My Epinions Philosophy
When I make a purchase, epinions is one of my most valuable resources for non-biased experiences and information. When I come here to research a product I generally read reviews and the product specifications on other sites as well. You will find that my reviews try to focus on my personal experiences and research discoveries that I think are not easy to discover through pre-purchase research. I will also highlight any differences between actual product features and performance and what the vendor's marketing states or implies. This means that my review will not spend a lot of time on basic specifications, procedures or stock commentary that you can read in other places.
Vendor and Product Info Links
Product Page: http://www.globalsat.com.tw/eng/product_detail_00000044.htm
Award: http://www.usglobalsat.com/downloads/bu-353/TheGlobalsaBU353.pdf
My Purchase
I paid 61.95 at BuyGPSnow.com.
My Relevant Product Background
I have a Magellan Sportrak Map GPS (which I reviewed here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_115011456644) which I used to carry with me on business trips to hook to my laptop. I now carry this device instead. I am a GPS enthusiast and have sampled much of the consumer mapping software as well as the more in depth shareware available. I use GPS technology for hiking, biking and navigating in my car when away on business trips.
What I Like
I use this device to interface with Delorme Street Atlas USA to provide routing and directions when traveling for business. I used to carry my Magellan hand held GPS and it's associated data/car power cable. The bulk was at least 4 times as much as carrying this gem.
The unit does not come with mapping software as that is not it's target market. It will work with practically any mapping software you wish to get.
One amazing thing (even compared to the much more expense Magellan) is how fast and accurate the signal lock on is. With the Magellan I could be waiting quite a while to get on the road - and in some airports where rental cars are in garages I had to do it on an access road around the rental car area. This is all due to the sensitivity and number of channels of Sirf III chip, which I have become a big fan of.
This device is small and self-powered. If you are primarily hooking up to a laptop, bluetooth receivers are actually a bit more of a hassle than USB powered devices. They are generally larger and you must concern yourself with battery management. If they have permanent internal batteries you must ensure you charge them before leaving.
Undeserved Bad Raps
Installing Drivers the device does require drivers to be installed - but most GPSes require this unless they connect via a serial port (becoming extremely rare on recent business class laptops). Even with serial attachment you must manage the communication settings for the GPS. Getting two devices to talk is always a bit of a fuss - if it's not your thing, get a friend to help or consider a self-contained navigation unit.
Hidden Gems and Tips
Cheap Navigation System
If you need to have a laptop with you for business travel - combining this $50 GPS unit with the $50 Delorme software gives you a full scale navigation system that give audio instructions and receives voice commands. Although Delorme software has some challenges, it access at live display for real time navigation - zooming in as you approach turns and corners and zooming out when you are going to hit the same road for miles and miles. This combination also saves the bulk and expense of a portable GPS navigation system. I have tested the GPS with Microsoft Mappoint (Similar to Streets and Trips) but didn't like how the software did navigation (didn't even move the map view as you drove off it)
Buy This Instead of One With Software
Most of the major mapping software manufacturers sell their product with and without a GPS - if you buy it without, usually the cost of getting this GPS is not that much more. This GPS is also half the size and better looking than many of the units that ship with software.
Peal The Sticker
On many airlines you are not supposed to fire up GPS while in flight. I have peeled the little sticker that says "GPS" on it so that I won't have the device taken from me by airport security. From what I've read many airlines don't really care about this rule - I've heard stories of the pilot joking about helping with navigation with someone who has one running in the passenger cabin.
