Find Yourself with SmartGPS

[Mike Temporale]

http://smartphone.maxrom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=29

"SmartGPS is an application for Windows powered Smartphones to display data from any NMEA compatible GPS device, including Bluetooth units. SmartGPS displays speed, heading, lat/lon co-ordinates, altitude above sea level, average speed, maximum speed and satellite tracking and lock information. SmartGPS is free to download and use!"



I just ordered the Bluetooth sled for my GPS, so once that arrives, I will be installing this and testing it out. Has anyone here already installed this and care to comment on it or perhaps another competing product?

[Mike Temporale]

http://smartphone.maxrom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=29

"SmartGPS is an application for Windows powered Smartphones to display data from any NMEA compatible GPS device, including Bluetooth units. SmartGPS displays speed, heading, lat/lon co-ordinates, altitude above sea level, average speed, maximum speed and satellite tracking and lock information. SmartGPS is free to download and use!"



I just ordered the Bluetooth sled for my GPS, so once that arrives, I will be installing this and testing it out. Has anyone here already installed this and care to comment on it or perhaps another competing product?

[Mike Temporale]

Well, I don't know if anyone else gave this a try, but it doesn't seem to like my GPS. It doesn't connect with it. If I chnage the COM port to 7 it says it can't find the GPS unit, change it back to 6 and there is no error, but no information.

On the other hand Pocket Streets sees it just fine, but it only does Miles and not Kilometers. Also, it doesn't display the speed in a nice, easy to see font size.

[Maxrom]

Hi,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with SmartGPS

The application has been tested on many devices and GPS units, and provided your GPS unit supports the NMEA standard it should work ok. Some mpx220 phones have a known firmware issue that causes lock ups, so unless you have one of those, it should be possible to get it working.

If you want to have a look at our support forum at smartphone.maxrom.com I can try and assist you if you are still interested in running SmartGPS.

Thanks for taking the time to download and try out the application

[Mike Temporale]

I really like the design of SmartGPS. But for some reason, it just didn't want to connect to my GPS. I'm running the Pharos GPS that comes with Streets and Trips plugged into the bluetooth sled on a C500. I would imagine that this is a pretty common configuration.

[Maxrom]

Yes, this should be fine - I use a C500 with a BT77 Bluetooth GPS unit.

If SmartGPS is not complaining when you connect, and assuming you dont get a message screen up after about ten seconds saying the data feed has stalled, then the Bluetooth connection to the device sounds like it's working.

Could you please confirm how you have the COM port mappings set up on your phone? On the later C500 firmware, you need to select an Outbound COM port, not an Inbound one (sounds back to front, but it is the Outbound you need). If your COM has been setup as an Inbound port, please delete that, and recreate it again as an Outbound port.

This article may help :

http://smartphone.maxrom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15

[Mike Temporale]

Argh! Ya, that did the trick. Leave it to Orange to make things a little goofy. Thanks for the help!

So, why does this work just fine with Pocket Streets? I didn't have to change a thing?

[Maxrom]

Good news - I'm glad it's now working ok for you

I'm not sure how the other software manages to connect to the GPS device, but I'm guessing that in a similar way to TomTom, it uses it's own proprietary techniques to access Bluetooth devices. Perhaps it's able to dynamically map a COM port itself when it starts, for the duration that the app is running? Just a guess, but that would perhaps explain it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy using SmartGPS. If you want additional features like POI warnings, waypoints, gps logging or a compass then check out the PRO version at http://smartphone.maxrom.com - it should be out soon!

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Maxrom

If you want additional features like POI warnings, waypoints, gps logging or a compass then check out the PRO version at http://smartphone.maxrom.com - it should be out soon!

Oh... GPS Logging. 8) I'm flying next week, and I thought it would be pretty cool to log the path the plane flew. For no other reason than, I can. :mrgreen: