by Frank McPherson, author of How To Do Everything With Your Pocket PC, 2nd Edition

Setting Up The Pharos Bluetooth GPS

I recently bought a Pharos Bluetooth GPS at my local CompUSA. Ever since I replaced the iPAQ 2210 with the 4155 as my main Pocket PC, I've been planning on buying a Bluetooth GPS. The problem is, which one to buy since there are so many on the market. A friend bought Co-Pilot for Pocket PC, which I have in cable form for the original iPAQs. Originally, I thought Travroute's software was better, but Pharos has come a long way with improving their software. (Originally it didn't auto re-route when you went off route, nor did it interface with the Pocket PC contacts, both are features now available).

While I was planning on buying Co-Pilot, I changed my mind and decided to by the Pharos GPS since it was right there in the store. When I got home I opened up the box and found a travel bag, which contained the GPS (itself contained is a smaller bag) plus an auto power adapter, and the software. The GPS receiver is a separate model that slides into a dock that has a Bluetooth radio. I assume if I wanted I could remove the GPS receiver from the dock and attach it to a PC or Compact Flash card for greater mobility.

The Bluetooth dock has a rechargeable 720mAh Li-Polymer battery, which Pharos claims provides 6 hours of continuous use, and more if it is in trickle charge mode. As is the case with most mobile products one buys, the first step is to charge up the battery, which presented my first challenge. Not included in what I bought is an AC adapter, though Pharos does include a DC auto adapter. Odd, thought I, does Pharos think I am going to go and plug this thing into my car to charge?

After looking in the box, I found an adapter that splits power between the dock and PDA. The idea is that you plug in the DC adapter into the splitter, and then connect the other two cables to the Pocket PC and GPS to provide them power while in a car. After thinking about it and looking at the size of the ports, I thought I would try connecting the AC adapter for the iPAQ into the splitter, which fits perfectly once you remove the adapter you need to connect the AC adapter to the iPAQ. So, by using my Pocket PC's AC adapter I am able to charge up the GPS in my house. Now I wonder, is this what Pharos expects one to do, and if so, do they think all Pocket PCs have adapters with the same size plug?

Setting Up Bluetooth

The next step is pairing my iPAQ with the GPS. To do that I start Bluetooth Manager on the iPAQ (tap the Bluetooth icon on the Today screen, then tap Bluetooth Manager) then tap New. Leave Explore A Bluetooth Device selected and tap Next, the iPAQ then searches for Bluetooth devices and finds the Pharos iGPS-BT, which you then tap so that the GPS's services can be found. Select the GPS RFcom service and tap Next, which adds an icon to the Bluetooth shortcuts screen. Double tap the icon to connect to the GPS, and after a connection is made the blue LED on the GPS displays a steady blue. You can tap-and-hold the icon to disconnect.

Setting Up Ostia

The final step for getting the GPS setup is to install Pharos' navigation software, called Ostia. Even though you are using Bluetooth to connect the GPS receiver with the iPAQ, Ostia thinks it is using a serial connection and therefore needs to know which COM port the GPS receiver is connected to. Ostia has a GPS Receiver Wizard that is supposed to automatically configure that connection, but it apparently doesn't work with Windows Mobile 2003, so you need to manually configure the COM port.

Determining which COM port is being used is a little tricky. First I went into Bluetooth Manager, tap-and-held on the Pharos iGPS-BT icon and tapped Properties, but that doesn't display the COM port. Next I went into Bluetooth Settings on the iPAQ (tap the Bluetooth icon on the Today screen, then tap Bluetooth Settings) and scrolled to the Serial Port tab, which shows the Inbound COM Port (COM 8 on my 4155) and the Outbound COM port. (COM 6 on my 4155)

Next I switch back to Ostia and tap Tools, Options, Select Comm, COM 6. Now I am ready to connect the 4155 to the GPS. First, I go into Bluetooth Manager and double tap the Pharos iGPS-BT icon. I then switch to Ostia and tap the connect icon on the toolbar, which is a red smiley face, and the program connects to the GPS. If a connection is made the smiley icon becomes yellow while the GPS receiver connects to the GPS satellites. After the receiver connects to all the satellites the smiley icon turns green, and you see a triangle on the screen, which represents your present location. You can then load a map to display your location.

Using The GPS Receiver

I had turned on the GPS receiver and placed it on the dashboard in my Chevy Blazer while I was setting up my Pocket PC, so the receiver had already connected to the satellites before I completed setting up the Pocket PC. Consequently, satellite acquisition appeared to be instant while I am sure it took longer than that. One of the things that can be really frustrating is the length of time it takes for GPS receivers to find and connect to satellites, particularly if you just whipped out the receiver while on the go.

Once I had everything set up, the GPS receiver and Ostia navigation software worked as expected. I didn't notice any significant delays with how my position updated on the screen that I would attribute to the Bluetooth connection. One of the real benefits for using a Bluetooth GPS receiver is that you can place it in an optimal location for it to connect with the satellites, even if that is in the back window of your car. The Bluetooth dock has rubber feet that prevent slipping on the dashboard, and Pharos includes a no-slip pad that you can place on a dashboard and then place the GPS receiver, but from my initial trial I don't know if I will need it.

A feature that Version 6 of the Ostia software supports is Smart Navigator, which is a Web-based suite of location-based services developed by Pharos to enhance consumer lifestyle experiences and mobile professional productivity. It uses the GPS to determine your location, and combines that with data from the Internet. Smart Navigator has two parts, Smart Traffic that provides real-time traffic information, and Smart Finder, which gives you access to business locations, addresses and phone numbers whenever and wherever you need it.

Smart Traffic lets you view traffic flow and events, allowing you to react to traffic conditions, before you get stuck in them. With Smart Finder you can find places by proximity to a location you specify, your destination or by your current location, and then set a route, and navigate to that spot effortlessly. It's all seamlessly integrated for easy looking and routing.

Pharos sells the Smart Navigator service as a subscription, which you can try for one month, three months, or a year. To use the service you need to be able to connect your Pocket PC to the Internet, so it is ideal for Pocket PC Phone Editions, but will also work with Pocket PCs that connect to the Internet via Bluetooth, like I do with my iPAQ 4155 using a Sony Ericsson T68i. I wasn't sure if I could connect to the GPS Receiver and the T68i at the same time, but to my surprise I can, so I plan to sign up for 3 months of the Smart Navigator service. I'll be taking a trip to Orlando next month, and there is some major road construction happening around Detroit this summer, so I think I will be able to test out both of these services. 

I haven't used this GPS receiver long enough yet to provide a strong recommendation. As I use it more I'll provide updates on my Pocket PC weblog.