On Course With GPS

Knowing where you are and where you're going is important in life. In fact, it's so important to the U.S. Government that they spent $10 billion developing the Global Positioning System (GPS; see below). This expensive collection of satellites and ground stations makes it possible for anyone equipped with a GPS receiver to precisely know their position, along with their direction and speed if they're moving. Anyone with a GPS receiver can access the system to accurately track his or her exact location. The GPS data can even be overlaid in "real-time" on an electronic map for a precise, street-by-street representation of your location.

I live in Houston, Texas, and although I'm pretty familiar with my part of the city, large portions of it are foreign to me. I've always been intrigued by the idea of having a GPS-map system in my car to help me navigate. Such systems are available as expensive add-ons ($2000-$3000) to already-expensive luxury vehicles. In addition, Clarion markets the AutoPC; an in-dash Windows CE mobile computer with a GPS option. But the AutoPC costs $1,300 and the GPS option another $300 to $500 ­ still pretty expensive.

A third solution, and one that I've tried, is to use an inexpensive portable GPS receiver in conjunction with a Windows 95 laptop computer, a connectivity cable and automobile power adapter. Many portable GPS receivers come with a small, monochrome screen that can display data (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) as well as simple maps. Using a GPS receiver with the laptop computer added a larger color screen, which improves usability greatly. It also allowed me to use more complex map display software. The GPS/laptop PC combination worked, but a quick stop meant the whole mess slid onto the floor. In addition, I was always worried about theft and the heat of a Texas summer damaging the equipment.

Color-screen GPS solutions from TeleType

I've used PC Companions for some time now and have always been interested in a Windows CE solution. But the earlier H/PCs had monochrome displays and it's just to hard to read street maps on them. It's only been since the introduction of easy-to-read color-screen PC Companions that I've renewed my search, and looked again at the products of TeleType Company (www.TeleType.com).

TeleType is a small company out of Boston. They have sold GPS solutions for laptop PCs and stand-alone solutions for years, and were one of the first to develop mapping software for the Windows CE operating system. They've recently upgraded their Windows CE moving-map software to add support for door-to-door routing as well as updating all their U.S. street-level maps. They offer complete GPS solutions for Windows CE PC Companions, including a number of GPS receivers and connectivity cables. The TeleType GPS software displays full-color maps and geographic data on a color-screen H/PC, H/PC Pro or P/PC. Used with a GPS receiver it can literally guide you anywhere on the planet by interpreting GPS signals and plotting your position on a digital map.

For this review, I elected to use the Garmin GPS III Plus, also available from the TeleType Web site. This is a standalone GPS receiver that attaches to the PC Companion via a serial cable. This battery operated GPS unit comes with a built-in 1.5" x 2.2"grayscale data/map screen. It has its own built-in street level map. (Additional maps can be downloaded from Garmin's MapSource CDs). More information about it and other Garmin GPS solutions can be found at www.garmin.com. The Aero 2100 attaches to the GPS III Plus via serial cables that come with the Aero and the GPS III Plus.

Selecting the right PC Companion

I had the right mapping software and a suitable GPS receiver, now all I needed was a suitable PC Companion. Although many now come with color displays, not all display well in the bright sunlight you experience when you're driving a car in the daytime. I tested many H/PC Pros and Palm-size PCs. The only two that I was satisfied with were the two Compaq Aero Palm-size PCs. The Aero uses a "reflective screen technology" which has now been upgraded to display 65,000 colors (see my review in the July/August issue). Many think it's actually easier to view in bright light than it is in the dark. Once I'd decided to go with an Aero 2100 Palm-size PC, I had to accept its smaller screen size and lack of keyboard navigation. However, the TeleType GPS software was amazingly functional and I had no problems accessing data and moving around the screen.

Setting up your GPS system

Setting up the system is a relatively straightforward process. First install the GPS software and desired maps on your PC Companion. Then connect the PC Companion to the GPS receiver via serial cables. Finally, turn on the GPS receiver and run the software on your PC Companion.

You install the TeleType GPS software program from your desktop PC to your PC Companion. Maps come on a CD ROM and must be installed from the desktop PC with a CD ROM player to the PC Companion. Maps take up storage space on the PC Companion (minimal storage 500Kb-1Mb), so only install the maps you need. However, if you travel a lot and wish to take along maps for all your desired destinations, you can quickly run out of map storage room. Fortunately, the Garmin GPS III Plus receiver connects via serial cable, leaving the Aero's CompactFlash slot free. You can install maps onto CompactFlash or PC Cards, leaving the internal memory free. The highest-capacity CompactFlash card I've seen is 96MB ($299, SanDisk, www.sandisk.com). Other portable file storage solutions are described below.

TeleType admits that the process of installing maps is not entirely intuitive. However, they have excellent toll-free support (888-TeleType). If you have problems with the map download process, don't hesitate to call them.

Voila! A full-color map

After setting up the software and connecting the GPS unit, I turned things on and got the display shown in Screen 1. As you can see, the only information displayed were city names, next to points, on a blank screen. The problem was that I'd loaded the map images on a CompactFlash card to conserve space. This was not the default location for map files and the TeleType GPS software didn't know where they were. I tapped on "Houston" and a dialog box appeared showing location information, with a button that said "Load Detailed Maps". I tapped the button and was asked for the location of a file named "tgr182011*.ttm". I directed it to the "Export Maps" directory that I had set up on my SanDisk 96 Mb CompactFlash card. Voila! A detailed, full-color map of the area surrounding Houston was displayed. The complete rendering took about 10 seconds (see Screen 2).

Road testing my GPS system

I decided to road test the complete system first on a drive from my office to my home. I connected the GPS III Plus to the Aero 2100 and turned things on. After about a minute, the GPS III Plus got a satellite fix and the TeleType GPS software immediately displayed a red arrow on the map display, indicating my current location (see Screen 3). I laid the GPS III Plus on my dashboard and the Aero 2100 in my drink holder (in its charging/serial cradle). The quality of the maps produced by this software are excellent. The ones I tested were slightly out of date, but TeleType assures me that by the time you read this review, they will have completely updated their maps.

I was impressed with the test drive. The maps were vivid on the Aero's color display, and the position display very accurate. As I drove, a black line appeared on the map behind the red arrow, tracing the route I took. By the time I arrived home, the map displayed the complete route I took, along with data on how far I'd traveled, how long it took, and how fast I want. Even my average speed was recorded on the display of the GPS III Plus. If I so desired, I could set "waypoints" on both devices, and use this information for future travel.

Watching the red arrow move on the display was almost hypnotizing, and I had to be careful and look up frequently. Fortunately, most turn-by-turn navigation is done in city streets. You can always pull over and safely look at the map display. And if you have a passenger in the car, he or she can become the designated "co-pilot" to read the display and give you directions. Finally, TeleType offers an optional Palmtop Car Stand with a built-in power adapter. It lets you mount a Palm-size PC (or PalmPilot) on your dashboard for easier viewing.

An excellent, inexpensive color GPS solution

The TeleType GPS/Aero 2100/Garmin GPS III Plus is a great GPS system. I found the Aero 2100's display quite readable, in spite of its small size. But if you must have a larger screen, take a look at the new Aero 8000, Compaq's new H/PC Pro with a full 10" SVGA color display. It also has a non-reflective screen that performs well in bright daylight.

Be aware that even the newer updated maps you are viewing are not yet "live." Construction areas, street closures (temporary and permanent), detours, etc. will not show up on your map. Future advances in GPS technology will bring "live updates," but that will involve wireless communication. Note also that TeleType also offers a GPS receiver with a PC Card interface, which can be used with H/PCs and H/PC Pros (see sidebar page 26). In addition, other GPS receivers are available from Garmin and other manufacturers.

As the industry evolves, better and cheaper GPS systems will evolve. In fact, rumor has it that Casio is developing a CompactFlash GPS unit that works with its Palm-size PC. If the screen is readable in the sunshine, this will probably set the pace for the next generation of unified Handheld PC/GPS devices.

But for now, the TeleType GPS / Aero 2100 / Garmin GPS III Plus is a great GPS system. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive, effective way to keep track of where you are and where you're going, I highly recommend this combination of hardware and software. *

The Compaq Aero 2100 is a color-screen Palm-size PC with built-in productivity software. It can be connected to the Garmin GPS III Plus via serial cable and display map information using the TeleType GPS software.

The Garmin GPS III Plus is a standalone GPS receiver with its own monochrome display and batteries. It connects to a PC Companion via serial cable and displays map information on a PC Companion using the TeleType GPS software.

Screen 1: At first, only city names were displayed, because I'd loaded the map images on a CompactFlash card and TeleType GPS software didn't know where they were.

Screen 2: After I directed the TeleType GPS software to the map directory on my CompactFlash card, a detailed, full-color map of the area surrounding Houston was displayed.

Screen 3: Once the GPS system is up and running, it displays a red arrow on the map, indicating your current location. A black tracking line (not shown here) traces your route on the map.

Ed Zabrek is Medical Editor of Handheld PC Magazine, a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist in Houston, Texas, and chief technology correspondent for OBGYN.NET (www.obgyn.net), a Web site for obstetricians, gynecologists, and related industry persons.