bioneural.net » navman

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. See also Geotagging with the Mac-friendly GlobalSat BT-335 here, which includes comparisons to the M-241. 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 ...

Navigating in New Zealand

Bruce — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 12:50:53 +0000

From bioneural.net:

We're going to want to see New Zealand when we get there and I can vouch that an in-car GPS system takes some of the stress out of driving in unfamiliar places. Although I prefer and currently use TomTom in the UK, they don't offer NZ maps. Navman have discontinued SmartST for Palm and New Zealand maps for this software appear to be out-of-stock. However, I wondered if SmartST 2005 for Pocket PC with New Zealand map data would install onto my Axim x50v and then communicate with my "Palm-specific" Navman 4470 hardware. Navman have no idea I asked Navman-store.com Support (Europe) if I bought the NZ maps would they run on my Dell Axim x50v. They said: Unfortunately we do not have those maps available at present only the European maps. Which is odd, because I added the maps to my basket and bought them; they arrived two days later! I also asked if SmartST 2005 would recognise my Navman 4470 Bluetooth GPS receiver. The Store responded: The compatibility for the maps is attached, this does not unfortunately include the 4470. Actually nothing was attached, but the product page does not list compatibility with the 4470 nor the Dell Axim x50v. There were two things that made me suspicious I was being misled. Firstly they sell the software for generic Pocket PCs—not explicitly for Navman brand devices; somewhere else I'd seen the system requirements as "Windows Mobile 2003" (as on my Axim). Secondly, if TomTom was happily running with my Navman hardware, surely Navman software would ...

Geocaching with TomTom: a Mac/ Palm solution

Bruce — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 10:05:47 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Jeff Fort read my post concerning the installation of TomTom POI from a Mac. Jeff is into geocaching, and asked if I knew a way to get waypoints into TomTom Navigator 5 on his Palm from his Mac. While I'd heard of Geotagging (with reference to tagging images with GPS co-ordinates), my first step was to find out something about geocaching. Then I could start looking at the problem... According to Wikipedia: Geocaching is an outdoor activity that most often involves the use of a Global Positioning System ("GPS") receiver or traditional navigational techniques to find a "geocache" (or "cache") placed anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small, waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure", usually trinkets of little value. Participants are called geocachers; those not familiar with geocaching are called geo-muggles or just muggles, a term borrowed from the Harry Potter series. Geocaching is similar to a much older activity called letterboxing. The major difference is its use of the GPS and the Internet. Err... interesting! The Geocaching.com website has a great tagline: "The sport where You are the search engine". An exchange of e-mail determined Jeff had the following requirements: To download a geocaching.loc file from http://www.geocaching.com; To use GeoNiche, a Palm app, to view the data when walking; To get the data in the .loc file into .pdb format for GeoNiche using the Java applet EasyNiche); To use the same waypoints in the file from 1. with TomTom maps in order to find the locations in the car. As Jeff explains ...

TomTom vs. Navman: I backed the wrong horse

Bruce — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:56:47 +0000

From bioneural.net:

Some 8 months ago I chose Navman over a TomTom GPS solution for Palm for several reasons that seemed valid at the time. Since then TomTom have released Navigator 5, and Navman have discontinued support for Palm. Curiosity got the better of me, and now that I've tried TomTom I've come to realise the true extent of the Navman's failings. I bought Navigator 5 and Great Britain maps (i.e. software only) on eBay, and used this with my existing Navman 4400 GPS Bluetooth receiver. For Palm or Pocket PC—not both Navigator 5 is not platform-specific: it will work out of the box on Palm and Pocket PC devices. According to TomTom: This TomTom License Agreement ("License") permits you to use the TomTom computer program and the digital (map) data included in the accompanying package acquired with this License on any single computer, provided the Software is installed on only one computer at any time and provided the Software is combined only with one (1) navigation system. This License is non-exclusive and non-transferable. To activate a map on a different device you must change the registered device code. However: Please note that you can only change your device code once within 6 months. Please contact Customer Support if this results in any issues for you. Install to Palm from a Mac This isn't actually a well-supported option, but it can be done whereas Navman requires a Windows PC. I found this page very helpful. There are three steps: Download the TomTom setup Application for Mac OS X here, 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.