Mechanicsburg, Pa. - For the first time during a holiday shopping season, some portable GPS units are $100 or less. That's why they're proving to be a hot gift this year.

He couldn't walk by the display at Walmart in Mechanicsburg without taking a good long look. Denny Shively of Dillsburg has been considering a portable GPS for years, but the high price always turned him off. Now, he's turned the corner.

"That's why I waited until now," said Shively. "We're looking for either a Garmin or a Tom-Tom, maybe even a Magellan. I don't know yet which one I'm going to buy."

People who dished out big money years ago when portable GPS first appeared can't believe what units for $100 or less can do now.

"It was probably maybe a year after they came out, I paid over $800 for the unit," said Jim Bush of York Haven.

Companies like Garmin are now adding wide screens and Bluetooth phone technology to GPS units, hoping to still attract premium buyers.

A hundred dollars or hundreds of dollars, Bush said once you have one, you'll wonder how you lived without it.

Some people are still confused by portable navigation units. There is no monthly or annual fee once you buy the unit, but there is a charge if you want to update the map data after a couple of years or so.

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