You get more versatility with a laptop GPS as compared to other GPS systems, so in many situations it is more convenient.  The following is five different situations where a laptop GPS can be extremely handy.

Business Travel – Regardless of what you travel on automobiles, trains or planes, you have the ability to take your laptop GPS right along with you just as if you were using a handheld GPS unit.  If your plane is delayed, or if your schedule changes, or there is an emergency and you need to be in a different place than the quickest way possible, you laptop GPS will give you the ability to locate where you are at that time, and how to get in the fastest possible way to where you want to be.

Suppose, for instance, that you are on your way home for Christmas in a plane that is headed for Chicago.  Suppose your plane has to make an emergency landing in a field in the middle of Montana.  Now, the middle of Montana is a very big place to be, and it’s a long way from anywhere else.  With your laptop GPS, however, you’ll know exactly where you are, how far you’ll have to walk to the next town, and how to get home from there.

Vacation Travel – The cool thing about having a laptop GPS is that you can take it with you in the car, or in a motor home or on a boat.  However your family chooses to travel on vacation, you can always have the answers to the questions, “How far is it?” and “Where’s the next rest stop?”

International Travel – Do you know how to ask where the next rest stop is in Swahili?  Or Farsi?  Take your laptop GPS with you, making sure you have the software with local maps on it, and you won’t have to.  Your laptop GPS will help you out.  It will also show you the best way to get from Madrid to Versailles or from Baghdad to Beirut, should you want to go there.

Moving to a New Area – Having a laptop GPS when you move to a new locale can be a lifesaver.  Learning how to get around in a new community is always difficult, and having a comforting computerized voice tell you to turn left at the next corner may make the difference between finding the grocery store and being found parked by the side of the road because you are completely lost.

Space Travel – all right, I agree that most of us will not be using a laptop GPS for space travel.  However, at some point in the near future it is likely that this will be the case.  Traveling into outer space is no longer the province of just official government travelers; tourists now have the ability to go there as well.  Even though a laptop GPS does not have the functionality to work on the moon, if you are within the orbit of the satellites, it will give your exact position, including how high you are.

At this point, you may think that using at laptop GPS for space travel is a big stretch, but there are some people who would like to add space jumping to the list of extreme sports.  The new sport of space jumping essentially is jumping out a full-blown gondola from altitudes that is so far up that the air is too thin for airplanes to function.

To many individuals shock, there are actually people going this. One of the needs of these extreme sportsman is their need to know how high they are, so if they were to set a new record that will have the data to support it, as well as needing to know where they will land.  You can drift quite a ways off course when you practice space jumping from the stratosphere.  A laptop GPS would come in pretty handy in this situation.[tags]Laptop GPS, GPS systems, handheld GPS unit, business travel, vacation travel[/tags]

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A Global Positioning System or GPS was originally developed and operated by the US Department of Defense.  Prior to it being used for commercial purposes GPS was utilized by the government for 24 hour navigation for sea, ground and air operations.

There came a point when the GPS became extensively used for commercial purposes, there capabilities expanded to include movement and monitoring of people, forestry, cartography, mineral exploration, and tracking down of wildlife that is endangered within their natural habitat and as well as many more uses.

Originally, the GPS is operated on big computer systems but eventually; it has developed into something smaller – the handheld GPS. The good news about the handheld GPS is that it functions just like the GPS in more elaborate machines and it allows the user to generate information anytime and anywhere he or she may be.  Handheld GPS have now gained such a following that there are so many people all over the globe that constantly rely on the handheld GPS to help them navigate around the world and locate areas which are even beyond the navigation and location determination in the past.

Popular Handheld GPS Models

There are many handheld GPS models that are available in the market nowadays. One of the most popular models of a handheld Garmin GPS System is the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx, which is considered as the fastest when it comes to locking onto the satellite. This handheld GPS is equipped with a 2.6 inch color screen, a barometric altimeter, an electronic compass and a special Geocaching menu.

However, despite the fact that this handheld GPS is loaded with many functions, it only weights about seven ounces and could run for approximately 18 hours using two AA batteries. The Garmin GPS is rubberized and is water resistant. If you intend to wade or swim on your trip, you could count on this handheld GPS to survive.

Another popular handheld GPS device is the Magellan eXplorist XL. This  particular handheld GPS is equipped with a 3.5 inch color screen which is viewable even when exposed to sunlight.  Because of the large screen of this particular Magellan model you have the benefit when looking at the maps and obtaining information you need from them.

However, the  challenge of the Magellan GPS is that unlike the Garmin GPS, it is not equipped with an electronic compass or an altimeter. This unique GPS also has a weight of about 12 ounces, which is somewhat heavy when you compare it to the Garmin. With the use of four AA batteries the battery life of the Magellan is roughly 15 hours.
[tags]handheld gps, GPS device, magellan gps, garmin gps, Magellan eXplorist XL[/tags]