Asus Bluetooth GPS Kit
Author: Matt Keys
Published: June 9, 2004
Background
A few months back I purchased the Asus GPS Kit from ProPortable. This
was the version with the GPS mouse that connected through the bottom of
the Asus A620. While I do love the kit--I have it nicely wired up in my
car--it just doesn’t provide the same mobility that a Bluetooth
system can. One big advantage I can imagine would be for people who like
to hike or camp out in the wilderness. So the question is, does that mobility
come at a cost?
What's in the box?
HOLUX GR-230 Bluetooth GPS Receiver
Car Cigarette Adapter
DC Adapter
AC Adapters for foreign outlets
Car holder with high strength suction plate and sticky mount
Tool CD (drivers to connect with laptop)
Setting it up
This has been my first Bluetooth accessory for any of my PocketPC’s.
So I am rather new to setting up the connection on the PDA. I won’t
lie; it took me a bit to figure it out. Not that it was any fault of the
GPS.
I connected the GPS to my Asus A620bt in a matter of moments. It had
a healthy signal, and all seemed well. My particular complication arose
when I tried to use it with my GPS software--Ostia 6.0 in this case. After
10 minutes or so of fiddling around with it, I found that I needed to
change the port Ostia was using to Com 6 (to match my Bluetooth settings).
After all that, everything was well. Many of you will likely be using
different GPS software with your unit, so I can hardly blame the confusion
in the software on the GPS receiver.
Using the GPS
The GPS kit came bundled with a very nice vehicle mounting kit which
allows you to mount your PocketPC a couple different ways. You can either
use the included suction cup (very strong) to mount your PDA to a window
or the included sticky pad to mount to your interior. Also included in
the kit was a car adapter to keep your PocketPC charged up and even a
cable to charge the GPS receiver if it gets low.
I opted to use the sticky pad in my car so that I could keep the PDA
from blocking my view while driving. Unfortunately my car’s dashboard
lacks flat surfaces. So when I used the sticky pad in my car, it would
teeter-totter back and forth a bit and fall off shortly thereafter. I
ended up having the mobile installers at Best Buy attach it for me with
some of their materials. On a flat surface, the included pad would have
been more than sufficient to keep the device mounted--in case any of you
were concerned.
The GPS receiver itself can go pretty much anywhere in your car, but
for the best reception it should go somewhere on your dash. The bottom
side of the receiver has two rubber pads which keep it firmly down on
the dash while driving. It will stay put through most conditions aside
from a lot of large bumps or potholes.
I have been very happy with the quick response I get while using this
GPS system. You can be up and going in under a minute. With an average
satellite acquire time of 45 seconds from a “cold start”,
it is more than fast enough for me. You will find that the acquisition
time will go down once the device has been in use for a while: 38 seconds
for a warm start and 8 seconds while doing a hot start.
Battery Life
One of my fears about using a Bluetooth system for GPS was battery life.
I do not want to get caught out in the middle of nowhere without my guide.
Thankfully this little device has amazed me with over 8 hours of battery
life. A red light on the front of the unit lets you know that the battery
is getting low so you have an early warning. I have never had any problems
with running out of juice while on the go, but I did find it reassuring
that I could hook up the unit to its car charger if I needed.
Wrap Up
The high quality vehicle mount and the GPS receiver make one killer combination
for any road warrior, traveler, or directionally handicapped (me). This
is the smallest Bluetooth GPS receiver I have seen to date, and it still
packs a longer lasting battery than the competition. As well, it feels
sturdy enough to take quite a beating. However, one particular feature
I was unable to try was connecting the included PC link cable to a laptop
for GPS, unfortunatly I did not have any PC based GPS software.
The Asus GPS kit
can be picked up from ProPortable.com
for $225
Pros
- High quality design
-Small and durable
-Quick satellite acquisition
-Long battery life
Cons
-Bluetooth can be hard to setup for beginners
Score: 
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