Voice-prompted navigation is nothing new-but choosing whose voice is telling you to hang that left is! Enter Navtones (www.navtones.com), which allows you to pick celebrity dulcet tones to get you to your destination, including Mr. T, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, and Bubba (Harold Roscoe Jenkins Jr. IV). Voices are available for $10 each; Navtones is supported by TomTom and many other navigation systems.
Unit: explorist XL
What it is: Handheld GPS receiver
Features: Has a built-in base map of major roads, highways, and airports. You can download MapSend software to drive to the destination, then switch to the Topo 3D software to venture onto trails.
Also: It can store an unlimited number of waypoints and routes.
MSRP: $449
Who's got it: Magellan, 909/394-5000, www.magellangps.com
Unit: Pharos Traveler GPS 525
What it is: Pocket GPS with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Windows Mobile 5.0 software
Features: It has preloaded maps of 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, can sync up with Outlook contacts, and has voice-guided directions, points of interest, and multistop routing.
Also: You can do high-speed downloads of maps and get real-time traffic details.
MSRP: $599.95 (there's also a $50 mail-in rebate)
Who's got it: CompUSA, 800/COMP-USA, www.compusa.com (for more details, www.pharosgps.com)
Unit: nav-u
What it is: Handheld navigation
Features: Will help map a destination, avoid traffic, and find points of interest.
Also: A DVD-ROM with full maps of Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico is included.
MSRP: $600
Who's got it: Sony, www.sonystyle.com
Unit: Street & Trips with GPS Locator
What it is: Map and travel-planning software for the U.S. and Canada
Features: Voice-prompted directions, 1.8-million points of interest, and re-route alert. Even road-construction updates are part of the package.
Also: Stick the plug-and-play GPS receiver into a notebook PC USB port to view maps and travel routes in real time.
MSRP: $129.95
Who's got it: Microsoft, 888/218-5617, www.microsoft.com/streets
Unit: Turn-By-Turn Navigation
What it is: Factory-installed GPS
Features: You can talk to a live advisor, who will then send step-by-step directions to the vehicle via the OnStar system.
Also: This will be standard in about 1 million '07 GM cars and trucks
MSRP: To be announced
Who's got it: OnStar, www.onstar.com
Unit: Trimble Outdoors
What it is: Software that works with GPS-enabled cell phones and conventional GPS receivers
Features: There are three components: Adventure Planner software, Trimble Outdoors GPS Java application available on many Nextel phones for off-pavement navigation, and the Trimble Web site for researching trips posted by users.
Also: You can add photos or notes to your trip route
MSRP: The service varies, from $6.99-$20 per month. However, Motorola GPS-enabled cell phones with Trimble Outdoors (i415 or i855) already installed run $230 and $385.
Who's got it: Your cell-phone provider, but for more details visit www.trimbleoutdoors.com
Unit: X9i
What it is: Trail-ready GPS wrist-top computer
Features: Download waypoints and routes from TOPO! Software, then it will display directions, distance to waypoints, current speed, distance traveled, and ETA.
Also: Includes an altimeter, barometer, and 3D compass
MSRP: $499
Who's got it: www.suunto.com, or such dealers as REI and Sport Chalet