GPS units are cool toys. Don’t get me wrong, they’re serious devices for some people. I wish to god my cab drivers used them. But for the most part, they’re not essential: we’ve survived thousands of years without them, so it’s time to admit that they’re a convenience.

So while I could live without it, I’d rather not. And fortunately for all of us, there are now two flavors: stand-alone GPS units that mount on your dash or handlebars, and cell phone GPS, which uses your cellular network for the data, which the phone itself receives the coordinates.

Now, we’ve done our own rundown of the various types of GPS units out there, but Laptop on Tuesday put together a GPS vs. Cellular GPS shootout that goes beyond the scope of our own guide. It’s well thought out and easy to understand. Have a look if you’d like to understand a little more the differences between having a GPS unit vs. having GPS on your phone. We personally are more than happy with the phone version, but, then, we tend to know where we’re going.

GPS vs. Cell Phone GPS [Laptop]