Another bluetooth gps tip Authority Site: May 23, 2008

Friday, May 23, 2008

Why I Like garmin gps units

A Quest For The Perfect GPS

By Billy Bert

So you've finally decided you're going to purchase a GPS unit. Now the only question is what to get.

In an ideal world, the GPS unit you purchased would be portable, have great battery life, be able to hold all maps in memory, give perfect driving directions, have a bright color screen, plan an alternate route in heavy traffic, be rugged and waterproof, and be able to communicate easily with other electronic devices. And, you would get all of this at an affordable price.

I have good news and bad news. The good news - all of those features are available on GPS systems. The bad news - no GPS system offers all of them on one unit.

When youre out shopping for a new GPS unit, there are four main types of GPS devices youll encounter: the GPS car navigation system, the handheld GPS, the boat GPS, and the PDA/GPS hybrid.

The car navigation system most luxury models now offer built in navigation systems - its even standard on some. Its also becoming common to find a navigation system as an option for mainstream vehicles. However, if a built in system isnt an option for your new car, or if you plan on putting GPS in your current vehicle, theres always the dash mountable option. Companies such as TomTom, Garmin, and Magellan offer some of the more popular dash mountable GPS devices.

Features youre likely to get with an in car system include: a color screen; voice guided directions; information about gas stations, hotels, and other points of interest along your route; the ability to calculate a new route should you get off course; and the ability to get traffic information so you can avoid heavy congestion (frequently offered as a per month subscription service). Car navigation GPS tend to be the most expensive with built in systems costing upwards of $2000 in many vehicles. Good dash mountable devices typically cost around $1000 although less expensive options are available.

The Handheld GPS Device The GPS devices designed for outdoor enthusiasts are the most affordable type of GPS unit. Low end models cost as little as $100. High-end models cost about $500. These units are great to have if you spend a lot of time hiking or camping. They are also the type of GPS units anyone who wants to start geocaching (http://www.gpsmaestro.com/geocaching) will want to use. Some of the features youll find on a these units: base maps of parks, lakes and mountains where you plan on hiking; a built in compass, the ability to input coordinates; chart plotting so you can tell where youve been and can retrace your path if necessary; color or monochrome displays depending on the model; an altimeter; a rugged durable housing; and water resistance or full waterproofing.

One high end outdoor unit, the Rino series by Garmin, even offers a built in two- way radio, an NOAA weather receiver, and position reporting capability which allows you to see the position of all the people in your group that have one of the devices. Youre even able to poll this GPS unit for its position if a member of your party should become incapacitated. If you want the capability to still have in-car navigation once in a while, these units can be attached to a laptop running navigation software to help guide you to your destination.

The Marine GPS If youll be spending most of your time on the water with your GPS, then a marine GPS unit is your best choice. Some of the features youll frequently find on marine GPS devices are: color chart plotters; screens that are easily visible - even in bright sunlight; sonar capability; and onshore/offshore maps. Some new units even offer weather service integration with specific information for boaters, and automobile navigation so you dont need to purchase two separate units. Marine GPS units fall in between the portable outdoor units and the car navigation systems in price, with many good marine GPS unit costing around $1000.

The PDA/GPS Hybrid If youre looking for a jack of all trades GPS device, then you may want to consider the PDA/GPS hybrid units. Many of these systems are full featured PDAs with built in GPS capabilities. You can also purchase a separate unit if you already have a PDA and just want to add on GPS. These separate units will connect to your PDA via Bluetooth, serial cables, or USB cables depending on the capabilities of your PDA.

The PDA/GPS units are great combinations for a person who is always on the move. They allow you to stay organized and will also guide you to wherever it is you want to go. The one drawback to this combination is that there always seems to be something that is sacrificed.

By purchasing an all-in-one unit, many times you get a pretty good GPS but only an okay PDA. If you purchase a top of the line PDA and then add a GPS receiver to it, you have the inconvenience of carrying along extra devices, along with needing more plugs to keep things charged. These setups tend to be more economical than in-car navigation devices though, running around $500 for all-in-one units to $900 if you decide to purchase a high end PDA and a high end Bluetooth device to synch with it.

Although there is currently not an ideal GPS unit that does everything perfectly, there are still many excellent options available. The trick to finding the right GPS for you is to decide how the GPS is likely to be used most often. If you spend most of your time on the road, then the in-car system is most likely your best bet. If you spend most of your time hiking or geocaching, then a portable unit will likely serve you better. If you plan on doing a little of everything, you may want to consider a PDA/GPS hybrid model.

Billy Bert writes for http://www.surevehicletracking.info where you can find out more about cheap hotels and other topics.

About The Author

Billy Bert writes for http://www.surevehicletracking.info where you can find out more about cheap hotels and other topics.

Qualcomm's Vision of the Wireless Future "When he finished, there were 20 brand-new, CDMA-based mobile handsets and devices arrayed on the table, the high-tech souvenirs of Belk's most recent trip to Hong Kong and Japan.... 'These are not PowerPoint slides,' Belk said. 'These are real devices that are already shipping in volume in Asia.' " at Business 2.0]

And there's the rub. When I do my presentations, that's all I have - pictures of prototypes or of devices not available in the U.S. Europe and Asia really are 18 months ahead of us in this area.

"Beale also discussed Qualcomm's gpsOne location technology.... It also opens the door for many new location-based services, such as traffic information and local weather forecasts. On Japan KDDI's network, there are already more than 20 location-based services available -- all of which are relatively inexpensive, costing less than $5 per month."

I'm looking forward to being able to travel and have information come to me automatically based on my location. For example, if I'm at a conference and I'm looking for a restaurant, I'd like my phone/PDA/whatever to know where I am and offer a list of nearby choices. Maybe it should tell me what movies or plays are on tonight and if there are still tickets available. You get the idea....

"Predictably, both Belk and Beale anticipate strong growth for the wireless industry as ever-more-compelling products and services become available and the industry settles on a single communication standard. How long will that take? Belk, whose career began in the personal computing business in 1983, likened the wireless industry today to the PC business of the 1980s. 'I wouldn't worry about the wireless industry yet, it's still relatively young,' he said. 'Just look how long it took the PC industry just to get to the point of standardized parallel cables.' "

Not to beat a dead horse, but the ebook industry is even younger than PCs, and PDAs have really only come into their own during the last few years. So don't count any of these technologies out just yet.

Lots of interesting articles from today's PC World. First up, Microsoft Takes on MapQuest: "MSN launches MapPoint online mapping service, offering maps, directions, and more."

Apparently this is going to be yet another component of MS' push for .Net services with hooks into other MSN services. MapPoint is XML-based, which makes it interesting in other ways, and there it launches with a phone-based direction service. The articles notes that this is another step towards location-based services. "For example, you might someday be able to click on a Windows Messenger buddy's name and retrieve a map showing the location of his or her home."

Good or bad? You make the call. I like parts of this, but I'm incredibly wary of .Net.

Global Positioning Systems offer everything from hole overviews to Internet access "Shortgrass Technologies' Internet-based sports information system and financial ticker enables golfers to check college football scores on a Saturday afternoon or the price of stocks any weekday. Global positioning systems can track golf cars no matter where they are on the course, thus discovering bottlenecks and slower play. Golfers can order beverages and food en route to the turn, so golf clubs can offer more than a quick hot dog - a higher priced chicken sandwich, for instance...."

I always thought that GPS would go mainstream in automobiles first, and in a way I suppose it has, but maybe golfers will lead the real charge. I could have used a portable, library-centered GPS system myself to navigate the Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library when I was there last fall!

Labels: gps tracker

The Best Information on bluetooth gps

Tip: Avoid blocking the antenna with your hand...The GPS antenna is placed under the numeric keypad of the device. For best reception, open the keypad and try not to cover it with your hand.
Get a great new Explorist GPS

When you look at the different types of GPS devices out there, you may wonder which one is right for you. Prices can range from $100- 5000 dollars, so it is important to do your homework. Find out what features each device has, and determine whether you need them or not. The following is a list of tips to get you started when you are shopping.
Research the name brand. Though GPS technology is fairly new, the manufacturer should have a long track record of creating quality electronics.
Don�t buy the cheapest or the most expensive GPS device out there. The cheapest may not meet your expectations and the most expensive one probably has too much extra stuff you will never use.
Look for a large display, lighted if you are going to be traveling at night.
If you plan on traveling by foot look for a model that is lightweight, and water resistant.
Get a great new Meridian GPS

To get a lock on 3 satellites as fast as possible (3 are required to calculate your position), point the receiver of the GPS unit north, pointing up towards the sky at a 45 degree angle. If you are in a forest or heavily timbered area, try to find a clearing if you are unable to lock into any GPS satellites. ALWAYS remember to carry fresh alkaline batteries for your GPS unit - you'll never know when you need to replace them!
Get a great new Magellan GPS holders

Write Here, Write Now: And you thought you were overloaded with information now, just wait. Hewlett Packard is working on a technology to let folks print messages in mid-air based on their location incorporating GPS technology. I find this stuff fascinating, even if no one seems to have thought of a good use for it yet. The first sentence of the article is right, though: "The kids are going to love this." in New Scientist via RCPL's Liblog]

When the ALA summer conference was in San Francisco in 1997, the SF Museum of Modern Art had a fascinating exhibit called Icons: Magnets of Meaning. I spent hours browsing through it, but one of the pieces that has always stuck in my mind was called @: Marking the Electrosphere . It talked about the meaning of that one little symbol. How it can define, place, and root you in the world, but at the same time let you be found anywhere. Integrated, widespread use of GPS is going to take this to a whole new level.

And there's the rub. When I do my presentations, that's all I have - pictures of prototypes or of devices not available in the U.S. Europe and Asia really are 18 months ahead of us in this area.