Three Solid Arguments for Buying a GPS Over Using Your iPhone

Imagine a fantastical world in which one gadget handled everything for you - your phone calls, your e-mails, your GPS, your entertainment.

Okay, so maybe that's not exactly such a stretch these days, considering that gadgets like the iPhone and other smart phones are basically changing the very infrastructure of our business and personal lives.

But when one gadget handles everything, is it really such a bargain, or are there places where we should simply expect two different products to handle more than one job? If you ask me, there's a lot of solid arguments to be made to keep your GPS separate from your iPhone.

Why bring it up? Because with Applications like the TomTom App for the iPhone are turning our iPhones into our own personal navigators, and we're not so sure that this is the greatest evolution in the history of technology. If you're intrigued by our position, read on:

Argument #1: GPS navigation is expensive in iPhones anyway.

A decent GPS device will set you back at least a hundred dollars these days, but many iPhone Applications that use the same type of technology are similar in price - perhaps a little cheaper. If you look at the difference, there's not a big disparity in the price between dedicated GPS devices and iPhones that have GPS applications installed on them. You've already spent a lot of money to Buy a iPhone, so why spend more?  Though it looks flashy to have your iPhone handle your GPS for you, you don't exactly become James Bond simply because your iPhone handles more than one task.

If you're going to buy a GPS for a hundred dollars or more, then you  might as well buy a GPS for a hundred dollars or more. Let your iPhone handle everything else - after all, that's what it does - but leave the navigating to a GPS device that you don't mind sticking on your windshield.

Argument #2: Making your iPhone act as a GPS can be inconvenient.

If you pay, say, $30 more for a GPS device rather than an iPhone App, why is that so extravagant? After all, you can leave your GPS in your car (provided it's in a secure place) and take your iPhone with you. If you're navigating and you need to talk on the phone (hands-free, of course), then you can still do that. But if someone calls you while you're navigating, suddenly it's not so convenient to have your all-in-one gadget, is it?

There's a reason your iPhone doesn't unfold and become your car - not counting the fact that we, uh, don't have the technology for it. That reason is simple: your car is for driving and your iPhone is for communicating and its other features. Until they event the car/phone that allows you to fold up your car and put it in your pocket, there's a good reason to keep some of your technology separated.

Argument #3: It's easier to sell a used GPS.

Once you have a GPS App, you'll always have it, but that can be a disadvantage. If you want to keep your options flexible, you can always sell a used GPS device because it's just that - a used GPS device. You could, of course, sell your iPhone along with its navigation App, but that might require selling more than you wanted to. De-centralizing authority from your iPhone can be a good idea if you ever want to get rid of the GPS device or sell it for some much-needed rent money.

What you decide is, of course, up to you, but we recommend that you take your car-driving very seriously and spare no expense when it comes to common sense driving and safety.