This is nice to know in a tight economy when you don’t want to break your budget. When shopping, look for well-known brands that have stood the test of time.

For example, many college students, moms, dads and others not looking to part with much cash have opted for the Magellan RoadMate 1412--one of the most well-known and affordable GPS solutions on the market.

The ultraslim, pocket-sized gadget features a large, wide, 4.3-inch, anti-glare touch screen, along with a simple and intuitive user interface. And in spite of its low price tag, the GPS still boasts a few premier features, including QuickSpell, for fast input with a minimal amount of keystrokes.

The device also comes with a SmartDetour function that helps users avoid construction and traffic. Plus, the unit features 2-D and 3-D map views, as well as a trip computer and planner, which can help you map out direct--and fuel-saving--routes to destinations.

The GPS device will talk to you like most GPS devices, but this one also announces street names and direction of each turn-letting you keep your eyes off the device and on the road.

Finally, when you’re traveling away from home, you can use it to access preloaded road maps of the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada and Alaska, as well as more than 6 million points of interest.

For more information, visit www.magellangps.com.