PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
GPS software specialist Satsports has unveiled an Android-powered portable GPS device called the All Sports GPS in a form factor which looks a lot like a mobile phone.
In what is perhaps such an obvious move it’s a wonder it wasn’t done sooner, SatSport’s All Sports GPS amounts to a budget Android smartphone without the cellular radio.
The device comes with a third party Android market called Nexva which enabling the owner to install a range of GPS navigation software and have them updated wirelessly without the usual necessity of connecting to a dock and running host software on a PC.
As the name implies, Satsports specialises in GPS for sporting applications and one of the apps for the All Sports GPS device is Satski which the firm says will "revolutionise skiing holidays."
If there’s a weakness it’s that full featured car navigation software for Android is somewhat thin on the ground. TomTom have yet to produce an Android app while apps like CoPilot have decidedly mixed reviews.
What’s more the lack of a cell radio and therefore the Android market means that there’s no Google Maps.
The All Sports GPS is listed as ‘coming soon’ with no pricing yet announced.
Of course you could just pick up a cheap and perfectly serviceable Android smartphone for less than sixty quid. At least then you’d have Google Maps complete with Google’s turn-by-turn car navigation.
