Is it time to say goodbye to the satnav companies such as Garmin, TomTom, Magellan etc. ? The answer to this question depends on a lot of factors; however with more and more mobile handsets incorporating GPS technology, it may be possible that the time has come to nail the coffin for standalone GPS devices.
Let us go back twenty years and remember what it was then. The facilities and comforts available today is just unbelievable as that compared to the yesteryears. The advancements in technology has made many a things a necessity (which was probably a luxury some 10 or 20 years ago). Integrating the GPS technology into a mobile phone is one of the best examples of this factor. Initially cellphones resembled the huge walkie talkies that could be used only for making and receiving calls. However now the mobile phones come in-built with music and video players, cameras and lately GPS systems. GPS facility is offered even by sim-free handsets that have access to 3G network.
Why mobile based-GPS is better
Having a mobile based-GPS service is better as it is all in one unit. This means that one does not have to carry additional unit for navigational or calling purposes, just one GPS enabled mobile phone is enough.
Why Standalone GPS is better
Cheaper : - In this case the price of the unit is a one time investment. You do not have to pay for using the navigational services while the mobile based GPS services carry a monthly fee.
Bigger Screen : – The standalone satellite navigators comes with larger screens providing a better view of the maps and routes. Additionally, it comes with a dashboard mount that holds it securely in one place.
Battery Life : - The standalone GPS units comes with 4-5 hours of battery life. When the mobile phone is used for GPS services, it can seriously drain the battery out, thereby compelling you to recharge it before using the other phone based applications.
Multitasking : - It is not easy to use the GPS services along with phone applications. This is because the mobile phones disable one service when the other is activated. e.g. if a user gets a call while navigating, then the navigational task is disabled. This leads to loss of route data and more time consumption while the device reconnects to the satellite and calculates the route info.
Multiple Use : - As the phone is required for many uses, it is not possible to be used by everyone; i.e. in case you need to lend your car to someone else, you cannot lend them your phone-based GPS device for navigational purposes as you need it for calling and texting purposes. In other words the mobile-based GPS services can be used only by you.
Even though the mobile phone has managed to incorporate a number of services like an in-built MP3 player, a games console, a camera and many other web based applications, there are still standalone units for each of them. This is because the standalone gadget can perform best the function that it was originally designed for. The others are just add-ons that can be used for small time purposes but in the long run, standalone gadgets are definitely at an advantage. Therefore, it is still a long time before these mobile based GPS services can replace the standalone units.
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