On another thread Rollbar mentioned something interesting with regards to communications with a laptop through Internet and maybe having gps capabilities.

I guess it would help for obtaining location if there was gps capability and then using your cell to call. There was mentioned of a wireless card from Verizon. I can see some advantage but.... what if you are in an area where there is no signal for the wifi or cell My thoughts would be a stand alone gps for obtaining location and hopefully a radio signal someone can pick up.

With regards to wireless cards there are also bluetooth cellphones that actually communicate to the laptop computer and connect to the Internet just like a wireless pcmcia card eliminating the need for one. You can get unlimited Internet for about $19 a month in addition to your cell plan. I've used this with my phone when I travel, when I come home I cancel just the Internet portion of the service. It is as fast as dial up service. There are faster speeds but for me the cost does not make up for the intended use when traveling.

Earthmate GPS LT-20 with Street Atlas 2005

Earthmate GPS: Turn your laptop PC into a powerful GPS navigator with this next-generation, high-quality GPS, featuring the latest in high-sensitivity chip technologies.

Includes: Street Atlas USA 2005 with voice commands and other functionality designed specifically for in-vehicle GPS tracking.

System requirements:
Windows® 98SE/2000/Me: 64MB RAM (256MB recommended)
Microsoft Windows XP: 128MB RAM (256MB recommended)
Pentium® 300MHz or higher processor (600MHz recommended)
700MB of available hard disk space
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later

http://www.earthmate.com

Thanks for the page, I'll study it. @ my new job they R supposed to give me a new Laptop, they already gave me my new Nextel.

RollBar

The major advantage to having wireless internet access on the road is the ability to look up places/addresses. You would still have to drop the info into the mapping software and be routed to it via the GPS. You're always at the mercy of signal coverage of course. Intergrating them to providing routing on the fly will happen at some point. GoogleEarth Plus (not free) will show GPS position anywhere in the world provided you can download the images as needed. A highspeed connection would be necessary to use it on the road.

My phone is a PDA with the unlimited internet option and has the Bluetooth abilities Jim mentioned - eliminates all the cables for GPS, headset, laptop connection, etc. and scores an A+ for geek factor. Many cellphones without Bluetooth can support the modem functionality via a datacable specific to your phone. Providers have specific language that may prohibit using your cellphone as a modem - but occasional usage will keep you way under the radar. The highspeed wireless connections are still WAY to expensive for the average user.

I wasn't thrilled with Delorme Street Atlas. However, the 2006 Version is supposed to be a huge upgrade - hopefully they'll have a trial to play with. The major programs out there I can think of are iGuidance, Destinator, Street Atlas (Delorme), Mapololis, Streets & Trips (Microsoft), TomTom, Copilot. All have there pro's and con's. Here's an article reviewing three of them. (iGuidance, Streets & Trips, Copilot). These are all focused on Street Mapping and Routing. Most don't have trials versions available which stinks. Just remember the software and GPS receiver are separate and can be mixed and matched to fit your specific needs if a laptop or PDA is the target use.

GPSPassion has an Off-Road Mapping forum with threads about the options out there and some discussion on Vector vs. Raster based mapping. There's a sticky with a list of software available although I haven't played with any of them. I'm looking at Topo USA (thanks to Rayne) to see what it can and can't do. There's a sticky thread that lists the software and mapping available. I haven't played with any of them yet.

I have a very old version of street atlas and this is what I use for rounting and they enter the waypoints into the gps to create the route.

I tried to upgrade once an returned it because the newer version took longer to calculate. This was a few years ago and I wonder how the newer versions are in speed of calculation.

What about this Romulus for the laptop, it's cheap & I can type in the address I think. Hummmm.

Go here: Garmin GPS-18

****I'm trying to decide, I have to buy one (which one) @ the end of the month. I have 800 home sites to stop @ w/in the next yr. About 120 per month so I need something fast (typing the addy etc.) & that lists street by street & turn by turn to cut down time & gas. I can also use it for Long/Lat positioning for the 4x4 Rescue site etc. They also have listings for off-road; camp grounds etc.****

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Retail Price:
$129.99 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)

Turn your laptop PC into a powerful street navigator with the GPS 18 — a GPS sensor bundled with nRoute™ and City Select software that automatically guides you with turn-by-turn directions and voice prompts to get you safely to your destination.

Similar to Garmin's MapSource® software, nRoute features an easy-to-use interface, making it intuitive to operate so you can focus on driving. It offers auto-routing and voice-prompting capabilities to virtually any address.

The GPS 18 ships with fully unlocked MapSource® City Select® CDs, which provide full coverage of the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico (North America version) or major metropolitan areas throughout Western Europe (Europe version). Map detail includes highways, interstates, business and residential roads, with turn restrictions, speed categories, and other navigation features. It also features more than five million points of interest including restaurants, lodging, attractions, shopping, emergency services, post offices, and more.

The GPS 18 includes a 12 parallel channel, WAAS-enabled sensor, available with either a PC or USB connection. The receiver includes an integrated magnetic base and is less than three inches in diameter.

Traveling with your laptop on business or vacation? The GPS 18 is a simple, convenient, inexpensive way to turn your PC laptop into a personal navigator to get you where you're going.

OEM versions of the GPS 18 are also available.

GPS 18 USB, North America Deluxe Package:
Garmin part number: 010-00321-00

Estimated Retail Price:
$129.99 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)


RollBar

http://www.earthmate.com/prod_earthmate.asp

GPS Product Comparison Chart:

Earthmate GPS USB with Topo USA 5.0 DVD -- $199.95
Earthmate GPS USB with Topo USA 5.0 CD -- $199.95

*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Earthmate GPS USB with Street Atlas USA 2006 -- $129.95
http://www.earthmate.com/prod_earthmate.asp?p=2
This one may equal the other, humm, which one is the best. The Garmin I think has more for the $$. Auto correction etc.
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Earthmate GPS LT-20 with XMap International -- $199.95
Earthmate LT-20 w/ SA 2006 -- $99.95

Earthmate GPS USB :

The Earthmate GPS USB version is ideal for the laptop user. This device has the improved accuracy of WAAS-enabled GPS positioning. Connect the Earthmate to a USB connection on your laptop computer and see your position updated in real-time as you track using DeLorme's Street Atlas USA 2006 or Topo USA 5.


At the heart of the Earthmate is the SiRFstarIIe low-power chipset, with cold-start times of less than 45 seconds and special technology providing improved GPS tracking in weak signal conditions. This chip set requires 75% less power to operate than comparable chips.

Earthmate GPS includes a built-in LED that transitions through the various satellite acquisition modes: red for searching, yellow for two satellites in view, and green for at least three satellites in view. Earthmate GPS is a 12-channel NMEA-compliant receiver.

Earthmate USB versions are now available in two competitively priced packages from Earthmate.com:

Earthmate USB
with Topo USA 5.0
Earthmate USB
with Street Atlas USA 2006

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Earthmate GPS LT-20

This new unit is one of the smallest on the market, measuring just 1 7/8” w x 2 5/8” h x 9/16” thick. It comes with an attached 5’ cable with a suction cup on the cable designed to hold the GPS against the windshield or on the dash for optimum performance. Just plug the other end of the cable into the USB port of your laptop PC. It is best to avoid rapid and far-ranging temperature extremes, bringing the GPS indoors when not in use, just as you would a cell phone. The yellow reflective casing helps reduce high temperatures while on the dash.

Available Packages:

Earthmate GPS LT-20
with Street Atlas USA 2006
Earthmate GPS LT-20
with XMap International


Hummmmmmmmmm,
RollBar

Check your PMs in a sec. There are a ton of options that just depend upon which features are most important to you. Garmin is synonymouse with GPS but I'm not sure if they about their road-mapping.

Unfortunately none of them really make demo or eval software you can play with hands-on.

Ultimately, the best thing to do is find people with different setups and play around to see what features work for ya the best

I think most of the PDA and Laptop choices are flexible enough to allow use with other GPS software (offroad, marine/waterways/geocaching, hell - even golf) down the road as well.

Microsoft has a corny demo and video of "Streets & Trips" available on their site. I don't recommend it - but it's about the only one that you can (kinda) see what you're getting.

If I can find the version I picked up last year, you can have it. Includes the GRS receiver and software. I'll dig - but haven't seen it since i moved and retired it last year. Get back to ya tomorrow on that one.

I didn't like Street Atlas when I played with it - at least not as much as the iGuidance software I finally settled for.

However - I think the Topo program looks really nifty. I haven't seen it in person - you should buy it and try it out for us.

Remember the GPS receiver and Mapping software are separate - although they are usually offered as a bundle with specific brands.

With very few exceptions that I know off - you can use any software with any GPS receiver. Point is you can get a GPS receiver and Mapping program and add a offroad (ie. Topo ) later.

GPSPASSION is your friend.

I have an old copy of the Garmin Topo laying around somewhere that was given to me as barter that I've never used. You better have a fast computer to draw out the 3Ds.

Just got my lap top 5 min ago. . Next is the GPS hook up.

awesome! What type?

Will you know how to use it!

Dell Inspiron 1100 (work laptop).

yep, if U show me, lol

P.S. It has a wirless Verizon card, that's what I'm on now.

Nice! What speed... is it Edge

P.S. Burn one & send it to my P.O. Box

National access-Broad band access. Not sure of the speed, the card doesn't say.

No problem... Dinner will be sufficient.


Hover over your connection icon and see if it tells you the speed you are connected at.

It just say's what I printed out. I even pulled up the log-in page & it doesn't say. Maybe I'll find it later. Back to work.

Thats awesome!!

If it's the Verizon EVDO network (95% chance) it's basically Cable/DSL speeds anywhere you have cell signal. That'll be a blast. I hope work is paying for it.

yep work is paying for it, unlimited time etc.

I doubt that the EVDO and the Edge will ever be as fast as cable/DSL, I have a few friends that have them and it's like a light DSL (meaning half the speed) from what I saw. I saw this about 4 months back, maybe things have changed.

Granted twice as fast as dialup is trick from what I saw (Edge) but it was not as fast as a land line DSL. Have things changed lately

No doubt I am suffering from bandwidth jealousy and actually accepting advertised rates. Can't speak from experience.

I am still waiting for Sprint to finalize it's EVDO rollouts so my PDA useful for something other than making my pants hang off my hip. I've keep hearing cable speeds thrown around - I might need to turn the skeptism up a few notches. Makes ya wonder where will be in 5 years though.

Rollbar - hit Toast.net and try a couple tests. It'll tell you what your speed is and compare it to some benchmarks.

O.K. I'll try it tomorrow.

Well let's just say I down loaded 45MB in just under two minutes.

Not too shabby.

Well it could have been 3 min. but it was smokin'

i just got my internet squared away finally...its wifi from the tower a mile away..yeah!!! not as fast as cable but very close , better than satalitte because it doesnt go down with the weather...faster than dsl and blows away the dial up connection i had a hundred years ago..it took the technician a while to configure my settings, get the radio right..etc..but well worth the wait!!!

It's really wifi????

seems she has the directional wifi internet service, she needs direct line of sight to the tower(provider) and they install a wifi antenna on her roof pointing at the tower. at least thats what i think she has!

greenlantern..you are correct....and it rocks!!! finally..lol....it took about 3-4 trips for the guy to get it right..but it is awesome...plus all the computers are connected together

I had no idea they had wifi services towers available. Rocks. And they have one out in the boonies?

uh huh...actually i am only one mile from the tower and about 5 miles from "town" i am the only house on the street and only one of three in about a 5 block radius. when the house was built FPL had to come and add the power poles. I am really not out in the boonies..just a very under developed area of charlotte county

I just ordered this, http://www.garmin.com/products/gps18/ it will be here in 3 day's.

rollbar, let me know how you like it? i dont have a gps, and that seems like a good deal... do you have a laptop mount or something?

I'll let you know. No I don't have a laptop mount, it's a "L" shaped wood holder that rests on the center arm rest.

I love it. The thing works great. It comes w/the whole US but I only loaded the Eastern sea board for now. U don't have to be on line for it to work, just plug your GPS antenna in & open up the program & in about 5 sec. (warmed up) you have it. It will track speed, time to distination, time per turn, feet to the turn etc.etc.
It is worth the $$. In the stores it's 163 & change, internet I paied 123 from the Garmin site w/a next day air added.
I went to Wildwood on some business & it gave me a ETA @ persent speed & it adjust as the speed increases or decreases.

I recomend it, easy to use & type in the addy. For the addy once U have the city typed in it stays so U typed in the house number then hit select & type inthe street & (it will do a auto fill in) click find then route to & BAM it's there.

Hope this helps,
RollBar

P.S. It talks to U so you don't have to look @ the screen. Also I was traveling @ night so it blackened the screen & when the sun came up it lightened up, cool.