This article is specifically about after-market GPS receivers. You know, the kind you see on people's dashboards. I'm not talking about the in-dash variety, nor am I talking about the hand-held variety--the kind you take hiking.

GPS receivers have really caught on lately. And with the spike in gas prices, I think they'll be a hot item for quite a while. They sell anywhere from $200 to almost $1,000. But with gas at over $4.00 a gallon, that could easily pay for itself!

The best way to understand how to pick out the right GPS receiver is to do a quick auto gps comparison. Let's talk about who the best manufacturers for these things are, and then about the features you get when you buy one.

There are three main manufacturers of GPS receivers, Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. All three make a great product, and all three are very competitive with each other both on features and price. Garmin is the industry leader. Magellan was actually one of the first companies to figure out this technology, and Tom Tom is the new kid on the block.

When you buy a GPS receiver, you get the same basic features.

All GPS devices can do the following:

* Show you were you are on an electronic map

* Tell you where to turn to get to where you want to go

* Interface with you via a touch screen

* Tell you where certain things are like gas stations, restaurants, and other Points of Interest (POIs)

* Include maps of the lower 48 US states

* Calculate the shortest or fastest route

So, even the cheapest GPS receiver can do all of this. If that's all you need, then you can get a device that can do this for right around $150!

But before you buy, you might want to think about some of these cool upgraded features. For not too much more money, your GPS receiver can do a whole lot more.

For more money you can get:

* More extensive maps, including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, and Europe

* Bigger screen

* Bluetooth technology integrated in the system, for hands-free calling

* Real-time traffic and weather

* FM transmission, so you can hear your device through your car's own stereo sound system

* Much larger and more extensive POI database

* Multiple route calculation, so you can enter more than one destination in at one time

These upgrades are worth looking into. You can get a lot of this stuff for under $350! That might be money well spent, because you're going to be happier with your choice and want to keep it for a longer time--before you trade it in for a more powerful model.

Now that you're read this auto gps comparison, your next step is to find an informative website where you can read about individual devices and learn more about prices.