Spectec 2-in-1 Bluetooth GPS Receiver

Posted By: Ryan Kairer on Thursday, July 26, 2007 10:32:20 AM

Spectec's SDG-812 2-in-1 Bluetooth GPS Receiver with a memory slot is new in the PIC Accessory store. This interesting device combines a Bluetooth GPS unit with a microSD memory card slot. The GPS portion uses a Bluetooth connection while taking its power from the host device. The memory card slot provides you with expansion memory access while occupying in the usual SD slot. The SDG-812 includes the most recent 20 channel ultra highly sensitive SiRF StarIII GPS chipset.

The Spectec SDG-812 sells for $89.95 USD, shipping is available worldwide. It is compatible with the Windows Mobile powered Treo 700w and 700wx.

UPDATE: Conklin Systems has developed a driver that enables the Spectec SDG-812 GPS unit to function with Palm OS Powered devices.

Conklin Systems page states:

CS SDrv is a power management application for the Palm SD slot, specifically designed to power the Spectec SPG-812 ultra-small SD slot GPS. There are no batteries, no cables - the entire GPS plugs directly into your Treo or Palm's SD slot!
Based on the ultra-low power SiRF III GPS chipset, this is the most amazing Palm GPS ever. Or it would be, if it worked. Unfortunately PalmOS was incompatible with this unit - so we developed CS SDrv! CS SDrv isn't Spectec-specific, so it could be used to power other SD-slot powered devices as well.

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location of minisd slot...

joad @ 7/26/2007 3:17:46 PM #

Yet another example of why it was a *stupid* idea for Palm to move the card slot from the top of the device down to the side.

The antenna was in the way of using many standard SDIO devices, so they removed the antenna as well as the ability to use SDIO devices (by switching to MiniSD). And to drive the nail into the coffin they made sure to put the new slot behind a door, way down on the side as though it would never need access. I guess it saves the vendor of this gadget the need to create any PalmOS drivers....

RE: location of minisd slot...

hkklife @ 7/26/2007 3:28:34 PM #

LOL, Joad, vendors haven't been writing POS drivers for much of anything for several years now! There have been all kinds of moderately cool little GPS & wi-fi SDIO cards released over the past few years but NO ONE writes POS drivers.

Heck, I was really hoping to see a 2ng-generation Palm wi-fi SDIO card in miniaturized form (Toshiba, I believe, demo'd one years ago). Such a card that would fit flush (or very close to it) within a fullsize SD slot could be a boon to Treo 650/680/700 owners desiring wi-fi. But Palm hasn't even continued to support their original wi-fi card.

Now, Palm had the right idea to put a little door over the SD slot (I've nearly lost mine on more than a few occasions) but the combination of moving it to the side AND abandoning fullsize SDHC in favor of miniSD just irks me to no end.

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