racing to rescue

Posts Tagged ‘Compare’

When I got bitten by the GPS bug, I decided to compare GPS systems to see which would be the best for me. I only had a vague idea of what these remarkable devices did. I knew they were essentially electronic maps, but I had no idea how they worked, or what was important to look for when buying one. So, I decided to do some research.

My first stop was Amazon to check out their best sellers. (Just click on my link below to see the same information.)

I quickly saw that Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom dominated the market. Garmin, I had heard of Magellan and Tom Tom, I had not heard of. My elation at seeing who were the best sellers for GPS units was soon crushed by an overwhelming sense of confusion as I clicked on each item, read its description, and tried to make heads or tails out of the differences between the units.

There must have been some pretty big differences, I thought, because the prices ranged from a low of about 0 to almost 00 for portable units-the kind you can stick to your windshield and remove to take with you when you’re out of the car.

Well, suffice it to say, I did an enormous amount of research and became an expert of sorts.

To save you some time and frustration, let me tell you the basics of what I found out.

Although there are several manufacturers of portable automotive GPS systems, the three main ones are Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom. Garmin sells about half of the automotive GPS systems in the world, but Tom Tom is quickly catching up. All three companies make a good product, it’s just that understanding the differences between the three manufacturers and their specific products is a little difficult.

Garmin has two main lines of automotive GPS systems, the Nuvi and the StreetPilot. The functionalities of each line overlap quite as bit, so does their price.

In general, the Nuvi’s are sleeker, more compact units. Their interface (how you use the system) is not quite as straightforward as the StreetPilot’s interface. Garmin Nuvi’s come in a broad price range, from less than 0 for the Nuvi 200 to almost 00 for the Nuvi 770. Per price point, Nuvi’s generally have a few more features than StreetPilots.

The main difference between the Nuvi’s and the StreetPilots, however, are these-according to Garmin, Nuvi’s have a high-sensitivity receiver, whereas StreetPilots do not. Nuvi’s weigh about half as much as StreetPilots. (None of these units is heavy, just StreetPilots weigh almost 10 ounces, where Nuvi’s weigh slighlty more than 5 ounces.

The biggest difference between the two units is the user interface. The StreetPilot “c” series was made expressly to be very intuitive and user friendly. This is not to say the Nuvi’s are not, they’re just not super simple, like the StreetPilots.

Tom Tom has devices that directly compete with Garmin’s. The Tom Tom One, for instance, is comparable to the Garmin Nuvi 200, Garmin’s entry level product. Both are basic GPS systems which come pre-loaded with maps, have touch screen, and voice instructions. The Tom Tom One has a battery with only 2 hours average life, where the Nuvi’s battery will last an average of 5 hours.

To my mind, the Tom Toms are not quite as sleek looking at the Nuvi’s, although their quality seems to be comparable.

Magellan does not have the market share of Garmin or Tom Tom, but they still build a good product. The Magellan Maestro 3100 is a big seller on Amazon. In both price and features, it’s comparable to the Tom Tom One and to Garmin’s lower priced units, both in size and weight. Magellan says their battery lasts up to three hours, fifty percent better than the Tom Tom’s.

One of the biggest differences between the cheaper GPS systems and the more expensive ones is the number of “Points of Interest” in the unit’s database.

Points of interest are preloaded hotels, restaurants, business locations, hospitals, basically anywhere you might like to go, which are included in your devices database. The Magellan Maestro, for instance has 750,000 points of interest. The garmin Nuvi 200 comes with approximately 6 million!

If you’re going to use your GPS for traveling, having more points of interest available might be a key feature, and when you consider the distances involved, 750,000 items is just not that many.

Another feature I think is important is Bluetooth technology. Your higher priced units can work as a cell phone (both making and receiving calls). It’s hard enough (and even illegal in some areas) driving and talking on your cell phone. Add looking at your GPS to that mix, and…well, you might want to pull to the side of the road. To my mind, the fewer devices to keep up with the better.

Choosing the right brand and model when hiring a car means knowing in advance what you intend to do on your trip. Sometimes, the best travel plan may be spoiled due to unforeseen circumstances: such as not being able to book a rented car when you need one. Such problems can be avoided by booking for your car in advance. So the first thing you should have, is a plan. This allows you to confirm your car booking early, and this can be easily done online.

Always compare prices first at car rental comparison websites to make sure that you get the best deal. There are many car hire websites readily available on the Internet. Make good use of them to compare pricing before booking. Visit car comparison websites, forums, or traveling blogs to read reviews on various car rental companies. You are sure to pick up some tips that others have to offer, such as the one below.

Here is a quick money saving tip: rent a fuel efficient car when renting in a big country. That way, you will save a bundle on fuel. Here is another tip: Money aside, when traveling in a group, never try to save money by choosing a car without full airbags. Safety comes first!

Without digressing too much, let’s stick to the subject of price. Active promotional campaigns are not uncommon on car hiring websites. Do take advantage of these offers if you can. Usually, frequent customers enjoy better discounts. The driver’s age, driving record, and the number of days a car is rented all affect the rental fees. There are other factors that influence the price as well.

For example, If you are an Avis member, you may qualify for special discounted rental rates. Budget has a logical and attractive rebate system that rewards a customer depending on how frequent they rent. The more they rent, the more discounts they get. Discounts are reflected in monthly car rental statements. Hertz has an extensive network of partners, and these partners usually offer their members all year round discounts when they rent from Hertz. Alamo rewards customers who rent cars for leisure and for business. Business customers get guaranteed low rates year-round. Customers get special discounts for leisure travel.

In addition to steep discounts, some car rental companies offer special deals like additional insurance coverage, drivers on request, or special baby seats to attract more customers. A driver may come in handy if you think you are going to be tired after a long flight. Submit your requests as soon as you can if you need them.

Most rented cars these days come with inbuilt audio systems. But you can always ask just to make sure. This will help provide some entertainment while traveling. Kill boredom and your trip becomes fun!

But beware: some destinations are going to be cold, so make sure that the car you are going to rent has a heater in it. A quick check on the climate will certainly help.

To expedite the booking process, always prepare the necessary documents before submitting an application for a car rental. Have your valid license ready. Different countries have different qualifications requirements. Most countries allow you to rent cars if you are over 21 and do not have a drink driving record.

And if you are a nice guy who cares about the environment, you can help protect the environment by choosing cars with less CO2 emissions. Also, you can reduce emissions by stepping on the gas pedal only when necessary.

Finally, know that price is not everything. The type of car that you hire depends more on your needs. Also, the last thing you want is for an unexpected problem to go unattended. So always make sure the car rental company provides top notch support services.

The trend of owning these gadgets grew steadily when people started recognizing the need and benefits of this wireless gadget.  With this awareness, the demand of mobile phones grew at a very fast pace.  The mobile manufacturing companies started introducing new models and new versions of the existing ones to cater to the mind- blowing demand of handsets. This also encouraged many firms to join the bandwagon and now the market is flooded with uncountable phones. But users need not panic as to find a gadget that suits their requirement; they can compare mobile phones on various websites easily. Plenty of portals have come into existence which provides detailed information about the gadgets available and the ones which are soon to hit the market. People can take help of mobile comparison features and have a closer look of phones of different companies like Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC and many more. They can avail cheap mobile phone deals available on the handsets of almost all the leading brands. There are numerous deals like contract mobile phones, pay as you go, SIM free, SIM only, clearance mobile phones and are available on networks of major service providers like Orange, O2, Vodafone, virgin, T- Mobile.

Users can compare mobile phones of different companies over various networks and avail incentives like free talk time, free messages and gifts like free handsets and mobile accessories, gaming consoles like Play station and much more.
All this can be easily done on Internet and by making comparisons in terms of price also, apart from the looks and specifications.  Before spending their money on a handset, users need to weigh their options beforehand and this can be done with the help of online mobile shops. These online stores facilitate users to make comparisons and they can get every information about the phones. They can view images and also videos relating to the handsets with ultimate audio-video sound clarity. Moreover, users can also get honest feedback from people who have already used or presently using their chosen device in the form of comments posted and reviews written about the product. They can also take heed from the comments and blogs posted by the experts in this field who will give the potential buyers a clear picture of the whole scenario of phones hitting the market.  In fact, this is the most suitable way of knowing about a device as online marketing educates people a lot about the new developments.

Thus, people can compare mobile phones and choose a handset prudently within the comforts of their homes. In this way, they can save themselves from the cumbersome task of going to an actual mobile store hunting for a handset as per their requirements.