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Viewranger in for review : Nov09

TomTom add support for iPod Touch and iPhone 2G : Nov09

Popular Free iPhone Dating App Adds GPSBased Chat Feature : Nov09

NDrive Dominate GPS Software for Phones Comparison : Nov09

M11 Speed Camera Increases Accidents and Raises 500kYear : Nov09

Nav N Go Powers GPS RearView Mirror : Nov09

iPhone Touch GPS Cradle launched by Dual Electronics : Nov09

TurnbyTurn Nav For The iPod Touch Approved by Apple : Nov09

NDrive London with Aerial Photo View Released iPhone : Nov09

Reviewed Roadhawk RH1 Black Box InCar GPS Camera : Nov09

Smartphone GPS Usage Surges Ahead in China : Nov09

Carcomm TomTom x40x50 Cradle Available : Nov09

Residents take action against satnav map errors : Nov09

RouteBuddy Atlas 150K OS Great Britain Map Available : Oct09

Google unveils free turnbyturn navigation for Android : Oct09

125 Casualties x 5 years 17 Speed Cameras : Oct09

TurnbyTurn Navigation Comes to The iPod Touch : Oct09

New French Speed Cameras Predicted For UK Roads : Oct09

Columbus nGPS geotagging dongle for Nikon cameras review : Oct09

GMap UK Ireland for iPhone Released : Oct09

DIY Speed Camera Slows Traffic : Oct09

Can Speed Save Lives : Oct09

UK Speed Cameras Safety or Votes : Oct09

NDrive iPhone UK and Ireland Now Available : Oct09

Calling All Speed Camera Warning Virgins : Oct09

Navigon win the Stuff Award 2009 for SatNav : Oct09

Build your own GPS Satellite Build Win A Subscription : Oct09

Wales Plans Mobile Average Speed Cameras : Oct09

Gaia GPS iPhone GPS App with Topo Maps : Oct09

NDrive Coming to iPhone and Android Phones : Oct09

There are new waze in town : Sep09

Speed Cameras Cash Machines or Safety Systems : Sep09

RoadTour Announce Britains Finest : Sep09

LBS Start Up Tops Up His Half Million Dollar Prize : Sep09

Directional Warnings for All Well Nearly : Sep09

Does This Signal the End of Mobile GPS : Sep09

Driver slapped with 900 fine for following TomTom : Sep09

Communicating with Subscribers Newsletter Subscriptions : Sep09

Smartphones Integrated into Vehicle Infotainment Systems : Sep09

Geocoded PostCode Database Leaked Online : Sep09

GyPSii launches on Android : Sep09

Traffic4England RealTime Traffic Alerts for Android : Sep09

TomTom Announce New Location Referencing Technology : Sep09

90 Percent of Wakefields Speed Cameras Are Dummies : Sep09

OS Map Ordnance Survey Maps on Android : Sep09

Garmin Announces Edge 500 Cycling GPS Device : Sep09

Augmented Reality Navigation Wikitude Drive : Sep09

Number Plates Unnecessary For Speed Camera Prosecution : Aug09

Only 27 of UK Drivers Believe Speed Cameras Improve Safety : Aug09

We need your help FREE Two Year subscriptions on Offer : Aug09

Bournemouth Speed Cameras Torched : Aug09

Free Priority Delivery for TomTom Refurbs : Aug09

Speed Cameras A Personal View : Aug09

End of an era for GPS as GPS 2RM8 is launched : Aug09

OpenStreetMap Data Now Available on Submission Maps : Aug09

Spanish Tunnel Vision : Aug09

Warning Reindeer Ahead Speed Limit 40 Kilometers per hour : Aug09

NAVTEQ Study Confirms SatNav BoyToy Status : Aug09

Sygic Mobile Maps coming to Android : Aug09

Bournemouth Consider Copying Swindon to Switch off Speed Cams : Aug09

O2 Joins with Telmap to Bring Navigation App to Customers : Aug09

Speed Camera Support Declines : Aug09

Driver issued Redlight Ticket making way for 999 van : Aug09

PocketGPSWorld.com Support Ticketing changes : Aug09

Navteq maps out Jordan : Aug09

iGO My Way 2009 Now Available for iPhone : Aug09

TeleNav Announce Turn-by-Turn Navigation for myTouch 3G : Aug09

Tracking Trips With Trimble AllSport GPS for iPhone : Aug09

Pocket GPS World surpasses 300,000 members : Aug09

Swindon Scraps Fixed Speed Cameras : Jul09

Sales of GPS Smartphones to Reach 77 Million in 2009 : Jul09

CSR announce the SiRFstarIV GPS Chipset : Jul09

Gokivo BlackBerry Support Expanded : Jul09

Garmin-Asus Nuvifione Available NOW! (If you live in Taiwan) : Jul09

TomTom Beats 2nd Quarter Forecasts : Jul09

Richard Solo 1800 Smart Backup Battery for iPhone and iPod : Jul09

Canalys Mobility Forum EMEA London, 17 November 2009 : Jul09

Vodafone signs digital mapping deal with Tele Atlas : Jul09

Speed Cameras Only Catch Good Guys : Jul09

Muttacar Sorry Business : Jul09

PocketGPSWorld support the London Bikeathon 2009 : Jul09

Smartphones Versus SatNav : Jul09

Overboard Waterproof iPhone case reviewed : Jul09

RouteBuddy Announce Atlas for iPhone : Jul09

Sygic Mobile Maps Europe for the iPhone is back in the AppStore : Jul09

Speed cameras are going digital in Victoria Australia : Jul09

iO-BTAPOD iPhone and iPod Stereo Bluetooth Adaptor review : Jul09

iPhone 3GS GPS Spy Software Released : Jul09

iPhone 3GS GPS Spy Software Released : Jul09

TwittARound : Jul09

M25 more SPECs Average Speed Cameras in Essex : Jul09

Michelin Road Atlases Partner With Pocket GPS : Jul09

TruePower iV Battery Extender review : Jul09

Livingston Parish Louisiana fight back against speed cameras : Jul09

BMW motorcycles offer customised Zumo660 : Jul09

TomTom iPhone - Stop Press - No sorry, as you were : Jul09

More Augmented Reality - Nearest Tube for iPhone 3GS : Jul09

CTIA Partner With Pocket GPS for San Diego Wireless Show : Jul09

GatsoGate tape may prove expert witness changed evidence : Jun09

CoPilot Live launches on Android : Jun09

£20m in Essex speeding fines may be refunded due to blunder : Jun09

Nav N Go Announce iGO for iPhone : Jun09

Dorset deploys dual-role speed and red-light cameras : Jun09

AT&T reveal iPhone Turn-by-Turn App : Jun09

Video iPhone launch day in Apple Store UK : Jun09

Tele Atlas to offer HD Traffic Solution to OEMs : Jun09

Cambridgeshire - Safety or Speed Camera Partnership : Jun09

Mio Navman Spirit TV - Satnav and Freeview TV : Jun09

Pocket GPS Partner with Euro Market Leader Inforad : Jun09

£1.5m in speeding fines from Dorset GATSO could be refunded : Jun09

Navigon MobileNavigator for iPhone launches in AppStore : Jun09

Pocket GPS partner with GeoLife : Jun09

Watch out there are thieves about : Jun09

Augmented reality browser - the shape of things to come : Jun09

Navteq announce APAC LBS Challenge Winners : Jun09

Sygic Mobile Maps for iPhone launches in Australia : Jun09

ALK move from Navteq to Teleatlas for mapping data : Jun09

SpeedCam Detector for Android Phones now available : Jun09

Doh - Homer Simpson original voice now available : Jun09

Apple new iPhone 3GS hardware and software roundup : Jun09

Grab free power and keep your gadgets topped up this summer. : Jun09

TomTom shares rise as talk of Apple buy-in spreads : Jun09

Arnie says haste la vista to ban on windscreen mounts : Jun09

PocketGPSWorld has had a makeover : Jun09

Roadhawk in-car camera GPS and black box system : Jun09

Destinator 9 Announced : Jun09

Navigon to release a Turn by Turn iPhone app : Jun09

Apple WWDC - New iPhone Today? : Jun09

Garmin nuvifone - will Asia see a launch next month? : Jun09

WWDC: TomTom show iPhone App - available this Summer : Jun09

RIM acquires Dash Navigation : Jun09

A127 SPECS - 90 percent funded by a private company. : Jun09

Range Rover 2010 - Dual View ICE Satnav : Jun09

Broadcom announce first PND-on-a-chip : Jun09

CompeGPS Aventura now shipping : Jun09

NavNGo Q1 2009 Map Updates now available : Jun09

TomTom goes designer - Meet the White Pearl Special Edition : Jun09

TomTom XL Live SatNav press launch : Jun09

South Wales Police hope beanbag mounts to cut satnav crime : Jun09

TomTom Navigator 7 now on Sale - Warning U-Turn Ahead : May09

Mobile VAS Forum choose Pocket GPS as Media Partners : May09

NAVTEQ chosen by Mio as Australian Map suppliers : May09

New SPECS install on notorious stretch but why no barriers : May09

AA on-line route planner busy this Bank Hol : May09

Cambridgeshire SafetyCam Partnership goes blue : May09

Talex accused of dodgy dealing : May09

Americas Com choose Pocket GPS as Media Partners : May09

TeleAtlas denies talks of TomTom Split : May09

Space Command Expert will discussed report on Twitter : May09

Volkswagen partner with Garmin - Meet Click & Ride : May09

TomTom Announce XL Live : May09

Price reduction on satnav voices : May09

Satmap release SatSYNC Version 1.2 : May09

GPS Constellation, is the service in trouble? : May09

Pocket GPS Interview Tracking Specialists Navman Wireless : May09

Garmin nuvifone - another delay - dead in the water? : May09

Navman Mio launch the Spirit range of SatNavs in the UK : May09

Transport for London trial digital speed limiter : May09

Rumour control: TomTom seeking iPhone developer candidate? : May09

Speed camera nabs 23,500 drivers in 14 days : May09

SPECS3 average speed cameras launched Motorcyclists beware : May09

Mio S401 and S501 Global launch 12 May : May09

RoadTour launch AA Best Drives for Garmin : May09

TomTom release v8.350 for GO x20, GO x30 and GO x40 : May09

Speed Camera Van hidden by advertising board : May09

Gatso UK Boss caught driving at 102mph on a 70mph road : May09

Samsung sign up Navteq to provide mapping for GPS phones : May09

Navigon pulls out of US Market : May09

Couple fighting speed camera fine face £15k bill : May09

Pioneer Navigation Centre coming to VW, Skoda and Seat : Apr09

Ambulance Drivers urged to use AtoZ as Satnav System Fails : Apr09

Garmin announce ultra-slim nuvi 1490T with 5-inch screen : Apr09

William Wales causes panic at White House : Apr09

More Speed Cameras but do the statistic bear scrutiny? : Apr09

Satmap European Mapping goes Live : Apr09

Australia - Speed Camera Operator Attacked : Apr09

Garmin Zumo 660 Coming to The UK Soon : Apr09

TomTom Reports Euro 33m Loss for Q1 2009 : Apr09

Garmin Forerunner 405CX Announced : Apr09

Renault Scenic Launches With In-Dash TomTom Option : Apr09

Garmin Forerunner 310 Gets a Facelift, Meet The 310XT : Apr09

Traffex 2009 Speed Camera and road technology showcase : Apr09

Mobile speed cameras suspended in Arizona after fatality : Apr09

Egypt Removes the Ban on Consumer GPS : Apr09

Nav N Go Announce 6 New Maps for Eastern Europe : Apr09

Industry Events: MetaPlaces 09 Location Business Conference : Apr09

iO Play In-Car Audio Streaming via Bluetooth : Apr09

Garmin Oregon 500 leaked on resellers sites : Apr09

GMP to target motorists with Smart Car CCTV Fleet : Apr09

Mio closes US offices : Apr09

iOSMaps - An OS Map viewer for iPhone - and its free! : Apr09

Self led cycling tours from Velodays : Apr09

Sony launches pocket format HD camcorder with GPS : Apr09

Video : Installing the Speed Camera Database on Garmin SatNavs : Apr09

GPS Tracking of the Florida Panthers is not threatened : Apr09

A Prized Location... and the winner is... : Apr09

TomTom sign TrafficCast to deliver x40 Traffic Data in US : Apr09

TomTom GO 950 with Google Talk - 500 To Give Away : Apr09

Apple Patents In-Car GPS with Safety Features : Mar09

Transport for London Digital Speed Map - TomTom & Garmin : Mar09

Travelodge Launch iBooker - GPS Enabled Room Booking : Mar09

Driver gets ticket for speeding in a parked car : Mar09

Garmin Launch nuvi 465T Truck SatNav in US - EU to follow : Mar09

TomTom Takes Up the Fight And Countersues Microsoft : Mar09

TomTom Launch One and XL IQ-Routes Editions : Mar09

Satmap Launch Active 10 Plus : Mar09

Navigation and Location Europe 2009 Conference : Mar09

GPS 2R-20 Scheduled For Launch Tomorrow : Mar09

Sun Traps Turn Up The Heat In Abu Dhabi : Mar09

Twitter: Follow PocketGPSWorld : Mar09

New Features On SpeedCam Download Page : Mar09

Google StreetView launches in UK : Mar09

Pocket GPS Partners With Where 2.0 Conference : Mar09

Latest (Q4 2008) Maps Now Available for iGO 8 and iGO 2006 : Mar09

iPhone OS 3.0 - Turn-By-Turn Nav Gets The Green Light : Mar09

TomTom GO Celebrates Its 5th Birthday Today : Mar09

Canalys: US overtakes Europe as largest SatNav market : Mar09

Satmap On-Line Route Planner Goes Live : Mar09

SatNav blamed but alcohol the real cause in car on tracks : Mar09

More Cameras for Essex but stats suggest they dont work : Mar09

PocketGPSWorld Red Nose Day TomTom Splash Screens : Mar09

OpenStreetMap - Now YOU can take control of the maps : Mar09

Red Light Programme in the Red : Mar09

HP Bin the iPaq 316 (310) - No More PNDs : Mar09

iTIS Interim Results Published : Mar09

Average Speed Cameras to Police UK Rural Speed Reduction : Mar09

Navman to be axed? : Mar09

FBI Helped Decrypt GPS from Mumbai Terrorist Attack : Mar09

CeBIT Special Published : Mar09

Speed Camera Discount Ends Sunday : Mar09

iGO Pirates Walk The Plank at CeBIT - Agents Seize Software : Mar09

Handheld Europe release Nautiz X5 a rugged PDA with GPS : Mar09

The OS Outdoors Show 2009 Birmingham NEC : Mar09

Speed Camera Shy Colin is Petrified of Points : Mar09

Pocket GPS Announce Partnership with NavNGo : Mar09

Navigon Launch Three New PNDs : Mar09

Getac introduce a rugged PDA with GPS : Mar09

Sygic Announces Sygic Mobile 2009 for iPhone 3G : Feb09

TomTom 8.25 Maps released : Feb09

Microsoft Sues TomTom Over Patent Breaches : Feb09

PocketGPSWorld Newsletter Out Friday : Feb09

MWC 2009 Wrapup: My view of the event and the market : Feb09

MWC 2009 Video summary : Feb09

30 Percent Decrease in US Peak Time Traffic Jams : Feb09

Wokingham May Retire Speed Cameras : Feb09

TomTom HOME 2.6 Beta Now Available : Feb09

TomTom Reports Net Loss of £870m : Feb09

TomTom LIVE - Success or Failure? : Feb09

Philips Net Tcv - TomTom Channel : Feb09

Dodge Charger fails to Dodge Speed Camera Charges : Feb09

GPS Central To New York Babysitter Murder Trial : Feb09

Foreign Drivers Immune to Speed Camera Fines : Feb09

Nokia Launch Ovi Store at MWC in Barcelona : Feb09

Speeding Police Evade Penalties : Feb09

TeleNav Launch Turn By Turn Nav for Android Phones in US : Feb09

Telmap enters MID market with GPS application : Feb09

Qstarz launch the BT-Q1300S GPS based Fitness system : Feb09

CSR and SiRF combine forces for Bluetooth and GPS : Feb09

Review of 2008 from a GPS perspective : Dec08

Top 25 Speed Camera Stories : Dec08

SatNavs and Speed Cameras: Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics? : Dec08

Redlight cameras active in Orlando Florida. : Dec08

Dubai Speed Cameras to Double up as Crook Catchers : Dec08

New SPECs Speed Cameras on the A127 in Essex : Dec08

GPS and SatNav reviews and articles : Aug08

There is No Silver Bullet Accurate Traffic Information Requires Multiple Data Sources : Jul08

PocketGPSWorld.com Active Speed Camera Statistics : Jul08

Pocket GPS Terminology : Dec07

Galileo European GPS Constellation Gets Go Ahead : Nov07

A Day in The Life of a PocketGPSWorld.com Verifier : Nov07

Nikon D300 and D3 GPS enabled cameras : Nov07

The Ordnance Survey have 4 million POIs : Nov07

3,2,1 Liftoff... The latest GPS Satellite is successfully launched into orbit : Oct07

Mike's Muses: Diving with GPS? : Mar07

[+] Binatone
[+] Blaupunkt
[+] Brodit
[+] Carcomm
[+] CoPilot
[+] Destinator
[+] Directions Ltd
[+] Event
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[+] Fugawi
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[+] Magellan
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Groundspeak's Geocaching iPhone App Review : Oct09

Exspect Triple USB Travel Charger reviewed : Sep09

Speed Camera Database Installation Guide: ALK CoPilot 8 : Sep09

IMPORTANT Subscription renewals recurring payments : Sep09

Proclip Adjustable iPhone Cradle 915290 : Jun09

PocketGPSWorld at The Gadget Show Live : Apr09

Speed Camera Database Installation Guide: TChart GPS Speed Sentry : Feb09

Tchart GPS Speed Sentry Review : Jan09

OtterBox for iPhone 3G Impact Series review : Dec08

Intrinsyc announce Destinator 9 : Dec08

Nokia Navigator 6110 & ViewRanger : Sep08

ATP Photofinder Review : Sep08

Nextar launch the bilingual M3-MX SatNav : Sep08

AMOD AGL3080 Photo Logger review : Aug08

Letter Logger review : Aug08

ROADTOUR Satnav Tour Guide Review : Jun08

Subaru World Rally Team Points Of Interest POI : May08

Red Hen Blue2CAN for Nikon D3 and D300 GPS cameras review : Mar08

Sygic Drive 7 Review : Feb08

Pocket GPS UK Safety Camera Database - CheckPOInt : Jan08

Pocket GPS UK Safety Camera Database - POI-Warner : Jan08

Speed Camera Database Installation Guide: Kenwood POI Loader Devices : Jan08

Speed Camera Database Installation Guide: ALK CoPilot 7 : Jan08

Speed Camera Database Installation Guide: Nissan Connect : Jan08

World Tracker PLD review : Dec07

The GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr image tagging system review : Dec07

Hama UK Product Roundup : Oct07

WondeX BT-100Y Bluetooth GPS Receiver review : Oct07

WondeX BT-100Y Bluetooth GPS Receiver review : Oct07

HTC Advantage review : Aug07

eBonTek Bluetooth GPS Datalogger review : Aug07

Ultimateaddons Solar Backpack 50 Litre 2200mAh : Aug07

Z1 Solar Bluetooth GPS Data Logger Review : Mar07

Ontrak Position Tracking Device review : Feb07

[+] Otterbox
[+] Qstarz
[+] RouteBuddy
[+] Royaltek
[+] Satmap
[+] Sygic
[+] Tele Atlas
[+] TomTom
TomTom release FREE iPhone navigation update : Nov09

TomTom Announce GO I90 Integrated Navigation : Oct09

TomTom announce the iPhone Car Kit We get our hand on it : Oct09

TomTom Start Launch in London First impressions : Oct09

TomTom START will get UK 7 Digit PostCodes in future update : Oct09

TomTom moves into Mexico : Oct09

TomTom START launched : Oct09

TomTom unveils GO 7000 TRUCK : Oct09

TomTom Investigated for Insider Trading : Oct09

TomToms iPhone Car Kit Does A Vanishing Act Again : Sep09

TomTom Announce new x50 Range 550 750 950 : Sep09

TomTom iPhone Carkit gets FCC Approval : Sep09

TomTom and Fiat Announce Partnership : Sep09

TomToms iPhone App finally breaks cover : Aug09

TomTom XL IQ Routes Edition : May09

TomTom - Andy Siddell : Feb09

Voice Alerts (TomTom Format) for the PocketGPSWorld Speed Camera Database : Feb09

TomTom - Liz Whitaker : Feb09

TomTom - Vicki Archer : Feb09

TomTom - Andrew : Feb09

TomTom - PocketGPSWorld Voice : Feb09

: Feb09

TomTom - Simon : Feb09

TomTom - Crystal : Feb09

TomTom - Kate : Feb09

TomTom - Nick : Feb09

TomTom GO x40 Mount Disassenmbly : Jan09

TomTom Launch On-Line Route Planner : Dec08

TomTom launch the GO940 Live SatNav in the UK : Nov08

TomTom GO 930 SatNav review : Sep08

TomTom Announce GO 940 LIVE Connected PND at IFA Berlin : Aug08

Carcomm x20/x30 Cradle CNM-167 Review : Aug08

TomTom - How to remove cameras Tutorial : Jul08

Speed Camera Voice Alert Downloads for Garmin and TomTom : Jun08

Speed Camera Voice Alerts - Andy Siddell : Jun08

Speed Camera Voice Alerts Install Guide : Jun08

Customise your GPS/SatNav : May08

TomTom Navigator Custom Cursors : Apr08

Speed Camera Icons by GerryC : Feb08

Speed Camera Voice Alert Collections for TomTom and Route66 : Feb08

Speed Camera Voice Alert Collections for TomTom and Route66 : Feb08

TomTom GO 920T In-Depth Review : Jan08

Pocket GPS UK Safety Camera Database - TomTom Go/Rider/One - OV2 : Jan08

PocketGPSWorld Safety Camera Database - TOMTOM GO 910, x20, x30 and x40 : Jan08

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Speed Camera Database Installation Guide: TOMTOM Navigator 5, 6 & 7 : Jan08

TomTom NavCore 7.2 Device-Dependent Feature List : Oct07

TomTom Version 7 : Mapshare Moving a POI : Jun07

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TomTom Bluetooth Remote Control Review : Jun07

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Qstarz Travel Recorder BT-Q1000 Platinum review

Date 7th November 2008

Introduction

The Qstarz range of GPS devices have always been at the forefront of the consumer GPS Dataloggers, but the latest version the Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano has added style to the functionality.

 

A small and slim GPS: the datalogger is just a little larger than a typical Nokia battery! I am not sure where all the circuitry is stashed but the device has really been miniaturised.

 

This device is the latest in a range of devices which allow the matching of digital images to GPS tracks using the bundled software. This matching allows you to "tag" your photos with the location, a process known as geotagging or geo referencing.

 

Whats in the box...

The retail box comes with the Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano datalogger; a USB to Mini USB cable, a car power adapter with Mini USB connector, a mini CD with the Travel Recorder software, an English User Manual , a multi language quick reference, and a voucher for a 1 month free locr PRO account.

 

The Qstarz Nano Datalogger

The Qstarz Nano datalogger measures 67mm x 38mm and is just 7mm deep! It weighs in at 22g less than an ounce! Boy this guy is small...

 

At the top of the GPS is a slot which allows the strap and keyring to be securely attached. The strap is riveted on to the device so if you don't want to use it then it can be cut off, but the action is irreversible. The edges and detailing of the datalogger are in gold plastic, with a funky design on the front. The back of the device is matt black plastic and contains the unit's identification sticker.

 

On the right hand edge of the Datalogger are the only 2 functional parts of the device: a power/data socket and a multifunction button.

 

The power/data socket is a Mini USB and will connect to either the supplied car charger or the computer cable. Using both will charge the GPS datalogger, but the computer cable will also transfer your GPS tracks to a computer. More of this later.

 

The only other thing of note on the device is the multi-function switch on next to the power socket. This is used to turn the device on and off, to set it into datalogging mode, and to record a position. To switch the device on you have to press the switch for 4 seconds. This powers the device and puts in in Bluetooth GPS mode. To initiate the datalogger you need to press the switch again for 2 seconds. When the datalogger is recording pressing the power button briefly will record your current position as a POI.

 

I find the switch a little difficult to use and have many a time checked it only to find I hadn't set it into logging mode correctly. I think that as this is being targeted at datalogging and geotagging users then it would make a lot more sense for it to enter logging mode when powered on. After all hardly anyone uses Bluetooth GPS receivers nowadays. Not that the unit either works as a datalogger OR a Bluetooth GPS, not both at the same time.

 

At the bottom of the front of the Qstarz Nano is a set of 4 indicator LEDs. These have the following meanings (left to right) Logger Active, GPS Status, Bluetooth Active, Low Battery/Charging.

 

 

Article by Mike Barrett

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

How does Geotagging work?

How does this geotagging system work? Well the concept is that each picture taken on a digital camera has a timestamp. The datalogger records trackpoints that include the time and the co-ordinates of the location. Software on the computer can match the time of the photo with the tracklog and then add the position information into the control data of the image. This can then be used by a number of different websites to show the picture on a map.

 

The Qstarz Nano BT-Q1300 in action

The Qstarz is stylish, breaking the traditional black box design. It is also incredibly small, but is smaller better? In some cases size does matter and it may be that in shrinking the datalogger compromises have been made in antenna size and thus the overall performance.

 

Well I have been playing with the Qstarz Nano for some time now and have compared the performance of the device to that of the Qstarz BT-Q1000 datalogger. Despite the fact that the new Nano has a later and more sensitive GPS Chipset the BT-Q1000 manages to get and retain a fix faster. In my testing the Nano works very well in open countryside and in and around towns and villages.

 

I did experience problems when testing it in "user" mode. I visited London on a number of occasions. This involved jumping on and off the London Underground (Metro) and going in and out of buildings. Of course there is no way the datalogger can receive GPS signals indoors or underground so obviously it was unable to track then. The main problem was when coming back into the open the device had difficulty getting a fix again. In one of my tests I only had 5 minutes of log data from a whole day.

 

I did find it somewhat better when using it with more care, standing in open spaces and checking for fix before taking a picture, but this is more than a user would normally do, and even so it still didn't get a fix sometimes.

 

Again due to its size the datalogger has a smaller battery. I found this was sufficient to log a day's activities, but did need to be recharged for the next day's usage.

 

Qstarz Travel Recorder Software

The Nano datalogger is no use on its own it needs something to extract the data and use it in a meaningful manner. This is where the Qstarz Travel Recorder software comes in.

 

The software installs and runs on a PC currently there is no version available for the Mac.

 

Once the software is loaded you connect the GPS, and start to load the tracklog. This can take a little while if you have a lot of data stored.

 

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

 

Once the tracks are imported they are shown on the main display. This is zoomed out to show the locations of all of your tracks. In the shot below I have zoomed in to the Symonds Yat area where we spent a weekend canoeing and camping.

 

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

 

The main map panel can be switched between Map, Satellite, and Terrain views. The colour coded tracks are displayed on the map and any photos that are geotagged are shown as a camera icon along the track.

 

To the right you can see the Terrain view with a cyan track heading down river from Kerne Bridge. Clicking on a camera icon highlights the picture taken at that point in a pop-up. This highlighted camera icon has a number of pictures associated with it. These can all be viewed individually using the scroll bar and clicking on an image.

 

The main tool bar controls the Travel Recorder software. and allows you to exploit the functionality of the application.

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

 

The icons on the toolbar have been organised in order of the typical workflow: Read track from Datalogger; Import Pictures from Camera/files; Modify the time synch; Write the Geotagging info to the pictures; Export the pictures to Flickr; Export as HTML (for a web photo album); Open in Google Earth; and Export to Google Earth KML file.

 

To the right of the main window is a tabbed information panel. The default display is the track list. This lists all the tracks in the project. A project is a collection of tracks and media. Grouping them into projects makes them manageable.

 

The tracks are all timed, and colour coded. The colour code matches the tracks drawn on the map. If you click one of the colour bars the associated track is displayed in the main map panel.

 

You can also run a simulation of the track, all this does is run a cursor through the map of the track.

 

The next tab is the Speed/Altitude View. This shows the speed and altitude profile over the length of the track. As you can see we were not setting any speed records on the river, 4MPH was about the top speed...

 

The red dots on the display indicate where I have taken pictures. These pop-up when you move the mouse over them.

 

The + - and arrow buttons can be used to zoom and scroll the displays. This allows you to examine a particular sequence of the track in more detail.

 

Looking at the altitude profile you can see some anomalies. I am not sure where the 500ft came from , but that aside it shows drops and rises. I can assure you that we were on a reasonably slow flowing river, and did not negotiate any rapids or experience the water flowing uphill... I can only attribute this to a poor 3D fix, but looking at the track the lat/lon position was spot on.

 

The next tab along is the PhotoView (below right). This shows a film strip at the top with a larger scale of the selected image. You have a number of options in this panel including the rotation of the image or adding a comment to it.

 

Only the basic filename and image recorded data are shown in this view. To get more details of the image you need to select the next panel the Photo list.

 

This panel (shown below) has 2 sections: A list of all the images in the project at the top and details for the selected picture at the bottom.

 

The grid display at the top has a list of all the images and their associated place marks on the map. It also contains other details such as timestamp, location and most importantly a Geo Tagged column.

 

The Geo Tagged column indicates that the location data has been added to the picture file. This is stored in the EXIF data of the file.

 

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

 

All files have a certain amount of metadata contained in them. This is separate to the actual data content of the file and stores information about the file. Typically this will be creation data, last updated date, last accessed date, etc.

 

EXIF defines a standard for additional information to be stored about an image. This includes the camera type, some of the settings for the shot, a number of descriptive fields can be added such as title and the place name. For our purposes the important fields are Latitude and Longitude. These allow applications to show the picture on a map.

 

When you import images into the Qstarz Travel Recorder the picture date/time is matched to the track logs in the project. If the timestamps match then the location is added to the project data for that image. Some pictures may have been taken when the datalogger was switched off, or indoors with no signal.

 

When you are happy that the locations are correctly adjusted you must write the GPS info to the files using the icon on the toolbar. This will then permanently save the location in the file for other applications to use.

 

The EXIF data for the selected image is shown in the lower part of the Photo List panel below. You can just about make out the fact that I am using a Sony DSC-W50 (sadly demised since that outing) and the exposure settings of 1/400th sec at F2.8...

 

Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger
Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger
Qstarz BT-Q1300 Nano GPS datalogger

There are a number of export options in the Travel Recorder software. The first is to simply GeoTag the images and then import the files into your favourite image library application. I prefer to use Picasa so just use the Travel Recorder to GeoTag my pictures and then use Aperture (on my Mac) to organise them and export to Picasa to publish them. There are also options to export directly to Flikr, create a Google Earth KML file (Google Earth was originally called Keyhole hence KML: Keyhole Markup Language) or directly to Google earth.

 

 

Conclusions

The Qstarz Nano BT-Q1300 GPS datalogger is a stylish and miniature device, it is very functional and works well in the open, but is a little compromised in urban environments with tall buildings. The software to analyse and tag your photos is the best and easiest to use that I have tested to date.

 

My main reservation with the Qstarz Nano is the slightly degraded performance in areas with marginal GPS signal reception over its predecessor the Qstarz BT-Q1000 Platinum. A secondary concern is the slightly fiddly multipurpose button, I would have preferred to have 2 or more buttons to separate the functionality, but then this is a balance between style and functionality...

 

At £65 from SuperETrader in the UK or $100 from BuyGPSNow in the US it is £10/$10 more expensive, you need to weigh up size and style against price and better urban performance.

References

Manufacturers Website

www.qstarz.com

Pocket GPS Contributor

Mike Barrett

Pocket GPS Contributor Website

www.Pocketgpsworld.com

   

 

 

Comments
Posted by ski2mi on Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:46 am Reply with quote

Great review.

Quite a few other reviewers have noted the same concern about having to press the button twice, once for 4s to turn on the device, and again for 2s to turn on logging.

Qstarz have apparently been listening, as with the current shipping version, after powering on, logging is on by default, and a 2-second press turns logging off.

This is far more convenient, and makes having a single button perfectly usable.


 
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