08-23-2006, 04:00 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
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Posts: 12,959
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Size Matters: Globalsat's BT-328 Bluetooth GPS Receiver
Product Category: Bluetooth GPS Receiver
Manufacturer: Globalsat Technology
Where to Buy: buyGPSnow.com
Price: $74.95 USD
System Requirements: A Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC supporting serial port functionality.
Pros:- Compact, lightweight and portable;
- Excellent battery life;
- Solid connectivity;
- Affordable.
Cons:- Bluetooth and GPS status indicator light pattern could be improved;
- Indicator lights can wash out in the sunlight;
- Power port is a little vulnerable to dust accumulation.
Summary:
Is GPS still a geek toy? A few years ago, I would have answered that question with a "yes", but falling costs and a greater range of hardware and software to choose from have contributed to its increasing popularity as of late. Globalsat's new BT-328 Bluetooth GPS Receiver aims to cater for a wide range of users with its affordable price tag and impressive specifications. Yet how does it perform in the real world?
Read on to find out!
What's In the Box?
Globalsat's small cardboard box includes the BT-328 Bluetooth GPS receiver, a slim 100-240V/5V wall charger, a car charger, and a documentation CD.
Figure 1: The box includes two charging cables - a wall charger (left) and a car charger (right).
Update: I've been informed by the company that the current BT-328 units no longer include the AC wall charger (the car charger is still included). Please bear this in mind when considering a purchase.
The CD includes a user manual for the BT-328, pairing and connection guides for Pocket PCs equipped with either the Microsoft Bluetooth stack or the Broadcom Bluetooth stack, GPS Information (a basic configuration verification utility), and a user manual for GPS Information.
GPS Information is the only software bundled with the receiver. So, the bottom line is, whatever you intend to use the BT-328 for (typically, geocaching, basic moving map navigation, and/or voice guided navigation), you will need to acquire software separately. I will be covering this later in the review.
Looks Good, Feels Great!
In my opinion, the BT-328 is one of the best looking Bluetooth GPS receivers around. Measuring 67.5mm x 45mm x 17mm (2.66" x 1.77" x 0.67") and weighing just 65g (2.29 oz.), the unit is compact, lightweight, and doesn't have any bulges (otherwise present in its older, wiser counterpart, the BT-338). It slips easily in the pocket, and can remain there during those times when you wish to track your walking expeditions.
Figure 2: Sizing things up! Axim X50v vs. BT-328.
The main body of the receiver is white, with the front sporting a glossy, black plastic sheet with a Globalsat logo printed on it. Just above it is a power button (also in black), a small hole for a lanyard, and three indicator lights (which incidentally have a minor problem of washing out in the sunlight). When the battery has enough juice, the power status light is off. When low, it illuminates red, and while charging, it illuminates yellow. With the other two indicator lights, the pattern is best described as confusing. When a GPS position has not been fixed, the GPS status indicator light stays a steady green, but when a GPS position has been fixed, it blinks green. When the receiver is not connected to a Bluetooth-enabled device, the Bluetooth indicator light blinks once every three seconds, but when connected, it blinks once per second. This is where I wonder why Globalsat chose not to have it stay continuously illuminated? Battery life? Surely it's not that much of a contributing factor, is it?
Figure 3: Three indicator lights are present for the receiver's power status (red and yellow), GPS status (green), and Bluetooth status (blue). The power button features a one second hold time for turning the receiver on and off.
Interestingly, current versions of the BT-328 have a grey plastic sheet and power button as opposed to the black in my first-generation version. I'm not sure why Globalsat made the switch, since I personally feel that black is more appealing. Black is back, after all. You only need to look at some of the newer iPods and MacBooks to agree. 
The back of the receiver features a rubber pad, which acts as a friction surface. You can place the receiver on the dashboard of your car or on a table without having to worry about it sliding around. The top features the power port, which has no rubber/plastic protector, so if you plan on using the BT-328 in a dusty environment, it may help to put a small piece of tape over the port to prevent it from clogging up with unwanted debris.
Figure 4: A rubber pad can be seen occupying three-quarters of the rear of the receiver.
Performance - Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
In a nutshell, thumbs up. Here are the nitty-gritty details:
Battery Life
Within the heart of the BT-328, a new low-power SiRF GSC2 chipset can be found. Its presence contributes to the receiver's 16 hour battery life, which is fantastic, considering its built-in rechargeable battery is rated at just 1300mAh (compared to the 1700mAh battery of the SiRFstar III-equipped BT-338, which offers a 17 hour battery life). Chipsets aside, the BT-328 also features a power-saving feature where 10 minutes of inactivity will automatically switch the receiver off, though this feature is suppressed when a power adapter is attached to the receiver.
Channel Support
The BT-328 supports up to 12 channels, which falls short of the 20 channels that the BT-338 supports. However, for the average Joe, 12 channels is usually sufficient.
Tracking Sensitivity
The SiRF GSC2 chipset has a tracking sensitivity rated at -155dBm, which is quite similar to the SiRFstar III's rating of -159dBm, and in the real world, it shows. I put the BT-328 through a quick "stress" test indoors and for the most part, it was able to consistently maintain a fix with 6-8 satellites. There were moments when it would drop to 4-6, but not enough of a drop to lose a fix. It was much the same story in the city centre (the tall building scenario).
Initial Connection and Reacquisition Times
From a user experience perspective, I found connection and reacquisition times to be reasonable. On paper, Globalsat tags the BT-328 with an average 8 second hot start time (BT-338: 1 second), 38 second warm start time (BT-338: 38 seconds), 42 second cold start time (BT-338: 42 seconds), and 0.1 second reacquisition time (BT-338: 0.1 second). All in all, the performance of the SiRFstar III and SiRF GSC2 chipsets is quite comparable.
If you love crunching numbers and are interested in seeing the entire specification list, make the BT-328 specifications page your next visit at the end of this review.
The Software Side of Things
Pairing and connecting the BT-328 to a Pocket PC is simple. Long story short, you enter the passkey, select the desired serial port, configure the application's port settings, and you sit back and let the magic happen.
Figure 5: The BT-328, as recognised by Microsoft's Bluetooth stack. The naming convention is a bit odd; nevertheless, the receiver is still readily identifiable.
GlobalSat's GPS Information utility serves to verify the receiver's configuration settings, and also provide basic satellite and location information. It's basic to say the least, but it does what it's supposed to do rather well. If you wish to use the receiver for more advanced purposes (for example, geocaching and moving map navigation), you will have to look elsewhere for software. Two of my favourite GPS applications are GPS Tuner and Pocket Streets. Figure 6 shows the beta version of GPS Tuner 5.0, which has been completely rewritten from the ground up to deliver more features and an enhanced user experience. Figure 7 shows Pocket Streets 2006, which is included in Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 and Microsoft MapPoint 2006.
Figure 6: Geocaching with GPS Tuner 5.0.
Figure 7: The BT-328 and popular moving map application, Pocket Streets 2006.
The BT-328 operates very well in both of these applications, which isn't surprising given the fact that it's a powerful little unit!
Conclusions
On a tight budget? Beginner? GPS veteran? It doesn't matter. The Globalsat BT-328's excellent feature set and affordable price offers something for everyone. If you've been sitting on the fence deciding whether GPS is worth your time and money, the BT-328 may be enough to tip you over the edge.
Darius Wey enjoys all forms of technology. His time is usually channeled into mobile devices, digital media, application and web development, graphic design, his Xbox 360, and of course, GPS hardware! He lives in Perth, Western Australia.
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08-23-2006, 05:37 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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What a great, useful review, Darius! I just got my first GPS unit about two months ago, a GlobalSat 338. From the sounds of it, the 328 may be a bit of a compromise, but one so small that I probably would have considered getting it instead of the 338 -- especially at about half the price!
__________________
Old Market Researchers never die...they just get broken down by age and sex.
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08-24-2006, 12:00 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 45
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Review does not mention which power plug is in use.
I think these days all plugs must be mini-USB, so that if you loose your adaptor you can always buy a RZR adaptor to charge your GPS. Or use computer's USB port. Or any of the HTC device chargers (except str trk).
From the picture this appears to be a different plug, which is a disappointment.
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08-24-2006, 12:22 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
What a great, useful review, Darius!
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Thanks, Brad. 
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
I just got my first GPS unit about two months ago, a GlobalSat 338. From the sounds of it, the 328 may be a bit of a compromise, but one so small that I probably would have considered getting it instead of the 338 -- especially at about half the price!
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Yes, the size and price is great. I think the BT-328 is perfect for first-time adopters.
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08-24-2006, 12:30 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by altden2002
Review does not mention which power plug is in use.
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It's a standard 4.0mm 5V DC plug.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by altden2002
I think these days all plugs must be mini-USB, so that if you loose your adaptor you can always buy a RZR adaptor to charge your GPS. Or use computer's USB port. Or any of the HTC device chargers (except str trk).
From the picture this appears to be a different plug, which is a disappointment.
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Well, the plug isn't unique. If you lose your adapter, you should be able to head over to any electronics store and purchase a replacement.
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08-25-2006, 12:14 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2
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BT-328 power
I bought a BT-338 not too long ago (and love it) and one of the factors that swayed me to it (over another cheaper make) was the fact that it used as standard power input, which was the same as my Axim x50v, PSP, Xacti camcorder.
Good to see that the BT-328 is using the same power input. Now if only they'd standardize laptop power adaptors/inputs !
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08-25-2006, 12:50 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Re: BT-328 power
Quote:
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Originally Posted by eyew
Good to see that the BT-328 is using the same power input. Now if only they'd standardize laptop power adaptors/inputs !
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Now, wireless power would definitely be an eye-catcher, but maybe that's just overly ambitious.
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08-28-2006, 07:01 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 351
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nice unit..
will it work well hidden away in a car's glove box or door pocket?
B
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iPhone / iPod(s) / Mac Desktop & Portables.. yet I'm a Windows/MS Platform Dev ;)
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08-29-2006, 03:43 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by kiwi
will it work well hidden away in a car's glove box or door pocket?
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Yes, that's how I use it these days - in the glove box. Works very well.
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08-29-2006, 03:37 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 351
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Darius Wey
Quote:
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Originally Posted by kiwi
will it work well hidden away in a car's glove box or door pocket?
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Yes, that's how I use it these days - in the glove box. Works very well. |
Great, maybe I'll grab one to replace the Garmin Vista C I currently use.
A larger screen on a PPC would be so much nicer.
__________________
iPhone / iPod(s) / Mac Desktop & Portables.. yet I'm a Windows/MS Platform Dev ;)
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