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visorcentral.com >> Products & Reviews >> Modules
HandyGPS Pro


Tue Oct 30, 2001 - 9:53 AM EST - By Scott Hanselman

Product Info
Details

»	Name HandyGPS Pro
»	Company Nexian
»	Accuracy About 11m
»	Protocol NMEA V2.2 Navicom proprietary protocol
»	Power Rechargeable Li-ion battery
»	Hard Cover Compatible No
»	Size 2.15" W X 3.07" H X 1.7" D
»	Acquisition time Hot start 8 seconds, Warm start 39 seconds, Cold start 66 seconds
»	Fact Sheet & User Opinions

Availability

»	Unknown

Pricing

»	$229.99 (with Street Finder)
»	$199 (with UbiGo)

The Hardware

The HandyGPS Pro hardware is very similar to the original HandyGPS. The major difference is a slide-off rechargeable lithium battery. This external battery includes an external AC charger and car charger. The battery can be removed and charged separately. Presumably if you are a hard-core GPSer you'd have two batteries and always have one on reserve charge. I used the HandyGPS Pro all day long for many days and consistently found that my Visor Prism's batteries would die long before the HandyGPS.

One small disappointment was that the HandyGPS's battery didn't charge along with the Visor Prism's battery in the cradle. This inconvenience requires you to be aware of both the battery level of both the GPS and your Visor.

There is also a connector for an optional External Antenna jack we'll discuss later. My review unit included this antenna, and as far as I'm concerned, if you're going to use the HandyGPS Pro in your car, this antenna is a must-buy. It's got a very long cord an a VERY strong magnet than you place on the top of your car. Without the External Antenna I was unable to get a lock without holding the Visor up to the windshield. As soon as I plugged in the Antenna, I got a strong satellite lock that stayed with me the whole time I was driving. I mounted the GPS on my dashboard and had no trouble finding my way around town watching the moving indicator (with two hands on the wheel!) on the map. This external antenna is a GREAT improvement to the product, and worth the money for the enthusiast.

The hardware specs of the HandyGPS Pro are impressive, especially when compared to the original HandyGPS.

	Original HandyGPS	HandyGPS Pro
Size	2.1" W x 2.9" H x 1.3" D	2.15" W X 3.07" H X 1.7" D
Acquisition time	Average 45/180 second warm/cold start	Average 39/66 second warm/cold start
Battery Life	2 AAA battery operation with max. 4 hour life	Rechargeable Li-ion battery: up to 10 hours operation
Accuracy	25 meter accuracy (2drms)	About 11m accuracy (CEP)

Satellite Acquisition >>