Sunday 14 June 2009

The Rise of GPS Mobile Phones and Downfall of Stand Alone Options

By Abu Duha

Take a minute and remember the last twenty years of your life. Technology has literally transformed the way we live so much, that most of the things available are or will become a necessity. A good example of this is a GPS system that you find in your mobile phone. Most of these tiny little pieces are situated inside the SIM card and can keep track of your location. It's an amazing feat, when not too long ago cell phones looked like huge walkie-talkies.

While there are still some mobile phones that are too old to acknowledge a SIM, most of them are equipped with it as long as you have access to a 3G network. This of course leaves us with one major question. Is it as good as a stand alone GPS unit? The most common name people hear about is Garmin, or those other ones built into cars. Unfortunately they aren't as good yet. In our society today we see just about everything on a cell phone from cameras and MP3 players to Internet and ring tones.

Since mobiles are so spread out, they can't focus on the best product of one feature. Plus, having a stand alone like the ones you see in cars are much safer when driving. Granted you may have a passenger to help you, but in most cases using a cell phone for GPS purposes could leave you in an accident or worse. If you are using a stand alone the only time your eyes are off the road is to glance over or use the voice directions option.

So the stand alone unit is better for the car. But then again, when you park the car, you take the pink mobile phones with you while you are not likely to lug both the phone and the GPS, unless you have a lot of pockets. And cargo pants are just not in this year.

Even with all the debate that surrounds which one to choose, both industries are growing like crazy. While this may be true, you don't find too many people who buy one of each. Instead they feel that since they have an option with their mobile phone, a stand alone is not necessary, even if it's not as good. This is because mobile phones don't charge anything extra for GPS tracking.

In the upcoming years you will continue to see GPS units grow at a fast rate. While many believe it's the wave of the future, most don't realize that stand alone versions will evaporate from the marketing world. Marketing analysts believe that within the next few years they will continue to climb, but as mobile phones get smarter, stand alones won't be needed. Even with the safety issues while driving, phone companies will focus on multi-functionality and portability as their selling points.

It's inevitable, but we see it happen everyday in various markets. Take for instance the gaming world and all the different consoles that have come out over the years. This is why technology is fascinating and at the same time, a complete nightmare. When it comes down to GPS units, the ones associated with mobile phones is the future.

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