About this time of year we start getting itchy feet. Sitting at home watching YouTube clips and American Idol while the rain drips down the window just doesn't cut it any more - we want to be out on the open road or, failing that, at least out in the open air, exploring new lands and admiring previously unknown landscapes.
Travel: there's nothing like it. And, thanks to satellite navigation, it's easier than ever. Tell your portable device where you want to go and whether you'll be using pedal power or putting foot to metal, and it'll cleverly plot a suitable route. But whether this should be a PND - a portable navigation device that sits on your dashboard - or a smartphone with onboard maps remains to be seen.
Today's satnavs can work out the most pleasant route as well as the speediest, or even the most economical. We also expect our trusty TomTom or Garmin to be able to show us which lane to take when we negotiate a junction. In fact, what we now term a 'satnav' is much more than a mere 'get me from A to B' device.
Maps are updated by everyday road users, as well as by the companies that produce the maps and software interfaces. TomTom pioneered the concept of real-time navigation that varied according to the time of day and the day of the week. The result is that you may be shown a direct route through town on one occasion but a more circuitous one during rush hour.
An adjunct to this is the traffic management console (TMC), which receives frequent updates about traffic jams and incidents that may affect your journey. When choosing a satnav it pays to check whether the unit comes with TMC and whether this is offered as a separate unit with antenna, is built in or is an upgrade option. Also watch out for the subscription costs associated with real-time traffic updates.
Satnavs: no substitute for common sense
There's been more than a little backlash against satnavs, too. While reports of lorries getting stuck down narrow, unmetalled roads are no longer common, navigational mistakes still happen - whether because the driver blithely followed directions against their common sense or because the mapping information was at fault.
Look for a 'lorry' or 'biker' mode as a way to cut down on these sorts of mistakes. And remember satnavs aren't infallible. Sometimes they lose their way if they can't get a decent satellite fix; other times what looks like a through road actually goes through a field.
Handsets such as the Nokia N95, BlackBerry and iPhone have large screens that lend themselves to presenting maps. But they're not primed with all the mapping detail required for any given journey. Some smartphones need to pull this info from the web - a slower process than retrieving it from onboard memory or an SD Card.
Mobile phones have portability and convenience on their side - you'll probably have one with you in any case, so you're not adding to the amount you need to carry if you use Google, Nokia or BlackBerry Maps to help you get about. More sophisticated maps can also be added to smartphones.
We look at options from CoPilot and the AA in this round-up, along with specialist smartphone-based software for walkers and cyclists. PNDs often come with walking options, so don't discount being able to use yours for exploring unknown cities as well as driving.
Over the following pages, we look at what does and doesn't work with the latest PNDs and GPS-enabled smartphones. Just don't give up on your map-reading skills entirely.
Group test: personal navigation device reviews
* TomTom XL IQ Routes Edition review
Group test: GPS-enabled smartphone
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