Automobile navigation systems have been with us for a while now, and every year it seems that new features are bolted on to the various systems. All of them are based on GPS, or global positioning systems. Simply put, the device interacts with a satellite that establishes, with varying degrees of accuracy, exactly where you are. Depending on the system, it uses DVD for backup information or other software that has specific geographic information on it to determine your location, right down to the street corner.
There are a number of GPS systems that are sold as individual hand-held devices, and there are even some phones with the feature built in. But for automobiles, virtually every manufacturer now installs them as an option. Many of them are provided by major electronic manufacturers as OEM items.
A GPS position – that is, your spot on the planet – isn’t much good unless the device that is providing that information can put it in a framework. That’s where some of these systems are better than others, and where the breakdowns often occur. A typical automotive GPS will have a small dash-mounted screen that shows your position on a map....