Dual Electronics Xgps150a Multipurpose Portable Universal Bluetooth Gps Receiver | Wide Area Augment
Dual Electronics XGPS150A Multipurpose Portable Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver | Wide Area Augmentation System, Black
- Add Gps Wirelessly Via Bluetooth – You Can Greatly Strengthen Your Gps Signal On Any Device By Seamlessly Connecting Via Bluetooth In A Matter Of Seconds.Control Method:Touch,Application.Special Feature:Bluetooth.Water Resistant: Yes
- Gps Status Tool – The Free Downloadable App Provides Accurate Gps Coordinates, Position Update Rate Change & Works With Numerous Devices And Operating Systems Such As Iphone, Ipad, Android, Mac, Windows & Much More
- Hundreds Of Applications – Being Able To Add Accurate Gps To Your Device Will Now Allow You To Use Hundreds Of Available Apps In Any Scenario Such As Car, Marine, & Aerial Navigation, Hiking, Fitness, Social Networking And Much More
- Battery Life & Included – Your Gps Receiver Has A Battery Lifespan Of 8.5 Hours Of Continuous Use & Comes With A Usb Charging Cord, An Adjustable Strap, 12-28V Car Charger And Non-Slip Pad That Will Securely Stick To Most Surfaces
The Dual Electronics XGPS150A Multipurpose Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver with Wide Area Augmentation System and Portable Attachment is compact, light weight, simple to use and extremely accurate. The built-in Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is highly sensitive and allows your device to connect to several satellites providing accurate and reliable GPS coordinates within +/- 2.5m, max speed of 1,150 mph & max altitude of 59,000 ft. You now have the ability to add highly accurate GPS tracking to anyone of your devices by simply connecting to your XGPS150A model seamlessly via Bluetooth in a matter of seconds. The GPS Status Tool is a free downloadable app found in the App Store or Android Marketplace and provides you real time accurate GPS coordinates, position rate of change and works with numerous devices and operating systems such as iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and much more. With your XGPS150A you now have hundreds of applications that are compatible so you are covered in any scenario such as a car, marine, and aerial navigation, hiking, fitness, social networking and much more. When designing your XGPS150A we made sure that you had an ample battery life of 8.5 hours of continuous use and fully recharges within 2.5 hours. Included you will find a USB charging cord, an adjustable strap, 12-30V car charger and a non-slip pad that will securely stick to almost any surface.
Brand : Dual Electronics
Category : Electronics,GPS, Finders & Accessories,Sports & Handheld GPS,Handheld GPS Units
Rating : 4.3
ListPrice : US $129.99
Price : US $119.99
Review Count : 1790
Item Weight : 1.76 ounces
Best Sellers Rank : #27,304 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #80 in Handheld GPS Units
Special features : Bluetooth
Color : Black
Whats in the box : XGPS150A
SalesRank : 27304
ChildASIN : B006M49G80
Other display features : Wireless
Batteries : 1 Lithium Ion batteries required.
Batteries : 1 Lithium Ion batteries required.
Connectivity technologies : Bluetooth, USB
Human Interface Input : Buttons
Scanner Resolution : 480 x 272
Dual Electronics XGPS150A Multipurpose Portable Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver | Wide Area Augmentation System, Black
- I just used the Dual XGPS150 on a recent trip, and found that it worked very well indeed. The only issue I have encountered is potential incompatibility with specific applications that, by the express intent of the provider of the application, are not compatible with external GPS receivers. This is the sort of thing that many people would not anticipate, because it is counter to common sense, but it is real. I recommend that prior to purchasing any external GPS receiver, that you start by identifying the particular application that you expect to use, and that you confirm with the supplier of that application that the application is compatible with external GPS receivers. I\'ll discuss this further in a bit.I did not encounter any issues with the Bluetooth connection between the iPad2 WiFi and the Dual XGPS150a. The XGPS150a did not exhibit any problems with maintaining continuity of satellite reception or continuity of its knowing its precise location. It was highly accurate. I am particularly pleased with how quickly it figures out its location after having been powered off for a while. It does this within just a few seconds, which is a small fraction of the time that my high-end Garmin Nuvi needs to figure out where it is.There is a competing device that hangs directly from the docking port, and I just think that this is a very dumb idea. Yeah, there is nothing about the docking port that prevents this sort of thing, but it is suitable only for cables and cradles. Nothing should be attached there in the way that that thing does. It is only a question of when, not whether, you snap it off, ruining the accessory at least and possibly even damaging the port on the iPad or iPhone, which I expect would be a costly repair.For owners of WiFi-only devices, there are generally two issues that you have to sort through when it comes to applications. The first issue is the issue of off-line maps. As most people quickly figure out, Google Maps on the iPhone/Pod/Pad relies on continual Internet connectivity to download pieces of the map on the fly, as you travel or even as you scroll around the map without moving. The same behavior applies to most of the map apps that you can buy at the app store. This is obviously an issue for mobile use of WiFi-only devices, but it is even an issue for devices enabled with cellular-based data communications (3G, etc.), because in rural areas, loss of data connectivity is even more prevalent than loss of voice service. (And as has been reported elsewhere, it is all too common for 4G services to revert to 3G, in which case the data rate plummets from something remarkably fast to something more like a very slow DSL connection, which could adversely affect the ability for the map application to update the map as you are moving.) When you evaluate specific applications relative to this need, you need to pay close attention to the particulars of how you select the map segments that get stored in the device. And ignore all the misinformation that you find on web forums, telling you about some trick for forcing Google Maps and similar apps to cache maps in the device. Categorically, those tricks do not work.The other issue is with forced incompatibility. Fundamentally, there is no apparent reason why an application that works with internal GPS receiver would not work with an external GPS receiver. In fact, it might not even be possible for the application to detect the difference. Nevertheless, the provider of the application can flag the application such that you cannot even download the application into the device if the device does not have an internal GPS receiver. In particular, I discovered that this is what MotionX, the supplier of several navigation applications, does. If your device does not have an internal GPS receiver, you cannot buy MotionX GPS applications directly from the device (via the app store application), and if you go the iTunes route, you can buy the app but then during the app synching phase, iTunes will give you a message saying that the app could not be downloaded into the device because the application is not compatible with that device. This is not some sort of oversight or snafu or whatever. It seems counterintuitive, but MotionX\'s concern is presumably that without this restriction, some people (cheaters) who use external GPS devices would purchase the app and then demand a refund, claiming that the app is not compatible with the device. It remains to be seen whether MotionX and Apple will figure out a better way to address this concern, but for the time being at least, you cannot download MotionX GPS applications into devices that lack internal GPS receivers.This concern is potentially an issue for GPS applications in general, which is why I recommend that you start by selecting the application that you intend to use, and make certain that there is no compatibility issue of this sort, before you purchase any external GPS receiver. I had hoped to use MotionX GPS HD, mainly because it is so much less expensive than TomTom, which is a very expensive application at around $50. Before buying the TomTom application and then finding out that I had wasted my money, I attempted to get confirmation from TomTom that there were no issues similar to the situation with MotionX. I called their tech support number and then waited on hold for a long time and eventually spoke to someone in Mexico who absolutely assured me that TomTom would work only with either the internal GPS receiver or else their own docking cradle (for the iPod/iPhone - not sure if they even have anything for the iPad). Then I sent an email asking for clarification, and I got a response that was confusing but that seemed to corroborate what I was told over the phone. I sent a reply to that email, and a day or two later I got another reply correcting the earlier reply, stating definitively that TomTom GPS app is compatible with all external GPS devices. That second reply even included a link for a page on their web site that indicated the same thing, although not as definitively as I would have liked. I have not decided whether to purchase TomTom, but I am confident at this point that should I choose to do so, I would not encounter an issue similar to the issue with MotionX, and in the unlikely event of such an issue, there should be no difficulty in getting a refund through the app store.Garmin also makes a car navigation app, but presently it is an iPhone-only app. Presumably it would run on the iPAd, but either using only a small part of the screen or else blown up with lousy resolution.I only really wanted a good map application anyway, as opposed to full-blown turn-by-turn navigation with route planning and so forth. I found two good applications: PocketEarth, and MapsWithMe. Of the two, I like PocketEarth better, because the graphical representation of the maps was easier to read and interpret, particularly with respect to freeway ramps, which sometimes are incredibly complex. PocketEarth even shows bypasses and roads that are presently under construction but not yet completed. They were indicated using dashed lines to distinguish them from existing roads, but even the ramps were indicated. This was impressive to say the least.My final observation is for the benefit of anyone who has not purchased an iPad and who is debating whether to get the WiFi-only version or the version enabled with mobile data capability (3G, etc.). I recently had a discussion on this question with a friend who is considering buying an iPad. Notwithstanding the availability of external GPS receivers, and notwithstanding that you can get those little devices that translate 3G (or whatever) to WiFi, and notwithstanding that the offline maps issue is an issue even for devices that are enabled with mobile data communications, we agreed that for anyone wanting to use an iPad for navigation purposes, it is wise to spend the extra money on the iPad with the data capability (3G, etc.) and then purchase service for it on a monthly basis as needed, which is a nice thing that you can do with the iPad.
- Once connected to device, you just have to turn on, put it on the dash, and open your ForeFlight app and it works great. Already used it for a few cross-country flights at various altitudes and had no problems. Great battery life too
- At the time that I bought XGPS150A, I was debating between it and the Emprum UltiMate GPS Receiver, to use in conjunction with an iPhone app that necessitated a GPS device capable of 5Hz sampling rates. I opted for the Dual Electronics unit over the Emprum device for two reasons, the XGPS150A is a standalone device with its own battery and, again, at the time, was thirty dollars less expensive.The packaging for the XGPS150A is somewhat reminiscent of an Apple product. If you\'ve ever opened an iPhone or iPod touch, you will recognize the Apple design cues of the XGPS packaging quickly. The same cannot be said for the external markings however.The contents are quite secure in the packaging, so much so that I needed to use a letter opener just to pry the box open. Once inside, the contents reveal themselves quickly, albeit wrapped in far more plastic than necessary. It really was excessive. Once I was able to remove all of the wrappings, I ended up with the GPS receiver, a rubberized dashboard \"mount\", an adjustable armband (can be used on a backpack as well), a car accessory port USB adapter, a reasonably long mini-USB cable, and an instruction manual.To my surprise, and despite the instruction manual\'s statement to the contrary, the battery on the GPS unit was completely dead and needed to be charged. Fortunately, the XGPS150A is designed to work while connected to a USB power source. As stated in the manual, it took about 2.5 hours to fully charge the battery.Connecting the XGPS150A to my iPhone was quite easy since the unit was already set to \"iOS mode\". Once I downloaded the native app from the App Store, I was able to view the connectivity status of the GPS unit as well as the battery level, configurable settings, and firmware version.When I set out to test the XGPS150A with my third party iOS app, I was surprised to find that the unit was functioning in 1Hz mode instead of 5Hz mode. A quick Google search revealed that the firmware that shipped with my GPS unit was VERY old (1.0.34) and needed to be updated in order for 5Hz mode to become available. (At the time of this writing, the latest firmware available from Dual Electronics is 1.2.6.) The firmware upgrade process was straight forward, albeit a bit restrictive as it requires access to a Windows PC. Mac users are out of luck unless they are running Windows in a VM or via Bootcamp. While this wasn\'t a problem for me, it might be for some. Therefore, I\'ve docked the rating one star. (They have an iOS and Android app. IMO, there\'s no reason why they can\'t have a firmware updater for OSX.)Once the firmware was updated, the XGPS150A worked as expected. 5Hz mode was in full effect and my third party app was happy with the data it received. Unfortunately, I had a minor issue with the dashboard mount. The dashboard mount is made of a very soft rubber material which, sadly, has developed a tear around the edge that holds the XGPS150A in place after only a few uses. I wasn\'t rough or abrupt with the insertion and removal of the XGPS150A from the dashboard mount. It seems that the mount\'s material is extremely delicate and not well suited for its intended purpose. I\'ve docked the rating one star for this shortcoming as well.I haven\'t used the armband or car charger yet so I cannot comment on those items. I will be putting the unit through its paces under more strenuous circumstances in a couple of weeks, at which point I will update my review to include my experiences.********* Update 1/3/14 *************Well, I\'ve had an opportunity to really put this GPS through its paces. Overall, the GPS unit met my expectations with a few exceptions.1 - Although I was able to achieve the advertised 5Hz functionality, this only occurred once - immediately after the firmware upgrade. After that, the best I could achieve was 4Hz. After doing some research, I found that I am not the only one having this problem and it appears the manufacturer is aware of the problem. I have my doubts whether this issue will ever be resolved since the AGPS160 has been released.2 - For whatever reason, there is a known connectivity bug that exists between iOS 6.1 and this unit. At some point, this GPS will stop communicating with your iOS device and the only way to fix the problem is to use the \"Forget This Device\" feature in iOS\' bluetooth menu then reconnect. The manufacturer suggests that the problem is with Apple\'s implementation of Bluetooth in iOS 6.1.x. This issue was supposedly fixed in iOS 7, however I chose not to upgrade since my iOS device is an iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4 experiences performance issues running iOS 7. While this isn\'t a knock on the GPS device, it is certainly an issue that everyone should be aware of. (At the time, iOS 7.0.2 was the latest version available and it ran poorly on my other iPhone 4 phones.)3 - Even with a direct line of sight to the open sky, this unit takes several minutes to acquire signals from nearby satellites. Again, this may not be an issue with the GPS itself, but I found myself having to plan ahead and allow extra time for the GPS unit to be ready before I could confidently record the telemetry provided by the GPS. Once it was up and running, however, the telemetry was fairly solid.4 - The software I used to gather the GPS telemetry (Sailor/GPS Buddy/Harry\'s Lap Timer) was able to calculate the accuracy of my GPS on the fly. The best the GPS could manage was three feet of accuracy while connected to 12 satellites simultaneously. Not a deal breaker for my purposes, but still an important statistic nonetheless.5 - My intended usage for this device was in a motor vehicle, and I must admit the mounting options are quite limiting. The rubberized dash mount is completely useless in a moving vehicle. Had it not been for the fact that I drive a convertible, the armband would have been equally useless. I ended up securing the GPS by wrapping the arm band around my passenger sun visor, then I positioned the GPS to face the sky while the top was down. This sufficed, for the most part, although I did have some concerns regarding the velcro strap and whether it would hold in place. Fortunately, the velcro held just fine.In conclusion, this GPS unit met my expectations, even with its quirks, so I\'ve decided to keep my star rating as is. Hopefully someone will find my feedback helpful in their purchasing decision.
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