Bluetooth gps vs. cf gps
For some people there is a debate over which to choose a
Bluetooth gps receiver or a compact flash gps receiver. I have
used both so I am writing from experience. There seem to be
quite a few advantages a Bluetooth gps receiver has over a cf
gps receiver.
The main advantage would be versatility, you can use a Bluetooth
gps receiver with a Bluetooth pda as well as a compatible
bluetooth mobile phone whereas with a cf gps receiver you are
limited to only a compatible pda as mobile phones usually don't
have a cf slot.
Another advantage is with regards to battery life, some
bluetooth gps receivers have exceptional battery life lasting up
to 26 hours, some mobile phones also have a long life, although
a pda won't last anywhere near that, when using a cf gps
receiver the pda battery is usually depleted faster as the it
has to also power the cf receiver since the cf receiver can't
work on its own
The third consideration is convenience, one can find some new
gps receivers that are extremely small, the holux gpslim 236
comes to mind, because of their size and sensitivity you can
stick them in your pocket and still get a very good signal so
you don't have anything sticking out of the pda as is the case
with a cf gps receiver.
Another thing to consider is that a lot of newer pdas seem to be
loosing the compact flash interface, a good example is the
fujitsu siemens loox 720, it has being rumoured that the loox
720 replacement won't be including a cf interface. My conclusion
would be it seems that manufacturers don't consider the cf
interface that important to include in newer pdas, kind of like
being phased out so it might not be a good idea to invest in cf
devices
My final argument would be that when it comes to using a gps
receiver for driving, it is easier to position a bluetooth gps
receiver in a convenient position where it can receive a better
signal than with a cf gps receiver because since the cf gps
receiver is fixed to the pda, you are limited by how much you
can move the pda around and still have a good view of the pda
screen.
Based on all these facts I would consider a bluetooth gps
receiver a better choice to a cf gps receiver.