Market Overview

Handheld GPS

Specialized handheld GPS and portable navigation devices have proven extremely popular in Europe. Perhaps taking some market watchers by surprise, these handy little devices from manufacturers such as TomTom, Garmin and Magellan give consumers a quick and easy way to pinpoint their location, an especially appealing capability when in a confusing European city. More recently, word about these devices seems to have reached the ears of traveling Americans and Canadians, as shipments in North America soared to 15 million in 2005. Now, with the popularity of GPS for navigational and recreational use growing, analysts expect handheld GPS and portable navigation devices to rake in $2.5B worldwide in 2010.