Netbook Pro GPS solution ???

Is there a way to get navigation on my netbook pro.
Which GPS device / software combination will work.

Thanks,
Skanga

Hi,

TomTom Navigator 5 is working perfectly! This version has maps of Western Europe. I use it without a GPS, my father uses it with an old Psion's Palmtop GPS. Think it should work with an CF gps.

Greetings,

Wouter

Ordered an Globalsat BC337 CF GPS today, I will let you know if it works (dont know when its delivered).

Wouter

There are already some posts regarding this topic. In short, basically any GPS that works through an emulated serial port will work, whether it's pcmcia, bluetooth or serial. If the GPS requires special drivers, then chances are that either the manufacturer offers HPC drivers or that PPC drivers can be hacked, but it'll be harder to make it work. fortunately, almost all GPSs work using the virtual serial port method.

Hope thats true! TomTom offers 4 ports on my netBook Pro. USB, Serial 1, Infrared and COM3. Hope that COM3 is my PCMCIA card slot (I think so), and that the CF gps will work with an PCMCIA adapter.

Does anybody know how to add simulated ports?

Now it is just waiting for the delivery!



Greetings,

Wouter

I think the only thing you need to do is to plug the CF GPS and it'll automagically make the virtual COM port available

Well Matrixcore, you were absolutely right! Yesterday the GPS was delivered and it worked out of the box. So: anyone owning an NetBook Pro and looking for an navigation solution (and living in Western Europe):

- TomTom navigator 5 with maps of western Europe (great software, very precise and with excellent voice commands)
- Globalsat BC337 GPS: very precise and quick CF GPS

And turn your Pro into an fully handheld precision navigation device with an display size of about half A4. You really see the pocket PC users turn green as they see it! Great!

Better: for outdoor/sports users, also OziExplorer CE works, I'm going to do some experiments with it. You can scan topographic maps and plot them on your handheld.

Greetings,

Wouter

May I ask what you did to get TT5 working with WinCE please? Many thanks.

I installed tomtom 5 on my netbook pro and it works. For adding GPS, since I have a socket bluetooth card, bougth a xaiox bluetooth GPS.

I was able to recognize it on the netbook pro bluetooth screen. I was also able to bond it. Then on Tomtom, the GPS setting lets me choose "Bluetooth COM Port", but then keeps stating No GPS device.

Anybody was able to get GPS bluetooth working?

If it really doesnt work, what about an IR port GPS. Is it fast enough? is it reliable? Any model to suggest?

thanks

are you sure the COM port is correct, i.e. it is for the GPS? and not in use by something else already.

now it works. Oddly, on TomTom you must not select a bluetooth device, even if it is bluetooth. Rather you should choose "other wired NMEA gps" even if there is no wire at all. This way, you get a window that lets you choose among all the bluetooth devices you have paired, so you choose GPS device and it is done.

It works wonderfully, it is very fast in 3D and speaks clearly in many languages in real time.

Just this use is a good reason to own my netbook pro