are available from ActionGPS. ActionGPS makes it easy to compare units. Just check the box next to items you want to compare and click the Compare Selected button at the top or bottom of the product list. Action GPS gives you an easy to read table that compares major features. At a glance you can determine the product that best suits your individual needs. When you choose the unit you want, make sure to check the product list for refurbished units. ActionGPS’ factory refurbished units offer you a considerable savings over our already low prices while still providing you with Garmin’s great one-year warranty.

Other GPS units that received CR’s highest rating include the Garmin Nuvi 660, TomTom Go 920T (very similar to the 910), and Garmin Nuvi 350. CR noted that consumers can realize a considerable savings with no loss in quality or major features by purchasing a slightly older Garmin Nuvi or TomTom Go model. Some of the new bells and whistles are fun, but primarily expand peripheral uses and do not increase the automotive GPS function of the devices. For a complete listing of features and specifications, visit the ActionGPS website.

Last night, I left a pre-Labor Day cookout after it was dark. The hosts’ home was on a private driveway in a cul-de-sac that was tucked into a housing complex. On the e-vite they mentioned how one would not be able to get directions right to the house using online mapping programs. Those programs were only able to direct a driver to the top of the hill where their street began. This housing complex was built many years ago, so it was not new or unchartered territory. Yet somehow, online mapping software hadn’t quite caught on to the fact that there was a cul-de-sac and a private driveway at the bottom of the hill.

This is where a GPS navigation device can come in very handy. Relying on the mapping prowess of online sources has its limits. Try as it might, this excellent resources cannot always be up to the minute because things change so quickly with highway and road construction. Or as was the case with this cul-de-sac, some locations haven’t changed at all. They are simply beyond the navigation capabilities of online mapping software.

A GPS device like the Garmin StreetPilot C550 GPS Automotive Navigation System comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. In addition, the c550 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), so you can have information about how to get to your favorite spots at your fingertips when you need it.

The StreetPilot c550 is packed full of additional features that make it the perfect navigator. Its high sensitivity GPS receiver acquires satellites quickly and maintains signals even as you drive under heavy foliage or near skyscrapers.

We know you work hard and your GPS navigation device will work hard for you to to get you where you need and want to go.   Do you have a story about how GPS took you to a hard-to-find destination? Tell us all about it!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

Gas prices have slid down a little and we all are so very grateful for this. But that doesn’t mean that gas still isn’t taking a bigger bite out of your wallet than it did last year. You still want to do what you can to limit costs. This is where GPS navigation come into play.

With a GPS navigation device you will, one daily basis, be taking the most efficient routes to your destinations. Of course you’ll see results immediately, and when you look at the cumulative effect of getting places quicker, without getting lost, you’ll have an even great appreciation for what a GPS can do for you. Little bits add up. Every wrong turn, every time you exit the highway at the wrong spot and have to get back on–these unnecessary actions utilize gas.

The most basic GPS devices will help you find the shortest route and now they come with even more advanced features to help you make that tank of gas last as long as possible. Some come equipped to access information on the way traffic patterns work in your area and help you avoid bottlenecks. Others allow users to input real-time traffic alerts, so that even unexpected traffic snags can be incorporated into your route.

A GPS navigation device like the TomTom ONE XL GPS Automotive Navigation System allows you to access traffic and weather information in real time. This is important because even with great directions, you can still hit s snag if everyone else is going where you are going.

Visit ActionGPS.com to see the TomTom One XL and other gas-saving GPS devices.

Last month, a GPS navigation device helped a pilot and his wife to rescue a man who was near-death in Nevada’s Black Rock desert.

The pilot saw what appeared to be a person lying face down in the sand. This pilot was also a former police officer and he knew that people become stranded and die out in the desert. Still, he wasn’t certain that it really was a person. Unfortunately, pranksters can deter a Good Samaritan from helping because it is possible that no one needs help.

Still, the pilot decided to mark the spot where he saw the body as a waypoint on his Garmin GPS device. This helped the pilot later when the pilots wife saw some movement. She initially thought it was a dummy with clothes on. As it turns out, it was indeed a reala person who was in real need of medical attention.

You don’t have to have a story nearly this dramatic to appreciate the usefulness ofa GPS navigation device. A GPS device can help you get to where you need to go so that you do not end up stranded. A device that allows you to program points of interest (POIs) can keep track of favorite spots so you can spend your mental energy on other tasks.

Plus, a GPS device does not only have to be used to get you where you want to go in your car; it can get you where you want to go in ANY car. Think about it: you can get directional help no matter how you travel.

Visit ActionGPS.com to check out GPS devices made by Garmin and other manufacturers.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? The new ActionGPS Learning Center shows you how to easily convert your Bluetooth-enabled PDA or laptop into a GPS receiver. Except for the basic Bluetooth compatibility, no special equipment is required. All you need is a Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver. Plug it into the serial port on your laptop or PDA and voila! — you have a functioning automotive or handheld GPS device. And, best of all, you pay no GPS service fee. Your only expense is the receiver.

This simple trick — one of many handy tips you’ll find at the new ActionGPS Learning Center – allows you to use your laptop to plan your next vacation, a cross-country road trip, even an international adventure. Using expansion slots, you can enhance your trip planning capabilities by adding useful maps and navigation aids. Take your GPS-enhanced PDA or laptop along on the trip for plotting spur-of-the-moment day trips and excursions to sight-seeing gems you learn about during your travels. The data logging function on the GPS receiver allows you to record your entire trip and mark new points of interest for return trips.

Of course with versatile, pocket-sized, Bluetooth GPS units on the market like Garmin’s Nuvi 360, you don’t have to lug a bulky laptop across country or through Europe. Navigator, translator, entertainer, tour guide — the Garmin Nuvi 360 is like having a personal travel agent in your pocket.

Wireless Bluetooth technology allows the Nuvi 360 to integrate with your compatible Bluetooth phone. Use the Nuvi’s touch screen keypad to dial calls. Answer calls by tapping the screen. The powerful built-in microphone and speaker allow you to talk hands-free and stay focused on the road. Handy one-touch dialing for points of interest allows you to call ahead for reservations or information effortlessly. Sleek and slim, Garmin’s Nuvi 360 fits comfortably into your pocket or purse and has a convenient rechargeable lithium-ion battery. You couldn’t ask for a better traveling companion!