[Pat Logsdon]

As many of you are aware, I am a big fan of GPS. Whether it be frolicking over hill and dale while geocaching, or motoring confidently through urban jungles with GPS-assisted navigation, I have to admit that I love me some satellite linkage. That said, I'm happy to share two things with you. The first of these is a product announcement, namely, the Globalsat BT-338 Bluetooth GPS receiver. I've had my eye on this one for awhile, and it looks pretty tasty, with features like a SiRF star III chipset (which apparently blows the old ST and XT modes out of the water), a replaceable 1700mAh, 15 hour battery, a fancy silver case, and three lovely LED indicator lights. Glee!

The second thing I'd like to share with you is a contest sort of a thing. Up for grabs is a brand spankin' new Globalsat BT-338 receiver AND your very own copy of OnCourse Navigator 4, which our own Doug Raeburn reviewed here. To win the prize, you'll need to read that review, ponder it in a deep and zen-like fashion for a reasonable period of time, and then post back in this thread with the feature that would be most useful to you and WHY. Extra points if your reason is funny and/or heart-warming. The winner will be selected by me at some point on March 20th. As always, there is to be no whining, unless it's amusing. If you'd like to purchase this unit right now, you can pre-order from BuyGPSnow.com for only $169.95 - that's apparently $76 off the regular order price IF you use the exclusive PocketPCThoughts $10 discount code: SS3forMyPDA. Good luck!

[Pat Logsdon]

As many of you are aware, I am a big fan of GPS. Whether it be frolicking over hill and dale while geocaching, or motoring confidently through urban jungles with GPS-assisted navigation, I have to admit that I love me some satellite linkage. That said, I'm happy to share two things with you. The first of these is a product announcement, namely, the Globalsat BT-338 Bluetooth GPS receiver. I've had my eye on this one for awhile, and it looks pretty tasty, with features like a SiRF star III chipset (which apparently blows the old ST and XT modes out of the water), a replaceable 1700mAh, 15 hour battery, a fancy silver case, and three lovely LED indicator lights. Glee!

The second thing I'd like to share with you is a contest sort of a thing. Up for grabs is a brand spankin' new Globalsat BT-338 receiver AND your very own copy of OnCourse Navigator 4, which our own Doug Raeburn reviewed here. To win the prize, you'll need to read that review, ponder it in a deep and zen-like fashion for a reasonable period of time, and then post back in this thread with the feature that would be most useful to you and WHY. Extra points if your reason is funny and/or heart-warming. The winner will be selected by me at some point on March 20th. As always, there is to be no whining, unless it's amusing. If you'd like to purchase this unit right now, you can pre-order from BuyGPSnow.com for only $169.95 - that's apparently $76 off the regular order price IF you use the exclusive PocketPCThoughts $10 discount code: SS3forMyPDA. Good luck!

[JonnoB]

I certainly could use a GPS device for my PDA. It might help me get my wife to the hospital in a more timely fashion with our next child coming.

With pre-term labor signs indicating an imminent delivery, we were told to go to another hospital in a neighboring city better equipped to handle an early delivery/ Being unfamiliar with the area but feeling manly confident, I rushed her in the car late at night only to wander the streets aimlessly. By a stroke of luck, we saw a hospital sign that led me the rest of the way.

A GPS device would have let me keep my manliness while at the same time I would not have upset my wife nor had taken chances with a baby born in the backseat of my car. For my wife's sake, I need that GPS.

[foebea]

I would love to see a GPS program for the Pocket PC with integrated MP3 player. TomTom had been known to crash when I switch in and out of it too many times, and I can never settle on one playlist. It would be great to have a quick pause function on screen or close by, and it would be great to be able to access a playlist with one or two taps on the screen.

[bmcbride_81]

Just outta curiousity, is this the same contest that is running over at aximsite.com? I signed up there this morning.

If it's not then, I'd really like to win because....I'm a heavy equipment operator by trade, and when I need to stake out a jobsite nothing works better or faster than a gps system. However most new commercial systems are far too expensive, and most mobile systems on the market, have very spotty coverage in some construction zones with tree cover etc. So the feature that I like the most would definately have to be the better satellite coverage using the SiRF star III chipset.

thanks,
--Brian

[bbarker]

I currently have a TomTom wired GPS model tethered to my Jornada via a snaggle of propriety cables. That's all I use the Jornada for these days now that I have an Axim X50v.

This is an important safety issue.

A Bluetooth GPS unit would reduce distracted driving in two ways: (1) it would clear my car of those wires and (2) I could finally give the Jornada to my kids for playing games on trips.

[racerx]

For me, the feature I like most is the ability to pre-plan the route. I've gotten burned a few times with other GPS programs not having the destination I'm looking for in its database and then I'm forced to scramble to find something close. This is a real sanity-saver for me.

But the real reason I should win this contest is that March 20th IS MY BIRTHDAY! :rock on dude!: So think of this has my gift from you to me. Gifts from others are also welcome (heck, their ENCOURAGED)! ITS MY BIRTHDAY - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! :bday:

[hartgraves]

Well, looking over the stats I would have to say that the feature I would like best would be the speed of the chipset on the hardware side, (I have an old CF GPS with a old chipset, slow as molasses), and the screen layout on the software side.

I was really impressed by the layout, all of the relevant info right there in front of you. I currently use PocketMap Navigator.

Oh, and the main reason, (if I can be a bit sexist for a moment), I'm a man, and we never ask for directions.

But then again I'm never lost because everyone tells me where to go.

[jimvaughan]

I need this.

I live in Los Angeles and you can't just pull over and ask for directions in this city.

[dignow96]

Alright!!! Another chance to bring my GPS back to my PPC. Reasons why I really truely pationately DESERVE to win this one:

1. First off, I live in Kuwait, and the desert is obviously the reason GPS exists at all - you can look it up on the internet, I'm sure.
2. I'm working with an under-privileged, starving, this-is-their-last-ditch-effort-to-stay-in-business-so-they-have-a-reason-to-keep-on-living software developer who is working on a street level detail GPS solution for Kuwait and truely NEEDS me to have hardware of this magnitutde to assist in testing their GIS product.
3. As a PPCT member its professionally embarrassing that I've been stuck lugging my notebook around because my GPS reveiver is tethered to a USB port. Really - I think if you can't find it in your heart to pick me that the general readership could start a drive of some sort.
4. In an attempt to grab the heartwarming vote too - can you imagine anything cuter than my 2 yr old daughter sitting in her car seat with my old 2215 passing along directions to me on our way to school in the mornings? I can't.

If needed I can continue, resort to begging, maybe even open bribery, just let me know what I need to do.

[chrhamil]

I should win this because I could put it in my model aircraft to see how fast it is going, oh and to use it to find new flying fields.

8)