Windows Phone Thoughts: Size Matters: Globalsat's BT-328 Bluetooth GPS Receiver

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Size Matters: Globalsat's BT-328 Bluetooth GPS Receiver

Posted by Darius Wey in "HARDWARE" @ 08:00 AM


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.

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