Don't want to ask for directions? Use a GPS navigator

New Delhi: There are some people are afraid to ask for directions. And if you are one of them, here is a tech alternative — the navigator.

The navigator is a pocket size GPS device that determines your location through satellites. Since it already knows where you are, all you need to do is enter a destination through the touchscreen anywhere across 18 cities of the country.

You are guided turn-by-turn with voice prompts and you can even search for points of interest. The navigator has a 1 GIG SG card which lets you store and play music and videos, but they're not much to talk about.

So what makes this GPS system stand apart?

Says Rohan Verma of CE Infosystems — the company behind the navigator, "The GPS system is a seamless map across the country that takes you to any city anywhere and even lets you choose your vantage points."

CE infosystems provide map data for Airtel GPS, Yahoo India maps and for 500 other companies. They also created mapmyindia.com, an online interactive map that calculates the shortest route from point to point.

Linked to this is the navigator's website. Any discrepancies in the navigator's maps may be recorded in the website, which will then be rectified in the half-yearly updates, the first being this November.

There are a number of people who constantly go round the country, updating maps constantly.

Good Features

• The maps are fairly accurate and calculate the straightest route

• It is pocketsize, handy and looks cool

• It is a fairly responsive touchscreen

• It memorises destinations, suggests better routes

Bad Parts

• The navigator is slightly overpriced (Rs 20,000 in Delhi and Rs 21,000 Rest Of India)

• The software hangs

• The maps need updates now

• The music and video players are a bit juvenile

At Rs 20,000 in Delhi and Rs 21,000 in the rest of the country, it is a tad overpriced, but with an update coming in soon and a souped up version to release in the near future, you can give this a go.