Where is GPS Navigation Headed?

For a few Christmas seasons in a row, there was one big gift idea—the one that everyone wanted, even though it was very expensive. Its capabilities seemed almost magical; it promised to increase efficiency by large margins for anyone fortunate enough to own it; and it was downright fun to use. It was, of course, the stand-alone GPS navigation device. During the first week of January each year, brand new navigators popped up on the dashboards of cars across the country. Today, however, many of those coveted devices lie unused, perhaps even consigned to the glove compartment. Is the stand-alone GPS navigator already a nostalgic product of the past?

The Claims Against Stand-Alone

What happened to take the GPS navigation device from its place of honor to the role of a forgotten tool in many cars? GPS technology progressed more quickly than developers anticipated, outgrowing the dedicated navigation device and spilling over into tablet computers and even cell phones. Before long, it just didn’t seem cost-effective to buy a dashboard-mounted device when you could simply download an app for a fraction of the cost. Some investors understandably panicked, claiming that companies like Garmin and TomTom were headed for disaster by relying heavily on stand-alone GPS technology. Those companies have certainly taken a hit from app competition, but they are far from being out of the race. Why?

Not So Fast

Technology moves quickly, but sometimes the human mind tends to jump ahead of even the fast pace of its own innovation. The usefulness of stand-alone navigators has probably not expired, despite the convenience of pulling up a map on a device you already own. Here are some comparisons of the two methods:

Smartphone GPS Navigation	Stand-Alone GPS Device Navigation
Restricts the use of other smartphone features (such as talking on the phone!)	Provides service regardless of other activity
Uses large amounts of battery power	Preserves phone battery life; often draws power from car
Is not conducive to safe driving, due to small screen and handheld nature	Is designed to be visible by the driver while also keeping an eye on the road

As you can see, it doesn’t take much time to come up with some good reasons to keep your phone in your pocket and switch on your dashboard GPS unit instead. Some phones do come with clips that allow drivers to attach their phones to the air vents on the dashboard for better map visibility, but the small size of most phones is still an issue.

Safety and Legality

As stand-alone GPS navigation devices exploded in popularity, safety experts quickly grew concerned about the safety issues inherent in blocking a portion of the windshield with a video display. Lawmakers eventually responded by dictating a maximum size for navigators and specifying where on the dashboard they should be mounted to allow the greatest amount of driver visibility.

With these rules in place, the GPS navigator is often actually a safer option than a smartphone with a GPS app. Without a dashboard mount, a handheld smartphone is extremely distracting to a driver, even more so if the app is not voice-activated. In fact, in more and more municipalities across the country, you could be ticketed for using a phone while holding it in your hand, whether you are using an application or simply talking. Residents and visitors in these areas have few legal options for using their smartphones as replacements for stand-alone GPS navigators.

A valid argument from iPhone users is that their phone can give them directions using voice activation, while their stand-alone device may not. With the right dashboard placement, this advantage may actually make the iPhone a safer choice than basic GPS navigators. But more new navigators are including voice activation without raising the cost significantly, and even the ones that do not usually have a touch screen that is easy to use while driving.

A Personal Decision

While it seems that nearly everyone you meet owns an iPhone or Android-enabled smartphone, there are still plenty of people who opt for a basic phone without a 3G or 4G connection, much less a GPS unit. Buying a basic navigator is far more cost-effective than paying a monthly fee on a new smartphone. On the other hand, people who already own a smartphone may see little reason to buy a new device for their car. It is, after all, a highly targeted theft item and may attract unwanted attention to your vehicle.

Each user must make his own decision, but the balance of pros and cons between phone GPS apps and stand-alone devices is likely to remain fairly even for some time. Perhaps the dashboard navigator, forgotten by many as they loaded their new smartphones with helpful apps, is due for a comeback this Christmas season!

Where is GPS Navigation Headed?