I always use a GPS, but I rarely set a route on it. I have a Garmin unit mounted to my windshield that automatically comes on with the ignition[1], and it acts

I always use a GPS, but I rarely set a route on it. I have a Garmin unit mounted to my windshield that automatically comes on with the ignition[1], and it acts as an omnipresent 3D map. This actually aids my understanding of a city, because now I know the name of every cross street[2], can recognise roads by their shape, and can see where I've been before[3]. I prefer a standalone Garmin unit over Google Maps because it's automatically present, it's actually readable, I can control the zoom level at will, and it doesn't use data / I don't have to keep offline maps up-to-date. [1] I added a switched 12V outlet so I could get this behaviour. Many new cars are like this by default, but not mine. [2] My GPS shows the next street as "Pine St ahead" in place of the next turn when a route is not set. Actually super handy. Also, all roads on the map have large, clear labels, so I can also see parallel roads, etc., unlike Google Maps. [3] My GPS paints a blue trail behind me on the map, so once I've driven through an area, I can just glance at the paint line to orient myself.