I look forward to the kneejerk "waste of money/toys" dismissals from a certain quarter, as usual, but for me, it's a GPS module plugged into my Dell Axim that does the trick. Pretty basic compared to the current standalones and in-car models, but it gets the job done and if you take out the original cost of the PDA, I've only sunk about $200 into the entire setup, and I still can route the PDA audio output into my car's stereo and not have to hear my PDA speaker blare.

I have a good sense of direction, but I went ahead and bought the Tom Tom 300 last year. It is portable, so I can take it with me when I travel and rent cars.

Just don't let a GPS substitute for common sense. Sometimes taking the longer route is quicker when you know there will be traffic on the shorter route

You don't need the Nuvi 680. Get the 350 (for less than $400 now) instead. I've been very happy with mine.

It's "I still take pride in my ability to figure out where I am," not "where I'm at."

But I still enjoy your columns.

I recommend built-in navigation systems. I've had a Magellan portable system for a few years. The problem is that it can be stolen, so you have to put it away when you're not in the car. Then you might not take it out when you don't need it, or when you don't think you need it, or when you're in a hurry, or when you don't want to bother. And if it's not always there and always on, it's much less useful. My Magellan takes a long time (sometimes 20 minutes!) to locate itself if it's turned on in a place that's not exactly the same place it was last turned off... which makes me even less likely to use it. What good is it then? The Post's car reviewer is always saying how wrong it is to spend extra on a built-in GPS, but I think it's worth having it always there, on the dash, where it can't (easily) be stolen. I just bought a new Toyota and had a Pioneer navigation system added by the dealer. It was expensive, and it's not as intuitive as the Magellan (or as the one that Toyota builds into some models), but it's a relief having it always there.

I, on the other hand, recommend portable navigation systems, mainly because you can take them with you to strange cities for use in rental cars.

I rely on my innate ability to get to where I need to go. My husband uses a GPS and still gets lost.

I use my HP Ipaq 6945 running Windows Mobile with TomTom Navigation software. It provides a good, economical "all in one" solution.

I paid $500 for the ipaq, $130 for the Tomtom software, $20 for a flashcard and $20 for the stand.

I got a Mio C220 at CircuitCity for $179 and took it on a road trip from Houston TX to Sacramento CA. About 2500 miles, and no problems. Recommended.

Sadly, none of these nav solutions are able to help me navigate my daily cosmic voyages to outer space to save mankind from the fast-approaching interstellar robot avengers.

Maps. I use maps. The ADC map books are wonderful. Occasionally I use a compass, but more often a sun sighting to figure out which direction I'm heading.

My wife and I use the Garmin C550 and love it. We had a Magellan in a rental car recently, and it was very good at telling us about turns to make after we had passed them.

Darryle, you need to get some tips from Superman about interstellar navigation, as he has many years of experience in space travel. Not to mention time travel and knowing exactly how to get to the right time and place w/o being off by a few days or months.

Doug:

You say that your Magellan will take 20 minutes to find itself if it is switched on in a new place - this is a problem with *ALL* GPS units, and not just your Magellan. You would have to give it a coarse alignment by hand (My Garmin will ask 'Hey, are you in the same place?) if it can't find the satellites within a minute or two of starting up.

I'm interested in the traffic aggregators so I can find out where the info is coming from. I don't know where Google gets their traffic info from, but Garmin uses NAVTEQ. This is a problem with a lot of the traffic info services - they are all really just reselling one feed - it would make sense for the state to provide that info to everyone (VDOT has the road sensors, but as of right now, to my knowledge, MD has no road sensors so they rely completely on reports). It's very hard to get to the bottom of the issue, though.

The TomTom One works well for me at a very modest price.

I just don't like these things because for some reason I don't easily learn new routes when I follow a GPS. It's like my mind becomes too passive to letting the thing tell me what to do, as opposed to actively scanning, looking for that next turn, taking in my surroundings. Sure, I won't get lost with a GPS but I would still need to use it even after taking that same route many times.

So if I got one I suspect I would quickly become dependent on it, and I'm dependent on enough technology that doesn't play well together as it is...

I use an IPAQ 5900 series with Tom Tom. My workhorse is MS Streets and Trips. I do all my planning and hotel shopping off-line with the $25 software. I make CutePDF files of everything including local maps prior to leaving. I look at all the Choice Hotels in the area and make my reservations online. I prefer the GPS when driving in the new city but have the paper backups just in case. I do restaurant planning on the big screen and have a saved map for every State.

Half way between LA and Fresno is a seeming tourist trap called Bravo Farms. They make wonderful smoked cheddar and there is a guy in the parking lot that makes a local specialty, Santa Maria BBQ, Tri-Tip smoked over an open oak fire, $5.00 please. This place is actually a must-stop with a funky enclosed garden and an open air bar and restaurant. The tourist store has a big cooler filled with the cheese they make. It all goes into Streets and Trips for future reference. Every unique place I visit goes into Trips and Streets. It is my traveling diary. I recently upgraded to the MS GPS version for $100 total.

This is poor man's $25 traveling solution with a $75 GPS upgrade. The reality is you can't see the computer screen in the car in the day but you can hear the voice. If you break down or change plans, you know what's around you and you have telephone numbers. Best $25 or $100 you can spend. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like MS will go the ten extra feet to improve the product to a real travel diary. Every nautical charting program allows extensive waypoint user input descriptions. MS S and T does not.

The IPAQ is a different animal, a mini computer that runs Pocket PC apps with a music player and GPS ($400). Very useful on a plane as well as driving. I have a simple phone and the IPAC.

Check out the BBQ video, Billy is a hoot.
http://www.santamaria.com/visit/section_visitor/barbecue_video.html
http://www.bravofarms.com/tour.htm

I have three garmins in my plane, but oddly, use maps and progressive, written fixes in the car. I think it's because I believe that if I let it, the portfolio of computers, phones, other software-driven devices that accumulate in our lives become a management task in and of themselves. The time has to come out of something. I'll likely get a panel (permanent) mount system in my next car, though. Presumably it will be well-integrated and as easy to use as the radio.

I totally agree with the earlier post that you get a better value GPS unit (and lighter/smaller) in the Garmin nuvi 350 or 360 over the 680. Same data and software, so all you get for double the price is the wider screen and FM transmitter. Not worth it.

We use my wife's phone. The Verizon service does a pretty good job. Granted, you can't really look at the screen while drving, but it does use verbal cues. Plus, the hardware is part of the phone and the monthly charges seem a pretty good value compared to buying a stand-alone unit.

I have a TomTom One, paid ~$300 for it 6 months ago (I think you can get it for $250 now). Best $300 I've spent in a long time. It finds the GPS satellites quickly (when it doesn't, there is a software update that tells the GPS where the satellites are located; TomTom recommends this update every 7 days), within seconds even.

The TomTom's directions aren't always the route I'd have choosen. However, when you don't know how to get somewhere, just getting there is all that matters.

Also, TomTom has a database of all the Dunkin Donuts in the US. I added that to the device and now I can find a D&D when I need a delicious cup of coffee with too much cream and sugar!

I remember a New Year's Eve many years ago with my first love. On the way to a party in NYC (from RI), we got lost. Ended up screaming at each other out of pure frustration. Needless to say, it didn't work out...

Went to Chicago a few weeks ago with my current GF and brought the GPS. We found other things to fight about (maybe its me?), but we always knew where we were.

If you have $250 and you travel frequently, buy a GPS. After a couple of trips without the frustration of being lost, you'll be posting comments on these Internet boards too.

No comments really, but I enjoyed all of yours!

I've got a Alpine Nav system installed in my SUV. I will be my last Alpine product. My wife best described it as a "indispensable tool if you know where you are and you know where you're going".

I have a Navman icn-510 portable GPS, which I have used all over Europe and the United States. It has saved me many times from being hopelessly lost and has helped me find elusive locations time and again. The 510 cost me about $400 plus the map software for Europe. Being a fairly inexpensive model, it does not have all the bells and whistles that the more expensive units do, but it has many of them. A huge plus is the ability to use it in any vehicle. A great buy overall. P.S. take just a few minutes to lock on, never 20.