A Keychain GPS for your Smartphone?

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/5947_A_keychain_GPS_for_your_smartp.php' target='_blank'>http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/5947_A_keychain_GPS_for_your_smartp.php</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&quot;Proporta do seem to snap up some of the best accessory ideas. They've just launched a 'Keychain GPS', weighing only 30g, with SiRF III chipset and USB (and 12V) charging. They claim it'll work from within a pocket, briefcase or handbag, meaning that provided you remember to keep it charged, you can pretend your Bluetooth-equipped smartphone has its own, private, invisible GPS.&quot;</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/spt/auto/1190482627.usr6.jpg" alt="" /></p><p>This looks pretty slick. After trying using GPS with my Smartphones though I have become pretty convinced it is not very practical. The small screen makes watching a map pretty difficult. If you are trying to watch that little screen while driving it can be rather distracting. </p>

[onlydarksets]

Here is another version of it (rebadged?):
http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/samsung-sch-i760/91418-anticipation-freedom-mini-gps-receiver-awesome.html

Those who tried it said it worked pretty well.

FWIW, I agree with you - using GPS on my phone is overconvergence. I bought a Mio c520 that is much better and easier to use and to see. I don't mind having a couple of devices that overlap.

[Mike Temporale]

I don't know, I've never been much for GPS and navigation systems. But I've been playing around with some different uses over the last little while, and it would be really helpful to have it built-in the phone, or at least smaller and easier to carry around with me.

[chucky.egg]

You (normally) don't need the screen to use SatNav on a Smartphone. I routinely use Route66 on my old Tornado, and just follow the spoken prompts (R66 is better at those than some other apps I've used).

I think this thing's pretty interesting.

We're always looking for ways to keep remote staff safe, and pairing this with a smartphone (to send GPS co-ords) might be a simple and unobtrusive solution. £50 isn't a bad price either.

[johnthebaton]

My T-Mobile Dash may have a physically smaller screen, but it's got the same 320x240 resolution as most pocket PCs. So it's really a question of whether you can still read the same pixels but on a smaller scale. For me, I let the voice prompts guide me most of the time, only looking at the screen for critical moments. I agree though that the old portrait-oriented smartphone screens, before qvga, were too small.

I think the critical issue with a landscape-oriented screen is whether the software company places text items below the screen or to the side of the screen. Mapopolis places the direction info below the screen, and this indeed smashes up the viewable area such that you can't see much of what's ahead of you. Other companies place it to the side, but Mapopolis is far and away the cheapest option.

I used to like the touch screen capabilities of Pocket PCs, but I found I can do most of the screen tapping commands with smartphone keypad shortcuts, which I find the be more accurate and require less looking at the screen (I just feel for where the #3 key is to navigate to a saved location, for example, without having to turn the screen on, look at it, and correctly tap an on-screen button with no tactile feedback. now I just press 4 or 6 to zoom in and out, and the screen automatically turns on).

I also use this system for backpacking (using memory-map topo software), and I like the more rugged nature of a non-touch screen. It keeps my sunscreen and bug repellant-laden fingers off the screen, and doesn't require removal of a stylus when in a waterproof bag. So there are some benefits to the smartphone format. Now only if a company would come out with a landscape-oriented smartphone with a querty keyboard and built-in GPS...

[genoist]

Seems like a great solution for my non gps-enabled handset(s). I ordered one of these bad boys, hopefully it will come before the end of the week so I can play with it.