Recently, I have had several conversations with folks about the changes in Bluetooth. More to the point, Bluetooth technology has changed over the past few years so that software written for the older model is not compatible with the new model. That means, the software you used on, say, an Recon computer a few years [...]
Archive for the 'Bluetooth' Category
Setting up an external Bluetooth GPS on a ToughBook
February 29, 2008As I have written in a previous blog, I am not very pleased with the integrated GPS on the new Toughbooks. However, the Bluetooth is very stable and opens up a variety of GPS options. The following goes through the steps of setting up an external GPS on a Toughbook 19 running Windows [...]
The “Mystery of the Shifting COM Port”
February 13, 2008I had an interesting case this past week that while unique, might shed light on some problems. A researcher has been using a CompactFlash GPS card in a Recon handheld computer without problems for nearly a year now. He e-mailed me that the GPS was working, but was coming in on a different [...]
A marriage of convenience: GPS and cameras
December 4, 2007What is the latest trend in GPS? For my money, there will be an expansion of ‘geocoded’ cameras; cameras that record the current longitude and latitude and affix this data onto the image. While the technology has been around for some time, both on the commercial market and as open-source software, the market [...]
Why do I need a Passkey for my Bluetooth GPS receiver?
October 23, 2007You too? Seems that everyone gets stuck on the ‘Passkey’ requirement for setting up a Bluetooth GPS. Here is the scoop to save you frustration. Firstly, keep in mind that Bluetooth is like a USB cable, only wireless. That means, each device can only connect to one computer (though one computer [...]
COM ports simplified
October 3, 2007Communication ports, or COM ports, are one-directional routes for communication. That is, they create a path for GPS receivers and other devices to communicate with the computer. If you want the details on how they work, Google away! Here, let me tell you what you need to know in order to get [...]
