2. Installation

The TeleNav GPS Navigator is currently offered as a downloadable application and GPS service through the carriers Nextel, Boost Mobile and Sprint. Seventeen GPS-equipped phones for Nextel, 6 devices available at Boost Mobile and 4 phones offered by Sprint support the software. In our case, the application came pre-installed on a Sanyo MM-8300. The software is free to download and requires Sprint's PCS Vision service to run. PCS Vision starts at $10 per month; the TeleNav GPS Navigator adds another $10 per month.

That may look expensive at first, but compare the price to a portable, harddrive-based navigation system that typically runs for around $700 - $900. Considering the $10 service fee - or even $20 including the PCS vision service - that gives you room for at least 3 years of service - after which the GPS unit most likely will require the purchase of a software update or may even be outdated completely.

Our review unit came with a wire arm that is available for purchase through TeleNav's website and can be attached to a windshield through a suction cup. The phone can be attached to the base of the arm through a magnetic holder. While the arm is light weight and the suction cup works fine, TeleNav's arm is not the best solution for putting the phone in place: The arm's wire is too thin, and cannot prevent the system from constantly shaking when the phone is attached. Combine the shaking with the MM-8300's tiny screen and content is virtually unreadable, at least when driving on Chicago, Illinois-quality roads.