Do-it-yourself digital home office projects

Set up a mobile GPS

Skill level: Easy

What you'll need:
• Cell phone, smart phone, or personal travel assistant

GPS navigation has been used for years in the marine industry and in the U.S. Armed Forces, but it's only been in, say, the last 10 years that mobile GPS has become an affordable option for the rest of us. In the 1990s, for example, GPS maker Garmin offered handheld GPS devices for around $500 that the masses could place on a car dashboard. Car rental companies started offering cars with GPS a few years ago, which has given millions of drivers the opportunity to try GPS without buying their own device.

The options just keep getting better, however. Today, Garmin offers mobile GPS for your cell phone, smart phone, laptop, and PDA, plus it has new products that it calls "personal travel assistants." Other companies offer similar options and some products can even find you a hotel or a place to have lunch. Heck, even your dog can have his own GPS attached to his collar so you always know where he is.

The point to all this is that you, too, can have a mobile GPS. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money--although you can spend big bucks if you want--and it doesn't have to be difficult to set up. If you drive much at all, GPS navigation is a great option to add to your road warrior arsenal. For this project, we'll focus on GPS capabilities in cell phones, smart phones, and personal travel assistants.

Step 1: Understand the options available
There are dozens of providers and options available today for GPS navigation systems. GPS receivers rely on radio waves from satellites orbiting the Earth and use a combination of three satellites above you as well as your position in relation to those satellites to determine your exact location.

Using your cell phone for GPS navigation
Almost every cell phone sold today has some sort of GPS-receiving capability built into it, but not all phones have a full GPS receiver. Some cell phones understand programming languages and can subsequently offer turn-by-turn directions and information about businesses and attractions. A few even offer walking directions in addition to driving directions. Others don't understand programming languages and can only work like a tracking device. If you're not sure what your cell phone can do, contact your cell phone service provider and ask.

There are two basic ways to get GPS navigation coverage with your cell phone: by subscription or by using specific software for your phone. You can also download or purchase GPS software for your cell phone. TeleNav, for example, offers GPS software that can be used with each of the major cell phone carriers, starting at $9.99 per month. The type of phone you own makes a difference in whether a service such as TeleNav can work for you, but it might be worth taking a look.

Using a smart phone for GPS navigation
Essentially, smart phones combine the functions of a normal cell phone with a handheld computer. It has an operating system, local storage, and e-mail functions, and it can make and receive phone calls--plus, it's programmable. These devices also typically feature a touch screen.

Carrying a single device that can handle all of these functions is appealing; more and more people are taking a look at these phones as they consider purchase options. They are offered by a variety of manufacturers, and a vast majority of new cell phones on the market today are actually smart phones, especially the more expensive products. Nokia, for example, ships more than 10 million smart phones annually.

Smart phones can integrate with GPS receivers or can be connected to existing portable GPS receivers. Because of its operating system capabilities and programming options, you can even create your own GPS software to use on your smart phone. It's much easier, however, to just use the GPS options already on the market, unless you're a pretty skilled developer.

Here are some smart phones with GPS options available on the market:

Palm GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition for Treo phones Comes preloaded with TomTom Navigator 6 software and costs $299.

BlackBerry 7100i GPS smart phone The addition of a GPS chip lets you download detailed map imagery on the fly. It typically sells for $199 with a two-year service agreement.

Mio A701 GPS smart phone An internal GPS receiver combines with MioMap 2.0 mapping software for a smart phone that retails for about $500.

Motorola Q smart phone You can download CoPilot Live 6 GPS software to avoid cell phone service fees. Retails from $199 to $419.

If you prefer to integrate your smart phone with a GPS receiver, it's pretty easy to do. Garmin, for example, offers the Garmin Mobile 20. This uses a phone mount that has a built-in GPS receiver and Bluetooth technology to work with Nokia, Windows Mobile, and Treo 650 smart phones. The phone mount attaches to your automobile windshield with a suction cup; when you're in the car, you just drop your phone into the mount for navigation capabilities to begin. The mount also acts as a phone charger.

Using a personal travel assistant for GPS navigation
Personal travel assistants are handheld GPS receivers that can be mounted in your car or carried easily in your purse or briefcase. Don't confuse them with the standard GPS receivers that simply mount on a dashboard and are not designed to be used out of the car. Personal travel assistants also double as portable digital assistants in some ways; some offer MP3 player options, for example, or other features such as language guides and currency converters.

These products are completely separate from any cell phone service providers; you buy the personal travel assistant directly from a manufacturer such as Garmin. However, some of these products do work with Bluetooth-enabled cell phones. Garmin's Nuvi 360, for example, can be used as a hands-free speaker for cell phones with wireless capabilities. It can also be used to make and receive phone calls but only when paired with your Bluetooth cell phone.

Personal travel assistants also work with your personal computer. For instance, you typically can download music and image files directly onto your personal travel assistant. Don't confuse these with fully loaded portable digital assistants, though. Personal travel assistants don't come with keyboards or other computer-like functions.

Because these items are relatively new on the market, they are also relatively expensive choices. By comparison, smart phones are a good choice if you need phone and GPS capabilities, but personal travel assistants offer much more than standard GPS navigation options. If you travel often and throughout the world, it might be a good idea to take a personal travel assistant with you.

Here are three examples of personal travel assistants:

Garmin Nuvi 360 Offers preloaded maps, alerts for speed zones, language guides, travel guides for restaurants and hotels, an MP3 player, and hands-free calling when integrated with a Bluetooth cell phone. Retails for about $800.

Magellan RoadMate 860T Offers a built-in MP3 player and a photo viewer, and options include the TrafficKit, which provides live traffic incident reports and road work updates. Retails for about $800.

TomTom GO 910 Offers a built-in MP3 player, traffic updates, and text-to-speech options. Retails for about $550.

Step 2: Map your next trip
For this project, the steps really consist of determining whether you want a cell phone with GPS, a smart phone with GPS, or a personal travel assistant. Once you make that determination, you will work through your cell phone service provider (if using a cell phone or smart phone) to obtain the GPS software and services you need. Personal travel assistants require little set up, if any at all; in most cases you just buy the product and turn it on.

I wish it were harder so I had more to write about, but the process is truly that simple. That makes sense, however, since GPS is all about simplifying your life. If you are on the road much at all, why not take the time to explore these different options?