Galileo GPS Solutions

Handheld GPS units are extremely popular for a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, geocaching, hunting, kayaking, snowshoeing, and skiing. Although there are many different GPS manufacturers to choose from there are six main manufacturers that are extremely popular for handheld GPS devices. Each company has their own unique models to choose from.

Below are the six most popular manufacturers to consider when searching for a GPS device.

GPS Manufacturers

Garmin
Garmin is likely one of the most popular manufacturers for GPS units as well as many other products. Garmin began its business 21 years ago in 1989. They comprised at that time of a few engineers who got together to develop and construct navigation and communication devices. Today Garmin has offices all over the world and well over 7,000 employees. They design and market units for:

• Automotive navigation
• Marine devices
• Aviation
• Fitness
• Wireless GPS for smart phones
• Outdoor receivers

The Garmin handheld GPS units are well known for offering great quality as well as the latest technology. They are often voted the best in their class.

At the moment Garmin is the only one available in Kenya.

Magellan
The Magellan Corporation has changed ownership and name several times. The original Magellan Corporation was founded in 1986 but in 2001 they were acquired by Thales, a large electronics company. In 2006 Thales Navigation was purchased by Shah Capital Partners who changed the name to Magellan. Then in 2009 they were bought out again by MiTAC International Corporation. The consumer GPS units are still marketed under the Magellan brand. They have an extensive line of handhelds as well as automotive navigation devices. Despite the constant change of ownership Magellan still does and always has produced good quality GPS units.

DeLorme
DeLorme has been in business since 1976. They create technology, mapping products, and data not only for consumers but also for professionals. Although they always produced great quality products they really earned a name for themselves in the 1990’s when they pioneered GPS solutions for laptops, Palm OS devices, Pocket PC’s and recently for Bluetooth applications and color topographic maps and aerial imagery. They have a fairly good selection of handheld units to choose from.

Lowrance
Lowrance Electronics Inc. is one of the oldest GPS manufacturers. They began in 1957 and have a pioneer in developing Global Positioning System mapping instruments. They have an extensive line of SONAR and GPS units for outdoor recreation as units for aviation, marine and automotive. They have a decent selection of handheld GPS units.

Bushnell
Bushnell offers a wide range of outdoor technology tools such as binoculars, scopes, rangefinders, trail cameras, flashlights and of course handheld GPS units. They have been in the high performance sports optics industry for over 50 years. They only have a few handheld GPS receivers but they are tailored for all outdoor activities. More basic in design and features than the other GPS manufacturers listed above their units are ideal for any sportsman looking for a GPS device made simple.

TomTom

TomTom is a Dutch manufacturer of GPS navigation systems, including both stand-alone units and software for personal digital assistants and mobile telephones. It is the leading manufacturer of navigation systems in Europe.