In Use
I took the iGotU 600 out for several outings to try and use it three different ways.
The first and most accurate method was to have the GPS sitting on a car dashboard in full view of the sky. The unit worked very well however I had the recording interval at 8 seconds, which is a bit too coarse for highway driving, however the results were still very good. Here’s a shot showing the accuracy of the unit. I took the just as we were about enter a tunnel and before you ask, no I wasn’t driving.
[Click to enlarge]
For my second outing, I attached the GPS to my toddler to test it’s sensitivity and reliability in a changing environment, with a waypoint recording interval of 15 seconds. The GT600 doesn’t log a waypoint if it doesn’t have a GPS fix, but because it just draws lines between the waypoints it has logged, you can get strange routes like this one where the line crosses the water, however the photo call out next to it is still very accurate. If you need very accurate results all the time, you’ll need to keep in a stable position and/or turn up the recording interval.
[Click to enlarge]
Lastly I attached it to my camera strap and took a walk. I routinely checked the signal LEDs on the GT600, and it seemed to maintain a decent satellite fix, as indicated by the route below. The start and halfway point do contain some stray waypoints though but I was under heavy tree cover.
[Click to enlarge]
Likes
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Ridiculously easy to use
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Small, lightweight, relatively tough.
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GPS logger is quite sensitive and works in less than ideal conditions
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Software works fabulously and photo geotagging could not be simpler
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Doubles as a USB GPS dongle for PCs
Dislikes
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Needs a PC with the @trip software on it to extract data
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Unit cannot tell you your current location without a PC
- Software is Windows-only
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The long battery life of the device may cause you to forget about charging it or downloading the data (that’s a pretty small problem)
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a device to keep track of where you’ve been and where you’ve taken photos on long trips, then the iGotU 600 is perfect. It’s simple, has a huge battery life and it just works. If you’re a traveller, photographer or sports-person you’ll find a use for the GT600
In, fact I reckon the GT600 is a cheap alternative to dedicated SLR camera GPS taggers, which steal your flash hot shoe, drain your camera battery and cost over $200. You can pick up a GT600 (or one of it’s smaller cousins) from here for US$120, or from here for about �83.
Tags: gadget, usb, photography, igotu+gt600, gps+geotagger, gps, travel+logger, sports+logger, photo+tagger
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I bought my i-gotU tracker last year and I absolutely love it!
I have the GT120 model but the basic functions are the same. You can use it to track where you have been and project the stored data onto a map of the earth. You can, if you wish, share these trips with friends, family and/or the general public. Photos can be attached to a route and the software will show on the map exactly where each photo was made. Look athttp://www.a-trip.com for examples. They also deliver – absolutely free of charge – software that can be installed to your windows mobile smartphone and use the phone's inbuilt or bluetooth GPS receiver to do just about the same but it won't record as long as one of these standalone trackers because your phone battery won't hold out that long.
Doh. I completely forgot to mention the uploading. Thanks Phillip I'll add it.