I have once been to Europe few years back where I traveled in a taxi which had a GPS Navigation System (GPS is Global Positioning System), I was so amazed to see how well it could tell the path, turn by turn, I got really curious to know how GPS Navigation works? These devices are available almost everywhere, and you can buy one too.
In this post I will talk about:
- How GPS Navigation System works
- Types of Navigation Devices Available
- Cost of GPS Navigation Equipment and Cost of using it
Cost of GPS Navigation System In India
GPS Navigation runs on many type of Devices like:
- Dedicated GPS Navigation Devices
- Mobile Phones which have GPS receiver
- Laptop or PDA with GPS receiver
Dedicated GPS Device
A dedicated GPS Navigation Device with maps will cost you from Rs 17000($350) to about Rs 20000 ($400). It has updated maps software installed in it, and you don’t need to pay any monthly amount for it there after 
Mobile Phones with GPS
For a mobile phone, there are three different plans: 
- For Windows Mobile version 6 or higher, you can buy maps for a fix amount, for example Rs 1200 ($25) for a city and Rs. 5000 ($ 100) . After this, no monthly charge or subscription.
- For non-Windows mobile phones with GPS receiver, you can buy a 6-months subscription for Rs. 1200 ($25). In this you access the maps software via GPRS of your phone. So in this case you will be charged for GPRS traffic usage also.
- Third one is Nokia Navigator Series Mobile Phones with free maps installed. This is the cheapest way to use GPS Navigation as there is no extra subscription for maps software, but the quality and accuracy of the maps will not be as good as MapMyIndia maps.
Laptop or PDA
If you have a laptop or PDA with built-in or external GPS receiver attached and an Internet connection, you can use the plans same as windows mobile, or also use Google-maps service for navigation. I don’t have detailed steps on how to do that, for that you need to explore more features of Google-maps or Yahoo-maps etc.
How GPS Navigation System Works?
The GPS navigation works on the principle of telling location by catching the signals of three or more GPS satellites at one time. Good thing is that its for free. You don’t need to pay catching these signals. Just your device should have a GPS receiver. Its as free as listening to FM radio without paying for radio service
I hope you like this information. If you want to add something, or have a suggestion or comment, please leave a comment below. Get more such tech updates in your inbox by clicking here.
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Well, apparently GPS comes for much cheaper now. I just bought it for $160. But was interesting to find such good-to-know information here.
@Shruti
its cool that its cheap in USA, hope it will come for cheap in India too.
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