Consumers finding their way to portable GPS

Lower prices, greater public awareness and increasingly sophisticated features in consumer GPS and other portable navigation devices will lead to a 53 percent increase in the size of the market segment overall this year, according to consumer technology analysts at IDC. Portable Navigation Devices, or PNDs, enjoy the most popularity in Western Europe and the United States, respectively. IDC predicts that next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing will spark a growth in the market for PND’s in Asia, as visitors, residents and athletes try to navigate their way to the games. IDC also said that in addition to navigational aid, growth in the market will also be spurred by further installation of GPS-enabled devices in things like golf carts.