GPS arrived
 

Dang - you have to really trim down the size/quality of an image to upload it here. The box came with all sorts of goodies:

* The Bluetooth GPS module
* A USB cable for charging (it will charge with any USB power source.)
* A wall plug USB power source
* A 12V car accessory USB power source
* A strong flexible adjustable suction cup PDA mount for the car that actually fits my tablet

The receiver works in Windows, on any Bluetooth PDA, and [after some hacking] on my tablet with gpsd/gpsdrive. Sadly, there's no good mapping data for the tablet yet. What it WILL work with after that new T-Mobile SDA is released in the USA in a couple weeks is TomTom Navigator.

Waiting for Linux ports of good software is worse than watching paint dry: You know eventually that the paint is going to dry.

Although a lot of credit goes to the guy who ported GPSD/GPSDrive. I got it to recognize satellites and register the speed of me walking down the street. I didn't upload any maps to it - that's for my next "big hack" this weekend.

Any coders want to tackle a GPS project? http://tuxmobil.org/navigation_gps.html START THERE. And port zRoadMap so we can at least have TIGER maps!

Update: I took a handful of pictures. The PDA mount WORKS PERFECTLY with the Nokia 770 tablet!

http://thoughtfix.blogspot.com/2006/01/gps-arrived.html

:) You might be making it too complicated. Gpsdrive will download maps right on the 770. Works great, no hacking necessary.

http://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16719

If you want it to download maps via GPRS you do need to change the bluetooth channel GPSD is running on. It's editing two values in one file (no root needed). I can post the changes if people are interested.

gpsdrive is still a bit funky, but it does work.

-Jason

I'm curious after reading these posts...the maps that can be downloaded, are they extremely large in size, and where are they downloaded from? Once the GPS pinpoints your location, does GPSDrive automatically download the appropriate map or is it something that has to be done manually?

Also, how is the detail? I'm sure it doesn't have the ability to find the nearest gas station, restaurant, etc. like the commercial nav units, but can it at least show every street, like say in a residential neighborhood for example?

Sorry for the 20 questions...
:-)

The maps have to be downloaded manualy, but gpsdrive knows where you are (or where you've told it your point of interest is). You just have to tell it how detailed a map you want and it downloads a an image of that area and detail. You can have multiple maps for an area, and it automatically chooses the most detailed map for where you are.

-Jason

Sounds like you're going great guns here!

Just wanted to point to a post from last July (!) when Koen Kooi ported GPSdrive to the Maemo:

www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/maemo/developers/1130?search_string=Koen;#1130

It links to screen captures at his blog:

dominion.kabel.utwente.nl/koen/blog/pyblosxom.cgi/Handhelds/gpsdrive-maemo.html

All the discussion about this must have taken place on Mike Cane's ersatz blog of that pre-Cambrian era. But I posted info about it in August here at itT:

www.internettablettalk.com/content/view/94/2/

Anyway, I bring it up now to ask about maps. Koen used the NASA satellite pictures available at the GPSdrive site. You're using the Google maps, right?

Are you just storing maps for where you're headed? Or do you store the whole U.S. or something like that?

And are you planning on grabbing them live using a Bluetooth phone? I was in a taxi the other day and the driver pulled out his cellphone and used it as a GPS device -- he said he pays $9.99 a month for this service. Maybe that can be combined with what you've got . . . . It would certainly be cheaper for those of us who haven't sprung for (or aren't able to spring for) a GPS receiver [1], at least for if it's only used when traveling.

-----

[1] I only now see that the current deal on that i-Blue GPS receiver is around $105. But I already spent my accessories money on a BT keyboard and IGB mmc card. :(

Thoughtfix, you fiend, just when I thought I had everything that I would need for my 770... Now I want GPS!? Why must you dangle this in front of me so?

At www.buygpsnow.com, you say you bought the "i-Blue High Sensitivity Bluetooth GPS Receiver (PS-3200) (Free Arkon Vent mount)" with the "Universal Windshield & Console PDA Mount (9" Pedestal). +$5.00" add-on? I'm seriously considering a purchase...

I'm looking forward to more posts about usability of the GPS hardware, gpsdrive software, and available maps. Has anyone else any feedback regarding this hardware and/or the software/maps?

I'm attacking GPS on two fronts.
1) gpsdrive. I'm using the USA Expedia source that's built into gpsdrive. I'm downloading maps as I need them from within gpsdrive (which is why I had to change the rfcomm channel gpsdrive was using). gps drive needs a lot of work. Do you know where the source for the nokia770 version is? I'm assuming they had to do some UI tweaking to get as far as they did.

2) Scrolling google maps (also requires a channel change, since it requires a constant connection to work). This needs a lot of work. and the map scrolling lags behind by several minutes (I think it's a bandwidth issue).

I got my GPS off of e-bay for ~$55 delivered.

-Jason

That's the one.
 

That's the one ... and it appears my Adsense shows it as the "Bluetooth GPS receivers from $70" link there. :)

The kit is just SWEET. I didn't expect so many options to come with a ~$100 GPS.