Dear SavvyStacy:

GPS units are becoming so unbelievably popular and many cars have them pre-installed. However, there are after-market versions for vehicles and personal units for those who walk, hike, golf, etc.

Two questions: my husband wants a version for his vehicle and it looks like there are some good prices out there right now – what are your thoughts on a good, fairly inexpensive automobile unit? Second question: if you had a grown son that did a lot of traveling for work, do you think he’d want a hand-held unit for when he’s doing a lot of moving around in unfamiliar cities, or do you think he already has something like that available to him via his Blackberry/cell phone service?

Thank you,

Technically-Challenged Christmas Shopper

Dear Challenged,

You're right. GPS units are all over ads. It's a hot Christmas item. When I'm looking for advice on a specific item, I first go to Amazon and do a search. In this case, I would do a search for GPS and then look for the "user ratings" in the results. I love this about Amazon. You can immediately read reviews from real people who actually have the product. It's great.

That's a good start, but then with something as popular as a GPS unit, I think you should expand your research a bit. With a quick Google search, I found a Consumer Reports article that actually rated GPS reviews given by companies. Isn't that crazy? A review that rates reviews? Here's the article. I did a quick look at the sources they recommend and my immediate favorite was this GPS Tracklog. It's in a blog style, so it's very user friendly. I think you would find this site very helpful. One of my favorite parts of this site is the first item on the left hand side. It's a link to Holiday GPS deals. Here, they keep on top of the deals going around.

Finally, if you want just a simple solution, just go to the GPS Bestsellers list here on Amazon. After all, if everyone else is buying one, they must be getting it for some reason, right? Actually, I did peek on there and most of the "bestsellers" listed had very good reviews. So I don't really think you can go wrong, but at least this should help you navigate through all the information.

Regarding your second question, if your grown son is up on technology and travels with things like a Blackberry, laptop, etc., then I don't think a GPS unit is necessary. I think he'll probably get his information elsewhere (or from cabs).

One last piece of advice. You could always just give your GPS unit to your husband and buy yourself a fancy new car with a GPS built in. I don't know that it saves money, but it would be savvy if you could pull it off.