When Christopher Columbus first set sail on his voyages, there was little to help him navigate his way around the seven seas. While the compass was first invented to help improve navigation on the sea, there was nothing really out there to help with directions and navigation on the road.
All this has changed since the first global positioning system (GPS) came into existence. Instead of using magnets that helped track latitudes and longitudes in compasses, GPS use signals from satellites to guide travelers on sea and road. More popularly known as satellite navigation, or SatNav in short, these devices are available as automatic standalone pieces that can be fixed to an automobile or motorcycle, and can even be carried around when walking to a destination.
SatNavs these days can plot your position on a monitor, warn you of traffic congestion zones, and speed cameras, in real time. A few manufacturers have claimed to have pioneered the first SatNavs for use by the general public. Among these are Mitsubishi Inc, Honda, Alpine and Pioneer. In the U.S, a company named Magellan is said to have introduced the first GPS devices for use in automobiles.
The display on these devices is usually three-dimensional and the user can get a top aerial view of the road he is traveling on. What makes it really handsfree are the voice prompts which enable the driver to focus on the road while listening to the instructions from the SatNav device. The names of streets and door numbers of houses appear on the monitor as the driver passes by them. Many of the devices feature additional information such as parking areas, restrooms, restaurants, and fuel stations. Places of interest and entertainment areas are also often featured as part of the package.
Updates for these devices are often available online on the internet, so all that a user has to do is to connect the device through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection to his computer and download updates. Maps are frequently updated by the global positioning companies on their websites and this and other traffic and road related data are made available to the users.
Vital to the functioning of these devices are global positioning signals from satellites. Without these signals, you are as good as lost with a device that can’t show you the directions. The liquid crystal display monitor is so lucid and is high on clarity that the device can be used to broadcast DVD and television programs. The mp3 feature is another feature for in-car entertainment. More recent models of SatNavs can be connected to your mobile phone and you can set them up for hands-free talking.
All portable SatNav systems these days come kitted with a power adapter, USB cable for connecting to your computer, car charger, bracket for mounting the device in your car, and a secure digital card with preloaded maps of a country or continent, based on your purchase, and CD-rom discs of navigation software applicable to your SatNav device. In today’s day and age, few drivers venture out to faraway locations without this very useful and portable device.
