How to shop for reliable and affordable portable gps systems

Portable gps systems

Gps systems are becoming more and more popular. People are raving about how affordable and how

Reliable they are. Are you, yourself, interested in purchasing your first portable gps system? If you are here are some tips to make your shopping experience easier.

First, are you sure a portable system is for you?

Gps systems comes in basically two different types of system the portable one (a system that you can easily move or transport from place to place) or a mountable one. The mountable versions are the types that are basically mounted to the dashes of cars and are kept in one place. These are used for navigational purposes. Yet, portable gps systems can be a navigational tool, a tracking device or maybe even a combination of the two.

Portable units can come in many styles and sizes. Yet, most are small and easy to carry. They are also known to be light in weight, especially if they are geared to be used in navigational sporting activities such as jogging, hiking, boating, golfing, etc. But don't forget that laptop computers can also be considered a portable gps system if they have gps software downloaded onto them.

How can you tell if a portable system is for you? You could ask yourself the following questions.

Where do you plan on using the system the most? Inside or Outside?

What do you plan on doing while using the system? Driving a car or jogging?

Does such features as: durability, waterproof ability and whether the unit can sink or not matter much to you?

Most people will use portable gps systems when they are jogging to chart new courses, to time their current courses, to help backtrack their way home, to improve on their performance by time and distance. When using as a sports device people likes gps systems that are durable and waterproof because the weather is so unpredictable and when one is outside, especially in wooded areas a gps system may become scratched or dropped a lot. If one is going to be near water, being unsinkable is also a big plus for a gps system to have.

Now if you decided a portable gps system is for you, here are some tips on how to find one that is reliable and affordable?

Tackle the affordability question first. Do a budget. See what you can spend. If you can easily spend X amount on a system the system is affordable to you.

Now for the reliability question, do some research?

Ask around.

Do you know other people who use portable gps systems? Ask their opinions on models, brands and what capabilities they love the most.

Read some reviews

Make sure you know who writes every review first. Remember sellers and manufacturers of said products will be a little biased.

But websites like consumerreports.com offer unbiased reports on all things electronic, including portable gps systems. The reviews are also written by experts who know a thing or two about gps systems.

Look at some reviews which offer actual test results. If a product passes a test, it proves it is reliable.

Look at the ratings labels given all the portable gps systems in question. Most ratings are based on:

Stars:

Five stars is the best rating, one is the least

Alphabetical rating:

Just like in school, A is great F is failing

Where can you get your best deals on portable gps systems?

Look for sales

Both retail stores and online stores both offer the occasional sales. Sometimes these sales are advertised. This means you should watch your local newspapers. As for the online sites, these sales are sometimes advertised in online newsletters. Be sure to sign up for these.

Shop at auction sites

Sites like ebay.com offer some great bargains. Just be sure to know your auction limit before you set that bid. Sometimes we get caught up in the heat of wanting to win, that we spend more than we should or more than the product is worth.

Shop at flea markets and trade sales

Many regular priced items are sold at flea markets and trade sales for whole sale prices. If you can, you may want to see if you can test the product, though. Remember at these sales, you generally won't be able to return the product if it does not work.

Consider buying refurbished merchandise

Refurbished products usually work perfectly. In fact, most are tested before they are ever sold. Yet, make sure you do have a warranty (but beware it won't be the same length as a regular purchased product would be)

Finally, don't forget to pay attention to all return policies and warranty polices of all products you buy, even your portable gps systems.

If you follow the above tips, you are sure to find a great portable gps system that is not only affordable and reliable, but enjoyable as well.