page_title: Satellite navigation device
section_title: Dedicated GNSS navigation devices
hierarchical_section_title: Satellite navigation device / Consumer applications / Dedicated GNSS navigation devices
caption_attribution_description: English: Taxi ride through Kyoto, GPS navigation system installed.
context_page_description: A Satellite navigation device, colloquially called a GPS receiver, or simply a GPS, is a device that is capable of receiving information from GNSS satellites and then to calculate the device's geographical position. Using suitable software, the device may display the position on a map, and it may offer routing directions. The Global Positioning System is one of a handful of global navigation satellite systems made up of a network of a minimum of 24, but currently 30, satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense.
  GPS was originally developed for use by the United States military, but in the 1980s, the United States government allowed the system to be used for civilian purposes. Though the GPS satellite data is free and works anywhere in the world, the GPS device and the associated software must be bought or rented.
  A satellite navigation device can retrieve location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth. GPS reception requires an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites, and is subject to poor satellite signal conditions.
context_section_description: Dedicated devices have various degrees of mobility. Hand-held, outdoor, or sport receivers have replaceable batteries that can run them for several hours, making them suitable for hiking, bicycle touring and other activities far from an electric power source. Their screens are small, and some do not show color, in part to save power. Some use transflective liquid-crystal displays, allowing use in bright sunlight. Cases are rugged and some are water-resistant.
  Other receivers, often called mobile are intended primarily for use in a car, but have a small rechargeable internal battery that can power them for an hour or two away from the car. Special purpose devices for use in a car may be permanently installed and depend entirely on the automotive electrical system.
  The pre-installed embedded software of early receivers did not display maps; 21st-century ones commonly show interactive street maps (of certain regions) that may also show points of interest, route information and step-by-step routing directions, often in spoken form with a feature called "text to speech".
  Manufacturers include:
  Navman products
  TomTom products
  Garmin products
  Mio products
  Navigon products
  Magellan Navigation consumer products
  Satmap Systems Ltd
  TeleType products
caption: A taxi equipped with GPS
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