You don't have to have the new Garmin device in order to get GPS on your handheld. Mapopolis is now offering a hardware and software GPS kit for Palm- and Sony-branded Palm OS devices.
Mapopolis is now offering a GPS hardware and software combo for Sony CLIE Palm OS handhelds. The kit, called the Holux GPS "Mouse" Bundle, is now available for the Sony CLIE PEG-NR/NX/T series and CLIE PEG-N series, as well as Palm-branded devices.
 | The small Holux GPS unit sports a long cable to connect to a handheld.
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The Holux bundle includes a "Mouse" GPS unit. That is, the GPS unit itself is roughly the size of a mouse, 66 x 51 x 22.5 mm and weighing less than 100 grams, and connects to the handheld via long serial cable. The receiver is housed in a translucent blue waterproof casing and is low-power at less than 170 milliamps with a 5 volt input. It is powered by an internal rechargeable battery, and supports the NEMA0183 2.2 data protocol, the standard protocol for all GPS receivers.
The software package includes a subscription to the Mapopolis Platinum +GPS service, which allows the user to download maps on a county-by-county basis as needed from Mapopolis. Different versions of the package allow the user to download either North American maps or European maps, but there is no "intercontinental" plan at present. The Mapopolis subscription is also available as a separate program for users who already have a GPS unit.
This is not Mapopolis' first hardware bundle. The program and service is also available bundled with the Emtac Bluetooth GPS and Bluetooth GPS Bundle from Transplant Computing. The Emtac kit uses a Bluetooth connection to transfer GPS data from the receiver to the handheld instead of a cable, but uses the same Mapopolis software.
The Holux GPS "Mouse" Bundle is available for sale now from the Mapopolis web site. There are separate packages for Palm-branded (Universal Connector) handhelds, the CLIE NX/NR/T handhelds, and the CLIE N-series handhelds, each in either a North American or European version for access to different sets of maps. Each bundle is $219.99 USD.
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