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Even if you bought a GPS after May 2000, when the Department of Defense stopped hogging all the high-accuracy signals, it�s time to shop again. Smaller sizes, better LCDs, uploadable maps, and advanced navigational apps make last year�s systems seem as crude as directions scribbled on a napkin.
SPLURGE
Garmin eTrex Vista
Designed for both mountain climbers and urban explorers, the eTrex is small yet powerful. It features an altimeter, a compass, and a hi-res display, plus 24 Mbytes of onboard memory for storing detailed maps you�ve plotted on your PC (plan to spend a few hundred extra bucks on software). A joystick-driven interface makes managing routes, notes, and other data alternately fun and frustrating. Pack the manual.
$350, www.garmin.com.
BEST BUY
Lowrance iFinder Express
Underneath its cutesy colored faceplate, the iFinder houses a larger display than other, pricier units, yet it�s still slim enough to slip into a coat pocket. Like the eTrex, this handheld comes with a buoyant waterproof case. The configuration is perfect for road warriors: It includes a 32-Mbyte memory card preloaded with nationwide details and points of interest, eliminating the need for PCs, CDs, and cables.
$249, www.lowrance.com.
OVERRATED
Magellan GPS Companion Palm m500
Great for tech trade shows, but don�t take it off-road. This hot-selling device clips onto a Palm or Handspring PDA, in theory leveraging the ample CPU, OS, and display to form the ultimate mapping GPS. In practice, however, the Companion proves slow to determine and track your position. Worst of all, you can�t overlay a route on a map — the separate Palm OS apps for mapping and navigating don�t interoperate.
$200, www.magellangps.com.
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Gear Mama
REUBEN WU Ladytron The tunes at the top of his playlist:
.hack Attack
The Risk Taker Returns
Jesse James� Wild Rides
Streaming Consciousness
Strip Mining
Valley of the Kings, edited by Kent R. Weeks
Desktop Hijinks
Graphic Language
Too Cool for Cash
Beta Suite
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