Windows Phone Thoughts: DeLorme Bluetooth Wireless Earthmate GPS PowerPack Reviewed: GPS, your way

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Wednesday, January 26, 2005

DeLorme Bluetooth Wireless Earthmate GPS PowerPack Reviewed: GPS, your way

Posted by Kevin Remhof in "HARDWARE" @ 10:05 AM


Power Options
The best thing about this GPS receiver is that you can choose how to power it based on your needs. If you're in the car, use the 12-volt car adapter. If you're using a laptop, try a serial or USB cable. Out in the field, use the Li-ion battery pack.
  • Li-ion battery pack (1200 mAh);
  • AAA batteries (4);
  • A/C adapter (also used to charged Li-ion batteries);
  • 12-volt car adapter;
  • Laptop USB cable;
  • Laptop serial cable.


Figure 3: Power options. Battery pack and cords.

I was thrilled to see so many different options available for power. I did not feel limited or constrained by these as I have with other devices. While on A/C, 12-volt, and laptop power, the PowerPack gave all the power needed to keep a strong signal. With the Li-ion battery pack, I was able to get about 7 hours of continuous Bluetooth use out of the PowerPack.

Bluetooth, getting connected
Connecting to the PowerPack via Bluetooth is pretty straight-forward. DeLorme gives you the step-by-step directions on their site. Here's a quick overview.


Figure 4a: Browsing for the PowerPack.

First, use the Bluetooth Manager to discover the PowerPack.


Figure 4b: Choose a service (easy one).

Next, pick the service (the only one available) to use.


Figure 4c: Handy shortcut to the GPS receiver.

Lastly, you create a shortcut to the receiver. The actual navigation is handled via the Pocket PC version of Street Atlas. This is when things start to get confusing. Connecting to the receiver via the Bluetooth PowerPack is simple. Just go into Street Atlas and connect to the PowerPack. I did find the app to be a little sensitive when connecting to the receiver. Sometimes, I just connected and I was ready to navigate. Other times, I had to go to the Bluetooth Manager before running Street Atlas and connecting via the Manager. These seem more like issues with my iPaq's Bluetooth implementation than with the Earthmate PowerPack.

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