23 October 2006

The World's Smallest and Lightest
Bluetooth GPS Receiver

GPS navigation has become increasingly important and popular over the past few years, since it makes traveling by car a lot easier, actually rendering the old paper road maps obsolete. And that's the reason why more

and more GPS-enabled devices are being developed as we speak, one of the most interesting (especially due to its minute size) being the one announced by Navicore and promoted as the smallest and lightest Bluetooth GPS receiver in the world.

Are they right to call it the “smallest and lightest”? Well, it sure seems so, since the device measures just 64 x 22 x 15 mm and weighs around 30 grams. However, despite the fact that it could be mistaken for a pack of gum, the Navicore Bluetooth GPS receiver packs quite a punch, since it calculates the user's exact position by the signals it receives from 20 GPS satellites circling the Earth and also saves some pretty important satellite-related information, as for example the status of the satellite signal, the last location, as well as the date and time last used. Moreover, the device re-acquires satellite signals in 100 ms and updates position data every second.

All of these functions are possible due to the fact that the Navicore Bluetooth GPS receiver includes a SiRF Star III GPS chipset and also sports a built-in battery with up to 8 hours battery life. Moreover, the device is quite versatile, since the built-in battery can be charged easily by connecting the USB cable included in the package to a laptop, PC, or even a cigarette lighter outlet.

The Bluetooth GPS receiver has been developed by Navicore in order to accompany the latest version of their navigation product for connected mobile devices, the Navicore Personal 2007, and will hit the market in November 2006, for a yet undisclosed price.