Is Satellite Navigation More Environmentally Friendly?

GPS systems are no longer a simple navigation system, they developed a number features which enable them to be more eco-friendly. This may sound quite an unusual concept, would the sat nav simply get you to a location on a shorter route and hence use less fuel?

The most modern sat nav will use clear and precise traffic-jam warnings so that the driver can avoid burning more fuel with the engine idling whilst sitting in traffic. Of course, you may have to drive extensively to avoid traffic jams which means that traffic warnings are superfluous. However, the intention is there. Getting lost burns unnecessary fuel, which is exactly why mobile phone accessories like battery chargers were so important. The TomTom Go Live 1000 is arguably the best GPS system currently on the market. This model is available at £280.00. At such a price, one may expect it to have tonnes of frivolous features which make accessibility seem nigh-on impossible. But don't be fooled by the high price tag, yes the Go Live 1000 does have plenty of features, but primarily it concentrates on the navigation essentials. It has precise commands that will make most journeys stress free and more energy efficient.

Because let's face it, the first sat navs that appeared on the market were pretty dire, advising you to turn left at the next right and go straight at the fork road. Satellite navigation was once crazed frenetic products that seemed to want your car to burn as much petrol as possible. The TomTom Go Live 1000 is quick, being able to lock on to satellites almost instantly. The TomTom is one of the most accessible sat navs on the market, it's menu is easy to navigate through. The days of getting lost in a Car hire abroad are over, no more asking a dishevelled local with a crazed look in his eye for directions; sat navs are efficient in more ways than one.

A Guide to the Best Sat Navs

Principally sat navs are designed to get you from A to B, simple. However, like most gadgetry, modern sat navs are now loaded with heaps of features and capabilities, including internet connection. Here are two products that prove sat navs are much more than simple navigation systems.

The Garmin sat nav 3790T is as sleek and stylish as the best smarthphones. This alluring product makes other sat navs look like Fisher Price toys. The Garmin is just 9mm thick and finished with glass and alloy. With a retail price of £330.00, the 3790T isn't cheap, so what justifies such a high-price tag? The product is a direct response to the development of GPS apps seen on smarthphone; essentially this sat nav is a smarthphone. Best of all, this sat nav is quick and locks on to satellites nearly instantly. The sat nav is surprisingly accessible, with a practical menu and plenty of short-cuts to features.

The TomTom Go Live 1000 has been hailed as the best sat nav on the market. This model is available at £280.00. At such a price, one may expect it to have tonnes of frivolous features which make accessibility seem nigh-on impossible. However, despite the abundance of features on the Go Live 1000, it makes navigation it's essentials its main priority. There are little accompaniments that tarnish its capabilities. The TomTom has ported its UI to the same Webkit back-end that results in the iPad's speedy browser. The model also possesses an impeccable HD Traffic service which works out where jams are by tracking the signals of mobile phones. TomTom are working on a sat nav with Parking sensors capabilities.If all this isn't enough to convince you to purchase a TomTom, then maybe the voice of Brian Blessed will incite you. He is the latest celebrity to add his tone to the TomTom catalogue.

Dodging Motoring Convictions with a Sat Nav

Early one wintry Christmas morning I ripped at the Christmas wrapping, desperate to discover what my mother had bought me that year. She had a knack for selecting the perfect gift, even if I'd no idea what I wanted that particular year, although admittedly this was an unusual occurrence. However, this Christmas was one such year so I was clueless as to what lay hidden beneath the brightly-coloured paper.

My heart sank as I realised it was the most pointless of gadgets, a sat nav system, or "sat-chav" as my peers sometimes dismissively referred to it. What a crazy present. I drove the same routes every day, knowing every nuance and kink in the road, never needing direction or guidance to find my way to work. So what was I going to use it for? This particular item was a Garmin Sat Nav, the Nuvi 1310 Widescreen Sat Nav. I remember mentally mocking the notion of widescreen, wondering if I could play DVDs through the useless device. I installed the device in my car to pacify my mother, and banished its existence from my head until I one day realised its worth. Stuck in traffic, I began fiddling with my latest toy, only to discover it could advise me of an alternative, traffic-free route. It even alerted me of impending speed cameras, even if they were mobile. When it began to give me lane guidance for upcoming junctions, I discovered a new-found love for my useless gadget.

When I came to seek a new job, the unit was invaluable, assisting me find locations that I would have been powerless to find had I had to rely on shakey Internet routes and an old-fashioned map. My most valuable of car accessories, the clever Nuvi 1310 even allows you to talk on your mobile hands-free, providing you have a Bluetooth capable phone. That added to the warning of upcoming speed cameras means I have little excuse for incurring costly points on my licence! Yet again, my mum had demonstrated her knack of finding the ideal gift!

The Beauty of Sat Nav

Thank you GPS! After being initially sceptical, I have been completely won over by them. Many people joke that many drivers who own GPS have no clue how to actually use them! This is just one of the reasons why I was unconvinced. Now I found it hard to see myself going anywhere without GPS; especially after the last weekend's events. On Saturday evening I found myself completely lost, which doesn't usually bother me to be honest, but as time marched on I became more and more anxious. You see, I was on the verge of missing my father's surprise birthday party.

Stupidly I wasn't prepared. I had never made the drive to my parents, I used to rely on trains; stupid I know with British Rail's timekeeping. So I found myself in Reading, I was supposed to be in Kent! I was agitated, which is not good when you're behind a steering wheel. The signal on my phone was nonexistent, and my AA map had been the thing that had got me into this mess in the first place! Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bright neon lights of a supermarket, sat nav immediately came to mind. I pulled off the motorway and nipped in to buy one. I arrived just in time to see the look on my father's face.

This urban myth that sat navs are impossible to use, from my experience, is unfounded. I just switched the device on, typed in where I was going and it gave me clear understandable directions; it was as easy as that. I've became so attached to my sat nav I've named it Barbara. I'm not one to be caught up in new technology but I'm beginning to have a change of heart. What other car accessories have I yet to discover? Such is my poor sense of direction it could be time to invest in a vehicle tracking system!