GPS Receiver: EMTAC CRUX II/BTGPS

Sep 29 2002, 7:48pm EST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Finally, a piece of hardware that will sure thrill the globe-trotters among the gadget fanatics. Imagine a GPS receiver that is not platform specific. How often are we frustrated over the fact that the GPS unit that we use for our car/laptop/pda can't be interchangeable? EMTAC has a solution.

EMTAC is a small outfit from Taiwan that spun off Kaimei Electronics Corp. They specialized in mobile communication products, and judging from their product list, specifically, GPS products. The latest marvel to be introduced is the CRUX II /BTGPS. It's a self-powered GPS receiver that communicates to the host appliance via Bluetooth protocol, specifically via Bluetooth Class 2 Serial Profile. This more or less ensures that, once launched, integration with existing software will not be a problem.

The unit is powered by internal Li-Ion batteries. It claims a 6 hours minimum continuous usage. Note that it takes a 5V DC charging source, which probably means that an adapter for use in automobiles is necessary. The GPS receiver specifications are fairly standard among the popular units.

The unit is very compact; measuring in at 53(L) x 94(W) x 16(H) mm, though weight is not specified.

With such a unit, the potential non-navigational usage is numerous. One particular usage that I can think of is similar to that use by Timex Ironman series. This particular series of watches uses a GPS receiver to calculate speed and distance. It probably won't take long before a gadget freak or programmer among us will be able to write software to do just that.

Manufacturer web Site: EMTAC

News by: Kao Pao-Tang

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Luigi Lugmayr
Luigi is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com. Luigi posts regularly on LuigiMe.com about his experience running I4U.