A personal digital assistant or PDA is often referred to as pocket PC GPS because it combines a Microsoft software for PDA and a GPS device. Pocket PC systems are considered superior to Palm units in terms of functionality but a Palm is easier to use and comes with a larger range of accessories. The Bluetooth technology, the compact flash, the GPS cabling and the integrated features, all define a Pocket PC GPS in the most rewarding way possible. Each of these elements can influence the efficiency of the whole, and therefore, they deserve separate investigations.
A compact flash is required by the GPS device and it has the inconvenience that within the Pocket PC GPS system, it can consume most of the battery power. Moreover, The association of the GPS memory card with the PDA could make the operational system slower in terms of task response. Bluetooth technology saves a lot from the efficiency of the device, not to mention that cabling is not a problem anymore. A hand-held PDA could be easily linked to the GPS receiver in the backpack. From this perspective, the Pocket PC GPS definitely proves flexible particularly for car usage where the view of the sky is a necessity.
Since the Bluetooth technology increases the usage flexibility, its adaptation to the Pocket PC GPS solution is a bit more expensive. Even so, many people consider the investment worth making. The Pocket PC allows for connection with a car-powered GPS unit. Such GPS receivers are classified as mouse-type and they are a lot cheaper than self standing GPS units. Besides the low cost, the system has the advantage of saving battery power. The problem with such a combination of Pocket PC GPS comes from its limitation to in-car usage alone.
For very diverse GPS usage you should consider a hand-held navigation system receiver that can be linked with the Pocket PC with a cable. This Pocket PC GPS improvisation proves a good idea for outdoor usage. The hand-held receiver can be used separately or in combination with the PDA for map display. Having two gadgets could be annoying and uncomfortable particularly since they are wired, but unless you can afford a more sophisticated solution, you can very well do with it. Other than this handling difficulty, the Pocket PC with the included GPS device provide both good hardware options, Windows Mobile software and lots of mapping possibilities. The Pocket PC GPS unit of the future will share all these features in one unit alone.