GO GADGETSVEHICLE SATNAVS are helpful for navigating an urban labyrinth, but not as useful as a map when it comes to steering through the wilds of somewhere like the fractured limestone hills of west Co Clare.
Or so it was in the Burren, when something odd happened to the TomTom Go930 (below), which costs €426 from http://pixmania.co.uk. Minor roads simply didn't exist on it and marked roads were misplaced. It was easier to switch it off and look at the map.
But it was a different story in the city, where the machine's IQ routes function picks different paths depending on the time of day, and day of the week. A light sensor adjusts the brightness of the display and members of the "TomTom community" give updates on road closures.
The community spirit is strong in town but a bit weak on the M6, where the device steers westbound motorists off the main road and through the bottleneck of Kilbeggan. On our return, the device insisted we leave the motorway about 30 minutes out of Dublin. Presumably there were once roadworks at the site.
More helpfully, the Go930 tells you the speed limit of the road you're on, and will display the location of speed cameras when they're finally installed.
Garmin's eTrex Summit (left), which costs €245 from www.greatout doors.ie, is for walkers, and it would help you find Poulnabrone in the Burren when the rain scours the hills and the mist hangs low. The combination GPS, altimeter and electronic compass is waterproof, gives you your bearings when still, and your rate of ascent and speed when on the move.
Of course, you could always buy a map and a decent compass, like a Silva Ranger 3 baseline compass (€19.41 from www.ukge.co.uk). You'll never need to worry about malfunction or flat batteries.