Raise your hand if you like to stop and ask for directions. Nobody? For many of us, getting lost can be an adventure which can either leave you feeling accomplished or extremely frustrated; however, GPS navigation tools are becoming as common these days as personal MP3 players. Four-wheelers are choosing to carry everything from a portable handheld device to comprehensive mapping software used with an onboard laptop computer. With so many choices on the market, we thought we would share some of the new and exciting units offering features designed for people like us.
Lowrance GlobalMap Baja GPS Systems
Enjoy your four-wheel-drive adventures in brilliant color with the new GlobalMap Baja 480C. This unit has been constructed with the rigors of Baja in mind with its built-in shock resistance, yet is the ultimate in full-color, high-detail mapping. The 480C also features the all-new, built-in, exclusive Lowrance background map with enhanced detail and nav aidsThe GlobalMap Baja 300C unit contains a 5-inch, 480x480-pixel LCD screen for excellent, glare-free viewing through a high-contrast Film SuperTwist monochrome display with 16-level grayscale definition and advanced white LED backlighting. We've had personal experience with this unit and can assure you that it withstood all of our abuse.All GlobalMap units are capable of navigating you anywhere you desire by delivering full, 12-parallel-channel GPS+WAAS reception provided from the tough, external LGC-2000 Baja receiver/antenna for super-fast satellite lock-ons. All of the units are memory-card-compatible with Lowrance's FreedomMaps software and MapCreate topographical software.
Lowrance iWAY 800C GPS System
The Lowrance iWAY 800C boasts an extra-large, 10.4-inch, TFT color touchscreen - the largest screen available on a portable GPS. The screen has clear, 600x800-pixel resolution, projecting a superb picture of the auto-routing street map in both a 2-D or 3-D view mode.The iWAY 800C includes 20 GB of internal memory, with 10 GB of the memory assigned to the MP3 player which can store up to 5,000 songs. The other 10 GB of memory is allocated for storing the NAVTEQ turn-by-turn auto-routing database of the continental U.S. and Canada and for storing up to 1,000 favorite waypoints.
DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2007
DeLorme Street Atlas USA is an excellent mapping program for planning short or long-distance road trips anywhere in the United States. Version 2007 brings many exciting upgrades, including updated U.S. and Canada street-level maps, 4 million up-to-date places of interest, automatic routing, iPod static map export, and powerful GPS navigation with spoken directions and voice commands.Setting up the software takes just a few minutes, with the option of loading the program from the CD or saving it to your hard drive. One great feature of the program is an on-screen toolbar that allows you to save your routes and maps with ease. You also have the ability to save your routes on the Internet for easy sharing with friends and family.