The GPS field is very crowded these days. But there’s one manufacturer, Cydle, you might not have heard about—yet. That could change as the upstart company plans to introduce some interesting auto electronics products later this year.

I first ran across Cydle at the 2010 International CES in Las Vegas. While I’m waiting for the release of some of their other products, I wanted to check out their T43H GPS.

The T43H navigator offers turn-by-turn directions with a bright, clear and wide (4.3″) screen. The maps seemed accurate in my driving and the receiver was solid, with quick satellite locks and no dropped signals. It comes with pre-loaded maps for the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

One unique feature is a built-in FM and HD radio. It may seem a bit self-defeating to listen to HD radio on the small built-in speaker on the GPS unit. But there is an audio output in case you want to listen with better-quality speakers in your car.

The T43H also maps and displays traffic information that’s fed over HD Radio signals. I didn’t receive any alerts while driving around Dallas. But at the time, there were no major wrecks or traffic jams. According to Cydle, HD Radio traffic updates normally require a paid subscription, but the T43H receives them without charge.

The GPS unit also includes a media player for pictures, video and audio. And there’s a slot for an SDHC card to add up to 16 gb of memory.

One really nice feature is a display of the speed limit on major roads. And the T43H will give an audio warning if you’re driving more than five miles per hour over the limit.

In a side-by-side comparison with my Garmin GPS, I found the audio cues from the Garmin to be louder and more distinct. The Cydle sounded a bit muffled, but still understandable most of the time.

I also thought the screen layout of the Garmin was less cluttered, and found some of the information on the Cydle screen (such as time, arrival time and distance to turns) was too small for my liking.

Cydle’s suction-cup mount works very well. I still prefer Garmin’s combination mount and power cord, which is sleeker and not as bulky.

The list price for the T43H is $279.99, with a 24% discount currently offered at Amazon.

Overall, the T43H performs well. And it also offers a glimpse at what’s coming in the future.

Cydle is also working to add features such as Bluetooth, Mobile TV, Wi-Fi and more. The company plans to launch other GPS units with 5″ and 7″ touch screens and Blackbox, a camera to record your driving data.

Also in the works is the Cydle M7, a mobile Internet device that will run on Google’s Android operating system and offer features such as Mobile TV, a camera and camcorder.

Cydle is not yet a household name. But if the company is able to deliver on its vision for mobile devices, that could change very quickly.