5. Special Mention: Motorcyclists

Finally, motorcyclists will be riding into 2007 with more choices. For the motorcycle market, you'll be looking for a handlebar or equivalent mount in the box, sunlight readable display, Bluetooth for audio to your helmet, and a sealed weatherproof PND. There are a couple of good options on the market from 2006: one from Garmin and another from Tom Tom. Both are fine choices, but I will refrain from providing a recommendation in this area as my company (Mobile Crossing) will be listing something pretty neat in this category later in 2007.

Outdoors Sports

It might be said that GPS was invented for outdoors activities, and if you love the great outdoors, then I would say you have no choice but to buy a GPS designed for it. Due to the very specialized needs of specific and individual sports, this requires particular attention.

Important Features To Look For

Hikers/Hunters: Removable, changeable batteries. Rugged protection against drops, dirt and water. Sunlight viewable display. Terrain maps. Features to manage waypoints. Bright colors.

Runners/Walkers: Very small, and lightweight. No sharp edges. Fast startup time. Ability to record, save, or add tracks.

Fishing/Boating: Waterproof, salt proof, nautical charts, and fish finding sonar.

The Hikers/Hunters Recommendation

I didn't see anything particularly different this year for hiking and hunting that called out to me. The Magellan Explorist series, Garmin eTrex series and Lowrance Expedition units have been around for some time now. I would tend to recommend buying a device with bright unnatural looking colors - if you have ever dropped a camouflaged product during a hike and gone back to try to find it, you'll know what I mean. Unfortunately, most devices with decent features come in dark muted or camouflaged colors, while the simpler devices have the glowing shades.