bioneural.net » bluetooth

Evaluating the Holux M-241 data logger

Bruce — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:35:02 +0000

After David rekindled my interest in geotagging blog posts with Google Map integration, and Dave's photo tracking experiences convinced me to revisit geotagging photos, I posted An ABC of geotagging photos on the Mac. In that article I considered questions relevant to selecting an automatic geo-location system, naming most of the few Mac-compatible devices available. I recently purchased a data logger to overcome the pain of manual photo geotagging and dispense with the hassle of a DIY solution. There's lots to like about the Holux M-241 on paper—despite some concerns as noted in Richard's detailed review. The device's appetite for AA batteries will be the decider for some people. We usually pack a recharger for my wife's noise-cancelling headphones when we travel anyway, so using rechargeables is no big deal. In fact I prefer something I know I can replace, as I don't want to end up with yet another working but unusable device due to a tired non-replaceable lithium battery (like my 1st iPod, Palm, mobile phone). The Qstarz BT-Q1000P was my original choice and could be obtained in the UK via eBay, but at nearly twice the price of the Holux. I have to say I like having a built-in display on the logger very much. This gives access to the M-241's 6 operating modes: Track Log Mode (the default; use Start and Stop (Enter button) to begin/ end a track logging session); Time Mode (useful display of UTC time for camera sync; can specify UTC offset for your time zone); Show ...

In-car GPS + Palm = DIY photo tracker

Bruce — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:00:50 +0000

From bioneural.net:

If I told you I was using a GPS photo tracking system for geotagging photos from my Nikon D70 that stored track logs and waypoints to 1GB of memory, exported in GPX format, and connected to my Mac via USB or Bluetooth—you'd be right to wonder if I was making it up. It's not fiction, and nor is it new tech either. It's a "make do" solution I put together from gear I'd already been using for several years and with £0 new investment. Given poor Mac support in the data logger market, such a system is surely a good way to experiment on the cheap before shelling out on yet more battery-operated gadgetry. A DIY photo tracking kit A Nikon D70 I shoot in raw, meaning my D70 saves images in Nikon's NEF format. Although finding Mac OS X software that can write geo-location data to EXIF in raw is not difficult, getting that data in the first place is somewhat more involved. The D70 is neutered when it comes to support for on-camera fully automated geotagging (I'm still not entirely clear whether this is a physical hot shoe issue, or a firmware deficiency—anyone?) The upshot is that my only choice, other than the tiresome manual method, is automatic geotagging using a standalone data logger (aka photo tracker). A Navman 4470 "But why do you need another GPS?", my wife justly asked. Indeed I do have a GPS device equipped with Bluetooth, the Navman 4470, which I use for in-car navigation. Navman make great ...

An ABC of geotagging photos on the Mac

Bruce — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:30:54 +0000

From bioneural.net:

This article considers geotagging photos from a Mac perspective, looking at automatic and manual methods, and explaining terms such as data loggers, track points, waypoints, and routes. It lists OS X software options for connecting to data loggers, converting track log formats, geo-locating photos, and writing that data to EXIF for both raw and JPEG images. It also covers the importance of time synchronization, what you can do with geotagged photos, workflow, choosing a data logger and controlling it from your Mac. Introduction With my blog articles geotagged and mapped, and the launch of geotagicons.com behind me, the next challenge was to consider geotagging my photos in future. Some time ago I blogged about doing this in iPhoto, and although workable for a small selection of images this manual/ best guess option doesn't scale well to 2-3 week vacations when you return with several hundred images and a poor recollection of what was taken exactly where. Before getting started on something (i.e. spending money!) I like to try and gain a reasonable overview of what I'm about to get into. What follows is a summary of my research into the terminology, technology, hardware and software that a budding Mac photo geotagger will want to get to grips with. If you also like to look before you leap then this article may be of service to you. Although written with fellow Mac users in mind, if you're afflicted with Windows much of the article is still relevant. What is geotagging? In a photographic context, geotagging ...

Mac-friendly alternatives to Apple's 1G iPhone

Bruce — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:04:28 +0000

From bioneural.net:

The iPhone has arrived in the US. Even if it were available in New Zealand I still wouldn't buy one. I'm happy to wait for the large beta-test program (i.e. 1 in 5 US adults) to refine the product first. That said, I've been looking for a way to converge my mobile devices (phone, PDA, iPod) for some time. Sadly the 1st generation iPhone does not look like the device to fill this need. Relative to other Mac-friendly alternatives it comes up uniquely short in a number of areas on my feature wish-list. But of course I haven't seen or held it in the "flesh", and it is only a 1G device—so I can't be overly critical. Or can I? Most of the pre-launch focus has been on iPhone's interface (not unimportant), but what about comparative features? It's clear that while the iPhone offers few unique features (iTMS DRM playback, bookmark syncing) it's also immediately apparent that, relative to comparable products, the iPhone has the most limitations. I've been a Palm user since 1999, owning a Palm V, an m505, and (currently) a Tungsten T3: I also use an ageing Sony Ericsson T610 and an iPod (1G deceased; currently an iPod Photo). It would be nice to carry around one device instead of three (ditto on the chargers); I had hoped that device might be the iPhone: So the iPhone has arrived. I posted on the perfect PDA + phone back in 2005—it still hasn't arrived. With Palm OS so obviously stagnating ...

A Skype and Mac-friendly alternative to iSight

Bruce — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 10:07:16 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Now that the expensive but excellent Firewire-based iSight is no more, Mac users lacking a built-in (USB-based) iSight webcam face a dilemma. Although Mac OS X 10.4.9 introduced iChat support for USB Video Class (UVC), and using such webcams means no extra drivers are needed, it is far from easy to walk into a store and choose a one that is certain to work. I threw my once-loved Cyberphone, blaming the non-native drivers for poor audio performance on my Intel Mac. Any cheap webcam (as with the Cyberphone) is likely to have poor Mac driver support, so a driver-free UVC camera seemed like the answer. But would the built-in microphone be recognised? Google didn't seem to come up with a definitive answer to this question. Furthermore, reports said that Vista-certified cameras "should" work—but elsewhere I read that some Vista-certified webcams support UVC and others do not. So how can you send high-quality Skype video and audio without hogging all your USB ports? A microphone In Wellington USB headsets abound (which I find cumbersome), but there is a dearth of desktop USB microphones. I could have bought a new iMic, which serves to amplify a line-level microphone—an additional purchase. I used to own the original iMic and was less than impressed when using it to send audio out via my hi-fi (the sound kept breaking up). A camera As for a camera I gather the Xbox Live Vision works natively with OS X 10.4.9, delivering a decent image for the money and available in-store for ...

Google Maps on your PDA

Bruce — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 02:09:20 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Google maps have gone mobile, meaning anyone with a data-capable mobile phone is now bereft of excuses for not finding their way home from the pub. If don't have a bling phone with excesses of screen real estate, your old phone should do just fine if your pair it with your Palm (.prc here) or Pocket PC (.cab here) and Google's PDA software. It's like "GPS Lite" for those who already know where they are! I tried out the Palm version of the software using Missing Sync to share my Mac's Internet connection to my T3 (this is still possible even if you don't own Missing Sync). I don't have a working GPRS data plan with Vodafone NZ, although I expect this would work equally well (albeit slowly) if I tried my GPRS-enabled Vodafone UK SIM. So what does the Google app allow you to do? Predictably, you start with Find Location... in the app menu (e.g. wellington, new zealand). Once the search is complete you'll be presented with a map that contains basic zooming controls. As with Google Maps on the web you can toggle between viewing a road map or a satellite image (but not a hybrid). In either view you can overlay traffic information or nearby businesses by keyword (e.g. pizza), but this is apparently location-dependent as neither data were available for Wellington: If you need a map, however, the chances are that you are trying to find your way from "A" to "B". Such direction-findng capability is of course ...

Internet via T610 + Axim X50v on Vodafone UK

Bruce — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 15:22:26 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Use your T610 as a GPRS Bluetooth modem paired with an Axim X50v to send and receive SMS and e-mail, browse the Web, receive faxes, update WorldMate weather and currency rates, etc... Step 1: Linking to the Bluetooth modem Turn on Bluetooth on both devices and from the Today screen open Bluetooth Settings by tapping on the Bluetooth icon in the bottom right corner of the X50v screen. Make sure the Accessibility tab looks like this then tap (OK): From the Today screen open Bluetooth Manager by tapping on the Bluetooth icon in the bottom right corner of the X50v screen. Tap New and in the Bluetooth connection Wizard that opens tap "Connect to Internet via phone": In the next "Step 1" screen just tap Next to leave the default phone selection "Unknown, or phone not listed". The following "Step 2" screen is informative, so tap Next again. See an icon representing your T610? Good: Now tap the icon and enter a passkey at the prompt (e.g. a 1-4 digit number): When you tap Next your T610 should ask you if you want to add DELL AXIM X50 to My devices. Hit yes on the T610, enter the same passkey you just entered on the Dell, and push (OK). Eyes back to the X50v and you should see the following screen, asking if you want to make this your default connection to the Internet. I left this unchecked since I'll mostly be using WiFi (details here): Tap Next and then Finish. You should be taken to My ...

Visiting the other PDA platform (first 48 hrs)

Bruce — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 14:31:03 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Palm or Windows Mobile? I've been firmly in the Palm camp to date, but have just acquired a Pocket PC together with Missing Sync for Windows Mobile. This is not a review of the Dell Axim X50v, but rather a functional comparison with my Palm T3 from the point-of-view of a Mac user. How did a Palm user making a trial transition to Pocket PC fair when pairing the device with Mac OS X? For given applications and functionality, does Palm or Pocket PC have the winning edge? Will he or won't he become a "switcher"? First impressions count, so I decided to document my experiences during the first 48 hours with a Pocket PC. There will be plenty to revisit in subsequent bloggings... The outgoing Dell Axim X50v Now superseded by the X51v, Dell were having a 20% off clear-out of the previous model, now 1 year old. The hardware is the same aside from double the ROM. Buying direct saved £77 over Expansys (shop around!) and avoided having to fight it out on eBay for a similar price. It cost me less than a Fujitsu Siemens Loox 720 "Grade B" stock which seemed like a similar spec alternative. I chose a "Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Second Edition" device because Missing Sync (see below) doesn't yet support Windows Mobile 5.0 (free update pending); Dell has announced that there will be a WM5 upgrade for the X50v (not free), so I have options. The X50v doesn't match my recent wish-list, but then ...

Review: Navman 4470 GPS for Palm OS 5

Bruce — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 06:15:14 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Having experienced the utility of GPS navigation in a hire car in Austria some months back, I resolved to look into low cost but full-featured and transferable solutions. I placed a pre-order for the Navman 4470 in October 2004 and, after a series of slipped shipping dates, finally took delivery just 5 months later. My comments are based on initial use of this Bluetooth-savvy product with a Palm T3... Note: Navman no longer sell GPS solutions for Palm; there will be no new maps or software versions. See Updates below. Navman vs. TomTom I chose a PDA solution, rather than a dedicated in-car system, as I already had a PDA and prefer the higher resolution offered by Palm over the Pocket PC competition. Besides, with crime being what it is, I had no intention of leaving any equipment in the car so it had to be portable. For use with my Palm T3 the choice came down to two wireless products: the Navman GPS 4470 Bluetooth Receiver with SmartST Navigation Software for Palm OS5, or the TomTom Navigator Bluetooth for Palm. Both products have a comparable feature set, but I decided on the Navman: The Navman GPS receiver operates with user-replaceable and readily available (optionally, rechargeable) AAA batteries. Notice how Li-ion batteries in your Palm/ phone/ iPod/ digicam have a habit of holding less and less juice? This is the type of battery used by the TomTom unit. The Navman receiver has a superior operating time on battery (claimed 30 hours). The Navman is cheaper; the ...

Pairing the Navman 4400 GPS unit with a Mac

Bruce — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 22:35:13 +0000

From bioneural.net:

You have a Navman 4400 series GPs unit (e.g. 4460, 4470 for Palm). An Apple Mac OS X user, you tried entering a passkey using Bluetooth Setup Assistant, but couldn't get it to work? Salvation in the form of a pictorial walkthrough is at hand... First, for the record, the following instructions assume Mac OS 10.3.8 and Navman 4470 with SmartST v3 for Palm. The passkey (PIN) for pairing the GPS unit, identifying itself as NAVAMN GPS ONE, is NAVMAN (as listed in the SmartST application user guide): However, although the Mac OS X Bluetooth Setup Assistant insists on a passkey for pairing it will only allow you to enter a numeric passkey. Apparently, either letters or numbers make for a valid passkey. This means you cannot pair the GPS unit with your Mac, so it would seem that it cannot be utilized with Mac-based routing applications like Route 66. By trial and error, I discovered a workaround. Open Bluetooth Serial Utility (usually in your Applications > Utilities folder) and click New...: Give the new port a name (e.g. Navman) and set the port direction to Outgoing and the type to RS-232: Click Select Device... then NAVMAN GPS ONE then NAVMAN GPS followed by Select: The GPS unit should now be listed; click OK: With the GPS unit in your port list, close the Bluetooth Serial Utility: Open Route 66 Route 2004 and choose GPS Status from the Window menu: This also works with GPSNavX (formerly GPSUtility): GPS Connect and TrueNav also work, using the NMEA protocol.