gps for laptop

I'm thinking about buying a laptop GPS system with the receiver. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be using it on the road and I'm not so sure about whether I need Internet access to be able to use it or not. Help?

No you don't need internet access to use a Laptop GPS system. You just need to have a map program that will take the GPS information and put it on a screen for you. MS Trips and Streets, Delorme, etc. These are great little devices and get the information needed from the satelites. So all you need is the GPS receiver and the correct map software and your laptop will show you where you are, will give you directions on how to get where you want to go, etc.

If you want LIVE traffic updates you will need another traffic receiver like XM etc but you don't have to have internet.

2008-05-15 19:26:39 by aZn

this is how you do it... :) this is an trash picked gps reciver and new laptop and an home built power wire... :) enjoy

I have a garmin gps forerunner and it hooks up to the computer by a parallel cable, how do I connect it to my laptop which dont have parallel connections now? Is it garbage or is there any way to bypass this?

Are you sure your Forerunner uses a parallel connection? That connector is very wide and flat. I am fairly certain the Forerunner uses a serial cable. This connector is two rows high and maybe five pins wide. The parallel connector has many more pins.

If it uses serial, just buy a serial to USB converter. Be forewarned that serial to USB converters do not always play nicely with programs that are expecting to deal directly with a serial port. I tried to use a serial to USB converter with a Garmin eTrex and I spent half an hour messing around before it would connect.

2008-08-20 21:09:08 by Cincinnati O

Price: $99.95 $30.92

Integrated GPS into a travel size optical mouse.
Ergonomic design for comfortable grip and precision movement
No Internet required, no subscription
Compact, lightweight design
Retractable USB cord for a well-organized laptop bag

I am currently looking at the GPS 18 USB Deluxe (with map software) and Microsoft Streets and Trips 2007 with GPS Locator. Which is best and are there any others which are better?

Try also considering CoPilot Navigator 9 - it's said to be a good GPS program. I am considering CoPilot or MS Streets and Trips 2007 to purchase with a new laptop. However, the huge drawback of MS Streets 07 is the inability to re-roure automatically, and if you miss an exit, you will need to search for a button and press it --- imagine yourself going 70 mph alone in a traffic... CoPilot has the automatic re-routing, but it doesn't have all features MS has. Consider these two options...

2006-12-26 14:44:27 by kc_soaring

Price: $69.95 $53.99

Includes GPS locator that plugs directly into your laptop's USB port, for spoken directions, automatic re-routing, and full-screen navigation
Change your plans on the go, with no Internet connection required; choose specific roads by dragging and dropping the route
View the quickest routes with one-click trip optimization; add notes for planned stops, reservations, phone numbers, etc.
Calculate fuel usage and costs before you leave, along with free construction updates to avoid potential delays
GPS Locator features updated street-level maps for U.S., Canada, and Mexico with over 1.9 million points of interest

I have found many automotive GPS systems for laptops, and have found aviation GPS systems for PDAs, but none for laptops so far. I was wondering if such a thing exists....

something I could use in conjunction with Chart Case Electronic Flight Bag, or one of the other EFBs.

GPS PCMCIA Receiver http://mightygps.com/pccard.htm
AnywhereMap Software XP for laptop ; http://mightygps.com/anywheremapsoftware .htm

2006-09-14 09:40:30 by cfi_jes

I have a USB GPS receiver on my laptop with Sprint cellular mobile broadband.

a custom hardware solution would be too costly unless you had a market to sell a large volume of them. so seek a software solution. if you can't find an existing program to handle the task, write your own or get someone else to write one for you. the requirements seem rather straightforward: periodically read the GPS data, format it as desired, verify internet connection, upload, and optionally log the data to a local file.

2008-01-24 12:13:38 by Dale G