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What should I look for in a GPS navigator?

So you're looking to get a GPS to help you find your way around? But there are so many on the market now then it is hard to know where to start looking, here are some features you should be looking for when you go shopping for a GPS navigator:

- Voice Guidance: Yes I know the voice can be annoying, and it will use up your battery quicker too, but it is a lifesaver when you are coming up to a busy junction and you don't want to take your eyes off the road. If it gets annoying then almost every unit lets you mute the voice, so when you are on a journey that is relatively easy you can turn it off, but when you are in a totally new area with lots of traffic then you can let the voice guide you so you can concentrate on the road.

- Advanced Lane Guidance: This is a great feature, if you are like me and you are a bit nervous about choosing lanes when you are coming up to a junction, then this feature tells you which lane to be in to get to where you need to go. It is a just a little extra feature, but if it can stop you getting stuck in the wrong lane just once, then you'll be glad you had it.

- Clear and Easy to Read Display: If you struggle to make sense of the display then you might as well have a cheese baguette on your dash instead. Look at the screens on a number of units and look for ones that are 4.3inches or bigger, and ones where the maps are easy to make out, we all have different tastes and what might be a clear map to someone else, could be confusing to you, so don't just go on recommendations from other people.

- 3D mapping: This is linked in to the above point, the latest GPS navigator feature is 3D mapping, where it shows you 3D representations of the buildings around you as you drive. This is a handy little feature as it gives you something else to help you figure out where you are when you can't see a street sign, and helps you navigate to car parks etc a lot easier. You might not like the feature though, so make sure you check it out before you buy.

- Points of Interest: This tells you where gas stations and ATMs etc are near you, and then will navigate you there if you need it. This is a lifesaver when you are in a city you don't know and you are running out of gas, you can either drive round and hope you come across a gas station, or you can get your GPS navigator to take you straight there.

Those are a few things you need to consider before you buy your new GPS unit, so have a look around and find one that you are going to get a lot of use out of, then you'll wonder how you ever managed without one before!