There is no shortage of blue tooth GPS receivers on the market, with price and functionality differences not always that far apart, with one of the main differences coming from the global positioning services your sign up with rather than the unit itself. Being able to map your destination and wirelessly transmit it to your personal data assistant or your laptop computer, id what makes blue tooth GPS units so much in demand.

With the blue tooth GPS units you can select your destination, obtain your directions and have them transferred with the need for wires to another device such as your PDA or laptop computer by way of blue tooth connections. If your laptop does not have blue tooth capabilities, a USB adapter can add that quality for between $30 and $50, depending on the brand you buy and the signal strength.

One of the issues currently with blue tooth GPS systems is their battery life, which is typically less than the PDA units are or laptops into which the information will probably be transferred. A Taiwan company, Kemix, announced a yet-to-be-distributed solar powered blue tooth GPS, which will make this a moot point. However, you will still have to charge your PDA and laptop.

Accuracy And Price Go Together

Those working in surveying or mapping look for accuracy within about a yard, while the typical user is happy with accuracy within 10 to 15 feet. Especially with blue tooth GPS systems, the higher the accuracy the higher the cost, but these folks expect and accept that disparity.

Once your blue tooth enabled hand held device is synchronized with you blue tooth GPS unit, once it has received the information from your GPS service is will automatically open the link and affect the transfer of the information. This can be especially useful if you travel frequently and reduces the need for mapping services tied directly to your PDA or laptop. This can also be used when heading out for a long hike through an unknown wilderness and lessen the chance of getting lost. You may even want to map your return route in case you get confused following directions in reverse.

Some of the blue tooth GPS receivers can also be programmed to transfer points of interest as well as topographical maps in addition to turn by turn directions. If available, they can also offer voice commands.