From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

One of the birthday presents I received this weekend from my ‘coolest family’ is a bluetooth GPS receiver. It will connect to any bluetooth device of course but I needed it for my BlackBerry Pearl since it’s one feature that it lacks is GPS. Not anymore. And the sync-up between the Pearl and the GPS received was all-too-easy.

Store the receiver within 35 feet of the Pearl (I placed it in the console of the Z) and viola, BlackBerry maps works like a champ. I’ve downloaded Google Maps for the Pearl tonight so we’ll see how it tracks tomorrow as compared to BlackBerry Maps.

GlobalSat BT-359 Bluetooth GPS Receiver
The GlobalSat BT-359 is the next generation Bluetooth GPS receiver. Our new top of the line bluetooth GPS is both stylish and functional in true GlobalSat tradition. Taking its design criteria from the market leading BT-338 we have pushed the limits of GPS even further with greater sensitivity, more accuracy, and longer battery life than ever before.

The GlobalSat BT-359 contains the latest SiRFIII Low Power Chipset for high sensitivity. It communicates with Host Platforms (PDA, Laptop, and etc.) via Bluetooth Serial Port Profile. With Bluetooth 2.0 and built-in ceramic patch antenna, the BT-359 provides faster acquisition times and improves accuracy in urban canyons and under dense foliage. It contains a replaceable battery with a large capacity, which enables the BT-359 to operate for up to 11 hours. A slide battery lid makes it easy to remove and replace the battery without the use of tools. It also supports WAAS and EGNOS for even greater accuracy.

Available in two styles the BT-359S has a solar-look design and the BT-359W has a wave-look design.

Feature:
SiRF Star III high performance and low power consumption chipset
Communication with Host platform Via Bluetooth Serial Port Profile
Bluetooth 2.0
Built-in ceramic patch antenna.
High sensitivity GPS receiver provides faster acquisition times and improves accuracy in urban canyons and under dense foliage.
Battery life up to 11 hours of operation time, in continuous mode.
Features power saving mode (powers down after 10 minutes of inactivity).
Supported by WAAS and EGNOS Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems for more accurate corrected position reports.
Physical dimensions: 82.0 mm x 41.0 mm x 13.4 mm.

Specification
GPS standard SiRF StarⅢ
GPS Antenna Built-in ceramic patch antenna
Operation range 10 meters (33 feet)
Bluetooth Default PIN 0000
Operation time Up to 11 hrs
Charge time 4~5 hrs
Automatically enters Turn-Off When there is no active Bluetooth connection 10 minutes
Charge Connector Mini USB
OFF to ON Press the ON-OFF button for approximately 1s causes the unit to turn ON
ON to OFF Press the ON-OFF button for approximately 1s causes the unit to turn OFF
Perform reset Press the ON-OFF button for approximately 5s causes the unit to Perform reset
GPS status Blinking GPS position is fixed
GPS status Steady light GPS position is not fixed
Power status Solid Red Battery Low
Power status Solid Amber Battery is charging
Bluetooth status Blinking(Slowly) Not connected to any Bluetooth device
Operating -10C ~ 60C
Storage -20C ~ 70C
Humidity Operational up to 95% non-condensing
DC supplies 4.5V~5.5V / 0.5A
Battery Cell Type Lithium ion Rechargeable Battery
Dimension 82.0 mm x 41.0 mm x 13.4 mm

GPS Specification
GPS Chipset SiRF Star III
Frequency L1, 1575.42 MHz
C/A Code 1.023 MHz chip rate
Channels 20 channel all-in-view tracking

Accuracy
Position Horizontal 10 meters, 2D RMS 1-5 meters 2D RMS, WAAS corrected
Velocity 0.1m/sec
Time1 micro-second synchronized to GPS time

Datum
DatumDefault: WGS-84

Acquisition Rate
Hot start 1 sec., average
Warm start 38 sec., average
Cold start 42 sec., average
Reacquisition 0.1 sec. average

Protocol
GPS Protocol Default: NMEA 0183 (Secondary: SiRF binary)
GPS Output format GGA(1sec), GSA(1sec), GSV(5sec), RMC(1sec), GLL, VTG is optional

Dynamic Condition
Acceleration Limit Less than 4g
Altitude Limit 18,000 meters (60,000 feet) max.
Velocity Limit 515 meters/sec. (1,000 knots) max.
Jerk Limit 20 m/sec**3

Bluetooth Specifications:
Bluetooth: 2.0
Bluetooth Chipset CSR BC4
Frequency 2402MHz to 2480MHz
Bluetooth Profile SPP (Serial Port Profile)
Operation Range 10 meters (33 feet)
Output Power 0 dBm (class II)

Related reading from my desk (or BlackBerry):

1. Tethering the BlackBerry Pearl to the iBook
2. Pocket-size Vaio Notebook is Here Weighing in at 1.4 lbs.