NaviGadget

This is one of the latest products from GlobalSat, a Taiwan based company that manufactures wireless devices:

Unlike traditional GPS receivers which require separate antennas or wires, the BC-337 is an integrated receiver with a built-in patch antenna designed to fit directly into the Compact Flash or PCMCIA slot. The BC-337 was designed in SiRF Star III with wireless consumer applications in mind; it will give accurate readings from up to 20 channels. The BC-337 has an exceptional accuracy of WAAS which makes it ideal for detailed turn-by-turn mapping. The BC-337 is an inexpensive, flexible alternative to traditional navigation systems.
The BC-337 is truly transportable. Insert it into your PDA and place it in a convenient spot in your car and enjoy the benefits of using your additional mapping software for intelligent route calculation and voice-prompted, turn-by-turn navigation instructions.

Today a very informative review on the new GlobalSat BC-337 Compactflash GPS receiver came out:

The unit I received for review came with a PCMCIA to CF adaptor card, for use with laptops, and a 5 metre long magnetic based external antenna which can plug into the right hand side of the receiver. These are listed as optional extras, so check when you purchase.

I didn’t feel the need to use the antenna during any of my evaluation however as the unit performed well on its own, even inside my car. I did try it out, but the improvement was marginal. The antenna may be useful however in some situations with coated windscreens, in trucks, boats, etc..

Without using the external antenna, the Globalsat BC-337 was fast to pick up 3 or 4 satelintes from within my lounge within 45 seconds from a cold start. The initial fix was a bit variable, but it continued to pickup plenty of additional sattelites over the next few minutes, and the fix stabilised right on target at stayed that way, consistent with the BT-338.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 30th, 2006 at 2:28 pm and is filed under globalsat, gps navigation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.