Fun GPS Tracking Applciations

[MikeSB]

There are a couple of fun GPS tracking applications I've run across for those interested in biking, hiking or boating. One is GPSTuner (www.GPSTuner.com). It is a simple program that allows you to easily track and export your tracks to programs like Google Earth.

Another one is mentioned in a forum at GPSTuner, http://www.gpstuner.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511. It discusses a program, GPSonic, that allows you to easily take the output from GPSTuner and show your path with altitude, distance and times. You can even merge the data with a Google Earth image map. GPSonic is a German program. If anyone else is aware of similar applications, I'd be interested in hearing about them.

[MikeSB]

GPS TrackMaker is dramatically better than the German application I mentioned before and it is free. It integrates quite well with Google Earth to show you your routes and allow you to simulate your path. Again these would be nice for bikers or hikers who want to see where they went, how long each segment took, their average speed during a segment and view that data while looking at it on Google Earth. All you need is to take on your ride or hike is the Treo 700w running GPS Tuner and a bluetooth gps. This just seems like an unexpetedly cool use for my 700w.

[chris]

These both seem pretty cool. Have you gotten an opportunity to test drive them?

-Chris

p.s. - added the link to GPS Tracker in your post - figured I'd save folks the Google search.

[MikeSB]

Update. I've decided that Navio by Tiny Sockets, http://www.tinystocks.com/gps.html, is better than than GPS Tuner. It provides more information has more options and conforms to the 240 x 240 screen very nicely. The on downside since there is always a downside is that it doesn't appear to save tracks in GPX format. It saves them in NMEA format. GPS TrackMaker which was mentioned above doesn't seem to import NMEA files. The good news is that there is a free utility called GPSBabel, http://www.gpsbabel.org/, that translates the NMEA to GPX. It also translates many other formats as well.

With Navio running on the 700w to capture the routes to a file, GPSBabel to convert the cpatured file to GPX, and GPS TrackMaker to read the file and interact with Google Earth you have a great combination. Navio is the only package that you must pay a fee to use. The rest are free to use.

Again this is a good solution for hikers or bikers or runners that want to track their routes. Of course if my Ostia software that game with my Pharos GPS would only allow me to track and export routes, I wouldn't need the Navio application.

Mike

[oikos]

hardware question and software settings? Does Navio work directly with 700w or is an additional devise required?

[MikeSB]

To use Navio you'd need to have a gps receiver like the Pharos or some other bluetooth equivalent.