Easy DIY: Voice-Guided GPS for Under $200

Ever since I rented a car in France that accidentally came with a free voice-guided GPS system, I have been lusting and drooling over every car commercial and product page I see that sports an in-dash mapping system. That in-car GPS system literally saved our trip in the French countryside with maddening traffic circles and little roads no one would find with a map. Miss a turn and it simply found a new route, announcing every move in a collected and cheery English woman’s voice. We called her “the lady” and she became like a friend on the trip.

Since then, I have had my eye on many products like a few Garmin and Tom Tom Go devices, but the prices are mind boggling. Some close to a thousand. You can also add in GPS capability to your PDA but I always wonder about accuracy if you aren’t outside walking around. I also don’t use a traditional PDA and nothing is available for the Blackberry.

And then it hit me. I have a $1,000+ device. It’s called a laptop. Why not harness my laptop that I seem to haul with me everywhere anyway into an in-car GPS system?

Read the complete Voice-Guided GPS for Under $200 Project