We're wondering if anyone uses a Thomas Guide anymore-or more specifically, whether ours will become a collector's item worth a few bills in about 10 years. (We figure if musclecars are going for $2 mil at auctions, everything automotive will be valuable in the future!) No one seems to use this dandy reference book, instead heading to Mapquest or Yahoo! Maps for directions (Godspeed).
However, even those two driving assistance options are quickly becoming old school, as this is officially the age of GPS and navigation systems. Even rental cars now come with the technology. And Microsoft and Volkswagen have buddied up to design 3D in-car navigation that will be so advanced, you actually will be able to match the topography on-screen with what's outside of the vehicle (think urban settings, like buildings). There's no denying navigation systems are hot right now, whether handheld or in-car, street-oriented units or devices for The Great Outdoors.
Unit: Blackbird
What it is: Portable navigation
Features: Has maps for the U.S. and Canada. Also offers driving directions and a traffic and weather service (no additional hardware needed for that).
Also: Can be used for navigation as well as for playing MP3s
MSRP: $750 (docking station is separate)
Who's got it: Alpine Electronics of America, www.alpine-usa.com
Unit: A2 Attitude
What it is: A diesel controller with GPS
Features: Five power levels to choose from on the fly allow for adding up to 125 more horsepower, with integrated GPS navigation with verbal directions, ETA, points of interest, and rerouting. It also can tell you 0-60 mph and 11/44-mile times.
Also: A wireless back-up camera is coming
MSRP: With U.S. maps, it's $1,199, U.S. and Canada, $1,219, or just Canada, $1,159.
Who's got it: Edge Products, 888/360-3343 or 801/476-3343, www.edgeproducts.com
Unit: GPSMAP 376C
What it is: Portable GPS for loading topo maps for four wheeling
Features: It can store up to 3,000 waypoints, has alarms (such as if you go off course), and is waterproof.
Also: It's XM-capable, so you can get XM radio and XM WX Satellite Weather
MSRP: $999.99 (XM service starts at $12.99)
Who's got it: Garmin Intl., 800/800-1020, www.garmin.com
Unit: NAV ONE 4500
What it is: Portable navigation
Features: It has a matchbook-sized traffic receiver, 7.6 million points of interest, and personalized route preference.
Also: There's a function for comparing two routes
MSRP: $1,099.95
Who's got it: Cobra Electronics, 773/889-3087, www.cobra.com
Unit: CoPilot Live/Pocket PC 6
What it is: Navigation software for mobile phones and PDAs
Features: There's turn-by-turn voice guidance, a zip-code and points-of-interest search, and detailed street maps.
Also: Live tracking and Internet messaging, so people can monitor your progress while on the road (yup, your friends can be Big Brother).
MSRP: $299
Who's got it: ALK Technologies, 888/872-8768, www.alk.com
Unit: GlobalMap Baja 480c
What it is: Mobile GPS designed for backcountry travel
Features: The sealed, weatherproof, and shock resistant system has memory-card versatility for recording trail info; maps for on-road use, too.
Also: Can store 1,000 waypoints, 1,000 event markers, 100 routes, 100 retraceable plot trails, and 10,000 points in any trail.
MSRP: $549
Who's got it: Lowrance, 800/324-1356 (U.S.) or 800/661-3983 (Canada), www.lowrance.com
Unit: Terrain Navigator Pro
What it is: Topographical-map and aerial-photo software
Features: It has GPS interactivity, Shapefile export, street-address overlays, and 3D maps
Also: The "route polygon" tool allows for drawing right on the topo map.
SRP: $299.95
Who's got it: Maptech, 888/839-5551, www.maptech.com