QStarz finally comes out with a real time GPS tracking device. It is called QTracker and is still in sample phase. But we’re hoping we’ll get our own sample pretty soon. The idea is you put a SIM card (pre-paid recommended) in this device and dial this number from your personal cell phone and receive a text message back with a link to Google Maps. Brilliant! You can get moving alerts that can be sent up to three numbers. And it even texts you back when the battery is running low. The only thing you have to worry about is to find a SIM card that doesn’t charge you monthly fees for being idle and doesn’t expire.

This will potentially work in any country provided you plug in a SIM card that works where ever you are.

QStarz QTracker uses an MTK II GPS module which is capable of tracking 66 satellites at once. GSM frequencies it runs on are 850/900/1800/1900Mhz. It charges via mini USB in about 3 hours but the spec sheet does not mention how long it lasts. We’re hoping this real time GPS tracking device has an auto power off so it doesn’t waste batteries when your asset is parked somewhere for long periods of time.

We’ll keep you posted.

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QStarz QTracker for real time GPS tracking

Source: Navigadget
Read more here:QStarz QTracker for real time GPS tracking

Sometime ago we mentioned a new GPS for back tracking – called GPS X-Guider. We decided to get this GPS back tracker for a thorough review and want to share our findings here.

The term GPS backtracker is quite new – usually referring to small handheld GPS devices dedicated to routing you back to a waypoint you’ve marked. This could simply be the spot you parked your car, your favorite camping site, or even the spot where your buried the body in the middle of desert. This is nothing an advanced GPS device can’t do but it’s nice to have a small easy to use GPS handheld for the job. You could even claim your smartphone can get the job done – but good luck with that battery life. Since acquiring GPS signal usually eats up a lot of power your Android/iPhone may be out of out juice within the first hour of your adventure. You might as well keep the last 5 minutes of your battery life to record a voice message for your loved ones.

But anyhow – back to GPS X-Guider. First thing you’ll notice with this GPS device is its simplicity. Simple menus, only two buttons, but still a lot of features.

Hardware

We’re not sure what kind of GPS receiver chip is in this GPS back tracker but we’re happy with it. Out of the box (cold start) it took less than a minute to get a satellite fix and after that it was literally seconds for GPS X-Guider to figure out where it is.

GPS X-Guider is super light. Without the two AAA batteries it pretty much weighs nothing – really good if you’re anal about how much weight you’re taking with you. The batteries actually add some needed weight – so it feels good to hold. Speaking of battery life; all we can say is that it is really decent. After 3 days of on and off review it still has one bar left but we’re never patient enough to actually run it out completely and give you a specific number. The manual claims 16 hours of straight use. And you can always carry spare batteries with you.

The screen is not very exciting but it gets the job done without wasting power. It is definitely sunlight readable and when it is dark out the neo blue backlight comes in handy and makes it a pleasure to use GPS X-Guider.

GPS X-Guider comes with a really durable silicon case that fits tightly and makes it IPX6 water resistant. Pressing the buttons with the case is still very easy; so no worries there. There’s also neck strap / lanyard in the case so it is ready to attach to your backpack or put around your neck.

Software

Software of GPS X-Guider is very comprehensive. It lets you organize your theme destinations, back tracing way points, route plans, and the tracks you’ve logged. One side of the window is the options we listed and the other pane is live Google Maps. You can drag, zoom, switch between map, satellite, hybrid views just like you’d in your browser. If you don’t like the software for some reason you can always export your tracks to other formats which include KML, GPX, and NMEA.

Say you’re planning a trip: the software even allows you to name each point on your route so you know which waypoint you’re headed to. To be more specific you can call your waypoints as such: “1)car park, 2)trail head, 3)good place for pics, 4)cross over creek here, etc etc”.

Firmware

When we say firmware we’re talking about the menus and options that are actually on the device itself. There’s isn’t much to say here. Once you get used to it is pretty easy to navigate around.

One screen shows the time that gets set automatically using your position and satellite time. Another screen shows compass; arrow pointing north, and the smaller arrow around the edge pointing to your destination. Another screen is the speedometer; which also includes the direction of your destination. In the actual guider you’ll get a giant arrow pointing to where you need to head, and the name of your next waypoint. And then there’s the trip info screen which shows details such as speed, odometer, distance, altitude, etc. Like we said; small device packed with features.

Long story short we found GPS X-Guider to be a very handy and inexpensive hanheld GPS back tracker. We do recommend it. You can grab one at GPS X-Guider for $109. Good deal.

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

GPS X Guider Review

Source: Navigadget
Read more here:GPS X Guider Review

Earlier this month we reviewed MainNav MG-600; a handheld GPS receiver mostly designed for cyclists. We said we would give it away once the review was done; so here you go – just leave a comment below for your chance.

At the end of the review we did like Mainnav MG-600. It is definitely well built and has the battery life to outlast your longest workout.

How to enter? Really easy. 1) Follow our RSS feed and then 2) leave a comment below. That is all. Do make sure you enter a valid email so we can contact you back.

We will ship this out to a U.S. address only. Sorry rest of the world. Also duplicate entries, emails, IP addresses will be disqualified.

Don’t think you’re going to win? Well don’t be so pessimistic – but in case you don’t Amazon has this Mainnav for only $75.

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

Mainnav MG-600 giveway (free stuff!)

Source: Navigadget
Read more here:Mainnav MG-600 giveway (free stuff!)

So we had about a week to play with the new Mainnav MG-600. This device is mostly designed for cyclists. It can track speed, distance, time, and odometer. It can log your data, mark a single point, etc. You can save your complete route for viewing on Google Earth or Google Map.

In data logging mode MG-600 saves tracks every second if you’re moving and every one minute if you’re motionless. One thing we’d like to see here is the auto power-off. I left the device in my vehicle for about 6 hours and found it still on. Good news is that it still had plenty of battery when I came back.

An interesting feature is the “you’re losing” reminder. They like to call it the “speed behind” reminder. What this does is that when your current speed lower than average speed , the screen will flash every 3 seconds to alert you to catch up. Another unusual feature is the light-sensor. This turns on the backlight when it is dark out. We like this a lot.

As far as hardware Mainnav MG-600 is pretty decent but it has some things we don’t like. We like the touch buttons – but they’re too easy to press and there’s no way to lock them. You can easily do things accidentally. Screen backlight is very handy when combined with the light sensor but the resolution is very ‘old school’. We’re so used to fancy color screen these days.

It has a small friction pad on the back so it would stay put on your dashboard and a small hole for a lanyard – giving you options in case you’re not a cyclist. It does come with a good set of mounts for your bicycle of course. Other than that Mainnav MG-600 feels solid and well built.

Software – or we should just call it the firmware – on the device itself definitely needs improving. Menus sometimes don’t make sense – you really have to get used to it.

The software that comes in the box on a mini CD looks promising. Installing the other required USB to COM driver took a while but we eventually got it to work in manual mode. Negative points here…

Position fix is really fast when you first turn it on. Definitely less than 30 seconds. Battery life is good too – but we never have the patience to wait and watch them run out. Manual claims it will last 17 hours with the backlight on.

Bottom line is this is decent GPS logger with some good hardware. You’ll have to learn how to use the device menu’s and the included software to get the most out of this.

For more pictures check out our MG-600 unboxing and stay tuned for our giveaway…

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

Mainnav MG-600 Review

Source: Navigadget
Read more here:Mainnav MG-600 Review

Hey, we have a winner for the i-gotU GPS Travel Logger we were giving away. It is number #29, Mark Bethony, who said “Yummy”. We hope you don’t try to consume this awesome GPS logger/ geotagger. Congratulations! We’ll email you and ask you for your address.

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

i-gotU GPS Travel Logger winner

Source: Navigadget
Read more here:i-gotU GPS Travel Logger winner

There’s a new GPS back tracker out there called GPS X-Guider Back Tracker. We’ve seen some back trackers here on Navigadget before but this one seems to be combining a lot of their features into one.

Like we just said GPS X-Guider is not just for finding where you parked your car at a giant American mall. With the included PC software it actually lets you plan your trip online and upload to your device to guide you during your hike. That’s our favorite feature but you can use for it’s most basic function: Pointing you to a place you’ve marked. During which it’ll show you the direction you need to head, distance to destination and your current speed.

GPS X-Guider Back Tracker even lets you record your trips; much like a GPS data logger. Once you’re back from your trip; hiking, cycling, fishing, or whatever it may be; you can upload your trip to your PC and view it on Google Maps.

There’s more though – it can be used as a compass, speedometer, reliable satellite clock, or a workout partner to calculate avg speed, distance, and calories burned. GPS X-Guider Back Tracker goes for $109 – not bad for a little gadget that could save your life.

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

GPS X-Guider Back Tracker

Source: Navigadget
Read more here:GPS X-Guider Back Tracker