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Cell Phones with GPS

mulberry by mulberry
Last updated: 12/29/2011

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Can Cell Phones with GPS Be Good Navigational Devices?

Cell phones have many functions. They act as MP3 players, cameras, and web browsers in addition to their communication functions. Increasingly, they are also used for GPS navigation as well.

Learn about the options and the advantages and disadvantages of cell phones with GPS on this page.

Contents at a Glance

What a GPS Cell Phone Can Do For You
How to Get Navigation Services for Your...
The Advantages of a GPS Cell Phone
The Disadvantages of a GPS Cell Phone
Shopping for Phones and Accessory Items
Still Looking for a Cell Phone with GPS?

GPS chips in cell phones provide security. Because of their presence, a person calling 911 from a cell phone can be located to within 50-100 meters even if they are unable to state their location due to injury or are not aware of their location due to unfamiliarity with the area.

In addition, GPS chips in cell phone are sometimes used to keep track of children giving parents an added sense of security. Learn more about the best cell phones for kids here.

Cell phones with GPS can also make use of navigation services which provide driving directions and traffic information similar to in-car GPS navigation devices.

How to Get Navigation Services for Your GPS Cell Phone

If you want a cell phone with GPS, one option is to subscribe to a navigation service such as TeleNav. With this option there is a monthly fee of course. One advantage is that you don't have to worry about updating maps as they aren't housed on your phone.

The second option is to use software with a memory card which stores the maps. You won't have to pay for the data service but without it you won't get updated traffic information and will need to update maps periodically.

The Advantages of a GPS Cell Phone

As discussed above, cell phones with GPS offer a number of useful services. The question then arises as to whether or not a cell phone can act as a replacement to a standalone in-car GPS navigation device.

Using a cell phone rather than a stand alone GPS device does offer some advantages:

Upfront cost savings. The average cell phone will cost less than the average in-car GPS device.

Since most people own a cell phone anyway, using it as your GPS device means fewer devices to juggle.

Using a cell phone with the navigation service through your cellular provider means that information is generally up-to-date; you won't have to purchase new maps every few years to keep it current.

The Disadvantages of a GPS Cell Phone

The next question that arises is whether an in-car GPS device holds any advantages over a cell phone with GPS.

The screen on many in-car GPS devices are larger and easier to view than the screen on some cell phones although many touch screen phones are comparable. This can be critical if you are driving.

The audio on many in-car GPS devices tends to be superior to that of a cell phone. In fact, some in-car GPS devices use your car stereo for better sound. Again, this makes them easier to understand and use.

The long term cost of an in-car GPS device may not be higher than a cell phone with GPS. For basic maps and driving directions there is no additional cost for in-car GPS devices but for those using a subscription service through their cellular provider there is the cost of the data plan and navigation service (around $10/month), plus any set up fees.

Use of the GPS service on a cell phone can consume voice minutes and bandwidth; so unless you have unlimited plans it can be a concern.

Using your cellular provider for GPS functions means that if you lose your cellular signal, the GPS functions also will not be available.

Shopping for Phones and Accessory Items

Top Cell Phones with GPS

Still Looking for a Cell Phone with GPS?

More and more cell phones are now offering GPS. Nearly all manufacturers offer them and all carriers have them.

To see a more complete listing of the choices available you can visit this page. You will find GPS smart phones and more from carriers like AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Sprint and they are available with most plans.

Mobile GPS Software

Cell Phone Dash Mounts

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