One of the best little gadgets I have managed to blow my hard-earned cash on lately is the BT-Q1000 Bluetooth GPS “travel recorder”/data-logger from Qstarz. I’ve had the device for a few days now and been trying out its functionality, and I like what I’ve seen (so far).

What?

A quick primer on the subject at hand first:

A Bluetooth GPS receiver is designed to wirelessly beam GPS data to other devices, such as PDAs, smartphones or laptops, so that the data can be utilized by navigation software on such devices. Most Bluetooth GPS receivers cannot be used as a standalone devices since they do not have a screen or on-board memory (contrary to portable GPS navigators, like the Garmin eTrex, for example). A GPS data-logger, on the other hand, is a similar device that simply saves received GPS data to an on-board memory, which can later be downloaded to a computer to display a recorded navigational track. An increasing number of devices are popping up with dual functionality as both GPS receivers and data loggers, such as the BT-Q1000. Manufacturers of these devices are a dime a dozen (just google Bluetooth GPS receiver) and the competition in this market is intense, continuously and rapidly bringing better devices and lower prices to the market. The technology is used in a number of applications such as vehicle/individual tracking, fleet management and consumer electronics¹

The BT-Q1000 is not a unique device in terms of its basic functionality, but a few features make it stand out in the current crop of similar devices, notably its claimed 32 hours of navigation/logging battery life, and “seamless” Google Earth integration² . The MTK 32-channel chipset ensures navigational accuracy³ .

The BT-Q1000 came in a well designed package that included the following:

• The BT-Q1000 receiver/travel recorder unit (duh!)


• Removable rechargeable Li-ion battery


• Mini-usb cable


• Car charger


• Travel Charger


• Small water-proof carrying case


• ...BuyGPSNow.com also included a universal PDA vent mount⁴

The unit itself is very small, about 6.8 cm x 4.7 cm x 2 cm. The top of the unit has a set of three LED indicators (GPS status, Bluetooth status, and battery status) and a single red button which acts as a Point-of-Interest (POI) recorder.

One side has a single mini-usb jack, while the other has a three-position function switch (Log-Nav-Off).

Basic logging functionality is dead simple: you just flip the switch to LOG mode and go. You can set the logging preferences in “User Mode” window in the “Travel Recorder PC Utility” provided in the software CD. For example, you can set the frequency of plotting waypoints. There are three levels to fiddle with the logging preferences, Beginner, Advanced and Professional. See the screen shots below:

The software then enables you to download the logged GPS data (you can log up to 100,000 waypoints) and then click “Draw”, which invokes Google Earth (which should be already installed on your computer) and instantly plot a path out of the saved waypoints. The logger also provides a bunch of handy data, such as speed, height, and positional latitude and longtitude. The paths can be saved as CVS or Google Earth KML files.

Once I received the unit, I flipped it on in the default settings and threw it in my pocket as I drove through town. When I downloaded the data and hit the “Draw” button, this is initially what I got:

A path connecting somewhere in Taiwan (Qstarz is a Taiwanese company) to the location of my school in Cairo (where I first switched on the thing). This is not an path plotted out of actual waypoints between the two locations, since the GPS was not actually on as it flew between continents (the package was actually shipped from the US), but rather the BT-Q1000 just drew a straight line between the first and last logged waypoint when it found nothing in between. Lets zoom in on (what is presumably) the path made out of the first set of waypoints that was logged (there were a few POI “snaphots” date-stamped 7-10-2007, manufacture date maybe?):

Is this the Qstarz factory churning out these wonderful little things? Could be.

Now here is the path logged during my drive through Cairo. Notice the horizontal line running across the image, which is the line connecting to Taiwan.

The image below is a zoomed-in section of the one above. Notice how accurately the BT-Q1000 logs the path (I do not currently have other GPS loggers to benchmark the BT-Q1000 actual accuracy, although I am sure you’ll find this on a bunch of GPS related websites)

Why?

Being the avid traveler that I am, I have wanted to get my hands on a device with this kind of functionality for as long as I can remember. During my backpacking trip to Europe in summer 2006, I did a TON of walking around. I like to record details of my travel in a journal, and more often than not I found myself wishing I could remember the location of that cool place I visited or the route I took to get to a particular location. As you might imagine, there is only so much you can remember after walking around for hours like a stray dog in a city you’re visiting for the first time. The travel recorder functionality is perfect for something like that! I don’t have to worry about remembering the exact route taken or mark a paper map that will eventually turn into a mushy pulp in my pocket. Saw something I liked and would like to remember to note in my journal? I’d just click the POI button which will place a little camera icon on Google Earth to mark the place. Additionally, I can geotag all my pictures for an even more complete digital trip journal and nicer blog posts⁵

It only makes sense that the above discussed functionality is only useful if the device has similarly good battery life. I am an efficient kind of guy, when I stop walking while I am traveling its only for enough time to acquire enough sustenance to keep on walking and see things, not recharge stuff!. The BT-Q1000’s claimed 32 hours would be enough for such purposes. I am yet to test the battery to its actual capacity but so far it seemed to be more than enough for a day’s worth of navigation/logging with Bluetooth on. The great thing about the BT-Q1000 is that it shuts down the power-hungry Bluetooth when it detects no connection. What’s even better is that it “wakes up” and reconnects automatically once it detected my laptop’s Bluetooth connection within range.

Furthermore, being the active outdoorsy type, this makes for a simultaneously very cool and low cost real-time GPS navigation tool when coupled with my laptop. In a future post I will provided a small guide on how to do that with any Bluetooth GPS reciever, Google Earth and a laptop.

Final Thoughts:

The Qstarz BT-Q1000 is the little device that could. I love the size, completeness of the package, dual functionality , battery life and the price. I have a few gripes though (as always):

• The included software is not perfect but does the job⁶.


• Disappointingly, You cannot download the logged data via Bluetooth, you can only use it to pair up with your PDA/laptop. I can’t seem to find a plausible reason for this omission of obvious functionality⁷


• In my opinion, the ability to switch the basic logging mode (vehicle, bicycle, jog, etc) should be built into the device itself (i.e. switchable “on the fly” without having to connect it to a PC and adjust the settings using the software). MTK-based receivers are apparently relatively inaccurate at slower speeds (walking, for example). On a any long trip you are most likely going to alternate between walking, driving, bicycling, running, riding a pogo-stick around, etc. Therefore the ability to easily switch the logging mode without a computer is essential considering the main feature of this device being a “travel recorder”⁸.

I am pretty sure however, considering the speed with which these things develop, that a device twice as good at half the price is coming along in a few month. Oh well, the small price us early adopters pay for glory (actually I bought this a few months after it was released, so technically I am in the early majority. I must be getting old).

1. Lookout for an increasing number of mobile handsets coming out soon with integrated GPS chips, such as the Nokia N95. [↩]
2. You can view detailed technical specs on the product page [↩]
3. Caveat Emptor: Manufacturers of such devices will claim that it can track [INSERT TWO-DIGIT NUMBER HERE] satellites “simultaneously“, which is not true simply because no matter how sensitive the GPS chipset is, it can only track so many satellites at a time due to the fact that only a few satellites are “visible” at any given moment because of the Earth’s curvature [↩]
4. I recommend doing your GPS shopping online at either buygpsnow.com or Semsons & Co; good selection, nice prices and great bundles [↩]
5. Qstarz includes software that integrates with the geotagging website locr for this purpose. Google’s Panoramio provides integrated geolocation-enabled photography in Google Earth [↩]
6. The software utility, however, could be easily improved; the user should be able to save the export settings for the “Draw” function, for one [↩]
7. update 10-15-2007: An astute commenter notes that there is an open source app with enhanced functionality, including downloading the data via Bluetooth [↩]
8. update 10-11-07: I emailed Qstarz with that as a feature suggestion and they said they would consider it for future models [↩]