Most GPS's available these days are easy to operate, quite accurate and will do all the things you mentioned and more. That being said, they are electronic devices requiring batteries and connections to navigational satellites which may or may not be in a position to provide a reading. I have had one fail on more than one occasion. GPS's, in my opinion, are a great addition to a compass butthey won't replace one. I carry both. If I'm carring just one, it's a compass.