Hi Lovette and Others, You can use GPS apps with an iPod Touch or WiFi-only iPad by purchasing a compatible Bluetooth GPS receiver and pairing it through Bluetooth with your iOS device. This will let you use GPS apps that you purchase and download onto your iPod Touch. Apple approved GPS devices that work with the iPod Touch or iPad are typically about $100 from Amazon in the US (equivalent to about £64), but seem more expensive in the Amazon UK listings due to VAT and other factors. They include: • Dual Electronics XGPS150A Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver for iPad 3, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone and Other Smartphones, Tablets and Laptops Now with 12-28V adapter for cars, boats and airplanes! (This used to be the Dual Electronics XGPS150 model) • Bad Elf GPS Receiver for iPod touch, iPhone, iPad (3rd generation), iPad 2, and iPad (66-channel, SBAS/WAAS, 10 Hz) • GNS 5870 MFi Bluetooth Receiver for iPhone/iPad/iPod
These are small devices that require separate power, and are rated for about 8 hours of use. The Dual Electronics XGPS150 or XGPS150A is about 2 inches on a side and can be worn on an armband. The Bad Elf GPS Receiver is about the size of a slightly long docking extender that plugs into the dock of the iPod Touch. The GNS 5870 MFi Receiver is a credit card-sized separate receiver. They can also all be used with an iPhone to boost the accuracy of GPS reception. In the first two cases there is a free app that lets you determine the efficiency and accuracy of the GPS reception by telling you how many satellites are being used to pinpoint your position and the strength of the lock. I think that only Dual Electronics made their free app accessible in response to feedback from visually impaired users. There are a couple of extra considerations for using these devices with GPS apps: • A very few apps, including the Sendero GPS Lookaround app, are written so that they will only work with the iPhone. The app developer can check your iOS device and operating system version, and disable functionality. Even though I can run every other GPS app such as Navigon, MotionX GPS Drive, Mapquest 4 Mobile, Ariadne GPS, HopStop, etc. on an iPad with 3G+Wi-Fi (or the later model 4G+Wi-Fi iPad), and those iPads have built-in GPS reception, Sendero has always blocked the operation of its app with non-iPhone devices. So you will not be able to use the Sendero app with your iPod Touch, even with a GPS Bluetooth receiver. • Some GPS apps require an active internet connection to work, because the map database they use isn't stored on your device. These include helper apps like AroundMe and Where To?, and any GPS apps like Ariadne GPS, the default Maps app, and Mapquest 4 Mobile (a US only app) that requires an internet connection for map data. Daniela was referring to this last point when she mentioned as a solution getting a MiFi or other personal wireless hotspot to provide you with wireless internet connectivity wherever you are. Arthur, the name "MiFi" is the brand name for the portable wireless hotspot device that Verizon makes and popularized. Many cell phone providers will sell or rent such devices and provide services for a monthly fee. I use a ClearSpot for about $30/month to provide 4G coverage for my laptop and other iOS devices. This gives me faster connection speeds than a 3G connection, supports up to 8 connected devices for 5 hours on a full charge, lets me use the minimum data plan on my iPhone, and provides internet connections for my laptop if I travel to other locations in the U.S. with Clear 4G coverage. (In the U.S. "tethering" a laptop or other device to an iPhone requires an additional monthly fee from my carrier, would be capped at 2GB/month, and would be considerably slower.) Getting back to Lovette's original question, getting a Bluetooth GPS receiver and using GPS apps that either come with a full downloaded set of maps, like Navigon or TomTom, or which allow you to download the maps that you'll need before you travel, while you're on a Wi-Fi connection, like MotionX GPS Drive (U.S. only), does let you use your iPod Touch with GPS navigation apps. I can imagine someone in the U.S. buying a Dual Electronics XGPS150A for $100, then getting MotionX GPS Drive for $0.99 plus paying for 1 year of voice-assisted guidance for $9.99, and finding this a good solution for their iPod Touch. Or alternatively, buying one of the Navigon regional apps for the U.S. (currently $29.99, but has been on sale for half this price), and getting a complete set of maps locally on their iPod Touch. I'm not familiar with the options in the U.K., so someone else will have to chime in here. Dual Electronics is a U.S.-based firm that does sell internationally. Bad Elf and the GNS 5870 MFi are European firms. Here's a link to an iLounge review of the Dual Electronics XGPS150: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/mobile/reviews/dual-electronics-xgps150-universal-gps-receiver/ Here's more information on the Dual Electronics products page, since you might have more trouble finding this: • Their UK/European retailer, Proviation (£100, which includes the 20% VAT surcharge and free delivery): http://proviationshop.co.uk/shop/article_XGPS150-E/Dual-XGPS150-E-Bluetooth-GPS-Receiver.html • The description page at Dual Electronics: http://www.xgps150.dualav.com/how-it-works.html • The FAQ: http://xgps150.dualav.com/faq.html All of the above GPS Bluetooth receivers have been used by visually impaired iOS device users. You do not need the free apps that let you check the detailed GPS performance to use these devices, but I'm only aware of Dual Electronics adding accessibility to their app (last year). I don't use these myself, so others may be able to provide more details. Ariadne GPS, the app that started this discussion thread, uses the Open Street Map database, so you need an active internet connection to use it. HTH. Cheers, Esther <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> The Mac-Access mailing list is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free! 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