TeleType's PC Card GPS Receiver

TeleType's PC Card GPS in the Expansion Pack of an iPAQ Pocket PC

TeleType Company (www.TeleType.com) has been developing GPS solutions for Windows Powered devices since the first Handheld PC in 1997. GPS solutions have traditionally been complicated affairs, with connectivity and power cables strewn all over the place. But TeleType has just made things a whole lot easier for Handheld PC and iPAQ Pocket PC users with their new PC Card GPS receiver. [Note: The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides precise navigation data to anyone equipped with a GPS receiver. More about GPS in the sidebar.

This package includes the Type II PC Card GPS receiver and TeleType GPS software with street level maps for the entire USA and major roads of Canada. The GPS receiver and software work together to show your position on detailed maps as you move. The system supports any Windows CE 2.0 or higher Handheld PC, and will even work with a Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC if it is equipped with a PC Card Expansion Pack. The system will also work with laptop computers if they have a Type II PC Card slot. Finally, the system does away with a power cable; it draws the power it needs from the portable computer.

Un-tethered GPS

TeleType has always had good mapping software. (Please see my earlier review of the TeleType GPS software in the Nov. 1999 issue of Handheld PC Magazine (now Pocket PC), online at www.PocketPCmag.com/Nov99/gps.htm. Coupled with the PC Card GPS receiver, it un-tethers GPS, giving you the freedom to change vehicles, roam streets or fly across the country, all the while tracking your position on a Windows Powered device or laptop PC. There are some standalone GPS receivers that provide basic GPS info (latitude, longitude, height above sea level, speed, and direction). A few of these even provide some basic map capability. But the more sophisticated, street-level GPS systems usually involve a computer and require connectivity and power cables to operate. The PC Card GPS receiver eliminates this. TeleType also supplied me with an additional external antenna that plugged directly into the GPS card, allowing better signal reception when I was inside my car.

I tested the TeleType PC Card GPS system with the new Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC using the iPAQ's optional Type II PC Card Expansion Pack. (Author's note: I also tried the TeleType GPS PCMCIA card with my new Compaq Presario 1800 with its magnificent 15'' color screen. As I flew from Houston to L.A., I was able to track my flight progress, speed and altitude on the big screen. I even loaded upcoming city maps so that I could zoom in to "look at" the streets maps. GPS receivers and Pocket PC devices are approved for use on commercial flights, except during takeoff and landing ­ check with the flight attendant if you have any questions. It was an amazing experience, so much so that I forgot to watch my DVD movies!)

Getting started with TeleType GPS software

TeleType GPS software combined with a GPS receiver provides a moving map display when you travel. The software includes street level maps for the entire U.S. (street level maps for Europe should be available by the time you read this). You can choose to load entire states or just portions of states. The software comes on a single CD ROM, which you install from a laptop or desktop PC to the Handheld or Pocket PC. If you are using the Pocket iPAQ, the maps must be loaded into the main memory (since you are using the card slot for the PC Card GPS receiver). If you use a Handheld PC with an additional CompactFlash card slot, you can load your maps to a CompactFlash storage card. TeleType maps take 4 to 5 Mb of storage space (even with cities as large as Houston), relatively small for GPS software. The maps allow zooming to different levels of detail. The program supports importing your own scanned maps and maps from the free Microsoft Expedia Maps (www.maps.expedia.com).