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[andymac]

Choosing a navigation aid should be based upon the feature set you require, how much money you want to spend and what sort of vehicle you have. You should consider the following

Price
Bluetooth Hands free (Remember, points don't make prizes in THIS game)
Car kit for permanent fixture
Speed cameras
Updatable maps
Traffic reports
Maps supplied or downloaded on fly

The most popular products on the market are, without a doubt, Garmin, TomTom and Co-Pilot. However, a new product called smart2go is making inroads as it is actually free for mapping and routing, but turn by turn navigation has to be activated via subscription (£50 ish for three years, quite cheap really). If you don't want the turn by turn routing it really is free (woot!)

Of the products listed, the Destinator, Garmin and TomTom Go (510) products are available as standalone navigation systems, the other systems listed are software based and require a suitable smartphone or PDA to run on, great if you have one but annoying if you don't. Only the software version of Destinator is listed here.

TomTom is available as a software product for Nokia S60 phones, Motorola & SE UIQ based phones and anything running Windows Mobile. The software product listed includes a bluetooth GPS receiver (required to get a location fix from satellites)

Co-Pilot is supplied on a lot of O2 & T-Mobile PDAs & phones as part of the package, the price shown includes a bluetooth receiver. Co-Pilot runs on Windows Mobile phones and PDAs, a full Windows version is also available for use on laptops or car PCs.



1 Map updates incur an extra cost
2 Speed camera database is added as point of interest and is not updated without an additional service package (at an extra cost)
3 Bluetooth hands free may require an additional microphone (depending on noise levels inside car) at an extra cost
4 Traffic information is supplied via an internet connection which requires a phone with integrated PDA or internet enabled mobile phone with bluetooth
5 A TMC receiver (optional extra) can be used to receive traffic updates at no extra charge
6 Map updates come over the air, while these are free you may have to pay costs on your phone for the bandwidth used


Speed Cameras

Most of the navigation systems offer a POI (Point Of Interest) system that will allow the navigation software to warn you when you are approaching a POI. This is the basis for most speed camera warning systems. The cameras are loaded into the system as a set of POI's (30mph GATSO, 50mph SPECS etc. etc.), the system then displays an appropriate warning as you approach the POI (camera).

Some navigation systems offer a subscription service where the cameras database on the unit is updated by plugging it into PC and the updated applied over the internet, however most people opt for a third party subscription such as that found on http://www.pocketgpsworld.com which is generally cheaper and more comprehensive.

smart2go appears to be unique amongst modern navigation systems in that it doesn't offer POI warnings so is useless as a speed camera system, however it functions perfectly as a navigation system and at the price, it's hard to grumble at it.

Bluetooth Car Kit

As we all know, using a hand held telephone with driving is an offence now punishable by points and a fine, both the Garmin and TomTom standalone navigation aids will function as bluetooth car kits, allowing you to dispense with pesky earpieces while in the car.

Traffic Alerts

Both the TomTom and Garmin products support the use of TMC (Traffic information broadcast on radio frequencies) to get information about delays, accidents & diversions. Automatic re-routing around delays and blockages is supported by models in both the TomTom and Garmin ranges. You do not require a subscription to use TMC but you may have to purchase an additional TMC receiver for your navigation system.

PDA based solutions tend to use your mobile phones internet connection and bluetooth to access traffic information on the internet. This is a subscription service and you not only have to pay the subscription, you have to pay the mobile data charges too, which can make things quite expensive.

Conclusion

For most people, the simplest and quickest solution is to get a standalone TomTom or Garmin system. Both have comparable feature sets and are priced competitively. Both can have TMC added on (if it's not already present) for traffic alerts, both have subscription based speed camera services and both can have 3rd party camera databases added as required. It essentially boils down to which is prettier & you find easiest to use.

If you already have a PDA or suitable phone, you may wish to consider a software based solution, it means no additional devices squabbling over the cigarette lighter and means you're more likely to have the navigation system with you when you need it but also means that if you want traffic information, you'll have to pay data charges.