GPS Accessories For Your Convenience

Posted on September 5th, 2008 by

Have you recently purchased a GPS device but feel that it’s missing something? You’re not alone. There may be some additional features that you want to take advantage of, but that are not available with the device that you’ve purchased. Fear not! There are plenty of GPS accessories on the market that will help to liven up your mapping, tracking, and navigating experience in no time. Let’s look at a few of these additional pieces to see which ones might work well for you.

GPS Accessories for Garmin Devices
Garmin offers a wide variety of additions to piece together with their units. The hardest choice you’ll have to make is in deciding which ones not to place in your shopping cart (virtual or real life). Below are a few GPS accessories available to enhance your Garmin device:

128 MB Data Card - This data card is a great way to make your personal computer and device work collectively to get you the maps you need. By using this card, you can download street-level map information, and get additional points of interest (POI), business addresses and phone numbers, additional topographic information, and a lot more. It stands at a price tag of $90, but is worth it for the additional information you can use to update your Garmin devices.

MapSource City Navigator North America - This DVD gives customers access to full coverage for the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada allowing them to get through the streets with absolute confidence. It also gives customers access to point of interest directories, which then connect them to business listings such as food and drink, lodging, entertainment, attractions, shopping, post offices, emergency services, movie theaters, campgrounds and a lot more. And if a route that you would normally take to a location is under construction, or you experience some other type of issue, the DVD information will prepare you by giving an alternative route to travel.

GTM 12 FM TMC Traffic Receiver - By purchasing this receiver, you are able to add traffic services to your Garmin device. The receiver connects to digital information on construction, traffic and weather-related road conditions that could adversely affect your travel. The receiver helps communicate this information to your device so that it knows to offer you an alternative route to take on the road. It is very user-friendly due to its compact design and easy-to-install antenna. Also, it is compatible with most Garmin products, making it a great purchase for most all device owners. If you live in the United States, you have the added bonus of a 15-month free subscription to Clear Channel TMC that can be later renewed at a cost of $60 for one year.

GPS Accessories for Magellan Devices
Magellan is another company that offers great devices for mapping and navigation. There are tons of GPS accessories available to help improve your Magellan-using experience. Here are a few:
MapSend’s Topo 3D USA CD-Rom - This disk can be purchased specifically to improve the usability of Magellan handheld devices. It allows you to view topographic information, gives you detailed streets, trails and thousands of points of interest, creates vertical profile plots of routes and tracks that allow you to see the terrain if you venture outdoors with your device, and gives you access to a true 3-D database that you can use in conjunction with your PC or laptop to query information. Also, if you go further than just a few miles from your car, this CD will help you gather maps of hiking, backwoods, and 4-wheel trails, as well as mountain peaks, caves and dams - pretty cool!

MapSend BlueNav CD - If you prefer getting out on the ocean blue instead of the dusty trail, and already have a Magellan Marine device to help you navigate on the waters then you might want to consider an upgrade with this CD. It is said to provide some of the most advance marine cartography charts available on the market, and gives you access to highly detailed coverage areas, as well as great marine navigation information, and updates on marine tides, currents, port services and a lot more. This is an ideal solution for mariners who want access to a large number of charts at one time, as well as the option to create and over-write new charts for each new trip that they take.