Have you ever been in a situation where you were heading towards somewhere and found yourself lost in a place you had never been before? That could be really daunting, and quite a hopeless situation, particularly for people who have no sense in direction whatsoever.

It’s a good thing that cell phones are quite familiar fixtures in many people’s gadget collection that you can simply call someone and ask for directions. But what if you don’t know where you are at that particular moment?

Wouldn’t it be a great thing if you find another cool use for your DVD player and cell phone – like getting you get to where you’re going using GPS capabilities? A wide range of automotive DVDs and mobiles available today offer GPS navigation as an added extra.

These gadgets can pinpoint your exact location and help you get to the destination you want to go as accurately and safely as is humanly able. But which device would be right for you? Let’s take a look.

GPS Devices On Offer

The following are some of the most common and handily available GPS, or Global Positioning System, devices that you can use.

* Car DVD Players with GPS Capabilities

A number of the car DVD players available today already have GPS functionality built in. Aside from using high tech space networks to pinpoint your location, these devices has its core functionality built-in around playing those rare CD’s and DVD’s that took forever to collect.

The device is fed directly to your automobile battery eliminating the need to recharge it before you utilize it and is hooked up directly to your car’s entertainment system for superior audio quality. And if the car offers Picture In Picture functionality then you will be able to get a route fore where you’re going while you are reversing out of your driveway.

* Handheld GPS Navigators

These portable gadgets can be snapped on or off from a mounting bracket on your dashboard and would require no intricate installation. And to make the larger models of portable GPS unit competitive in the car DVD market makers have installed Bluetooth receivers and FM transmitters so that drivers can use their handheld GPS devices as handsfree calling kits just like they do with car DVD players. But the biggest feature is its price which is between 30% and 50% lower than car DVD systems.

* GPS-Capable Cell Phones

In 2005, a law called E911 by the US Federal Communications Commission took effect, mandating all cell phones and smartphones to be equipped with a built-in GPS navigation system. This function is good for two additional purposes aside from having spoken conversations and sending SMS on your mobile phone. First is that the cellular phone can be used to get driving directions to get you to your destination , and the second one is to guide emergency response units to get to your exact location should you be caught up in a vehicular accident.

What GPS Device Is Best For Which Circumstances?

New and upcoming GPS devices are crammed with a wide variety of features that go beyond their basic function of giving positional information that it would seem very hard to choose which device would be right for you. The following comparison can provide some insight to help you in this instance.

*Devices Compared – The Car DVD Versus The Portable GPS Navigator Versus The Cell Phone

People who choose car DVD players with GPS capabilities have three primary reasons why they selected this particular device: its GPS functionality; connectivity to cell phones allowing hands-free communication; and its core function of playing CDs, DVDs and a number of other multimedia files. The LCD screen varies in sizes but a wide number of units come with a 7-inch, 800×400 pixel resolution that provide ample viewing quality for normal use.

The portable GPS unit with a seven inch screen and a car DVD player with a seven inch screen may not seem that different at all.

GPS navigators can’t play CDs or DVDs directly, but they do play converted music and other multimedia loaded into its memory. The audio quality may not be as great as DVD players as GPS navigational devices make use of its FM transmitter or Bluetooth connection to hook up to the car’s sound system. The major difference is how portable handheld GPS devices are compared to car DVD players – you can take a portable GPS from your car and carry it away in your bag, that’s something you can’t say for a car DVD. And it goes without saying – the big price difference.

While comparing a car DVD to a smartphone is is without merit there is a lot of merit in comparing portable GPS units to cell phones.

While smartphones may fit easier into pockets or handbags portable GPS units have a larger screen which makes them more convenient while navigating to destinations on the road.

And again portable GPS units are usually much cheaper than smart phones.

Deciding which GPS device format is right for you all boils down to your preference as to what you spend most of your time doing and what you value most. The car DVD player is for the audiophiles and movie fanatics. If its portability and price you want, then choose portable GPS navigators or even cell phones. The choice is yours.