Owners of small but powerful laptops, unlike “tabletophiles,” with additional features, were not so lucky. No one will add accelerometer or GPS navigation to the laptop at the factory. But does this mean that it is impossible to make a complete device for determining coordinates from a "laptop"? So I recently asked a similar question, I was interested in whether such gadgets as a navigator for a laptop are produced. It turned out that indeed, GPS flash drives appeared on sale, which, when connected to mobile devices equipped with a USB connector, can significantly expand the functionality of the latter. Now having a simple but functional laptop, and buying a GPS navigator for a laptop, you get a hardware complex that determines your location with very high accuracy. And since the base unit is equipped with a decent size battery, your complex will have good autonomy.
You will say why there are such problems, why should I buy a navigator for a laptop, if I can immediately buy a navigator. I agree, such a question makes sense, but what if you do not have this device? Is it worth it to fork out for rather expensive and not always convenient devices that are not capable of anything more than directly monitoring the route?
Let's try to understand the pros and cons of both solutions and find out whether a device such as a USB flash drive has a GPS navigator for a laptop.
So, we have USB GPS - a nice gadget that uses the famous SiRF III chipset. The main convenience is that the device itself takes up very little space, and thanks to the USB interface it can connect to any mobile or stationary PC. The accuracy of determining the coordinates does not exceed 2-5 meters. If the device determines 20 satellites in direct line of sight (which in practice happens extremely rarely), then it can reduce the error to 1 meter. Every second, the receiver receives information from the satellites and makes changes to the coordinates of the current position, determines the speed of movement, and also controls the accuracy of the time that goes in the system.
Now all we need to do is connect the device to the laptop. Then, in order, we have a navigator program for a laptop, it needs to be installed (as a rule, it comes complete with each similar device). With the help of this software, it becomes possible to determine the coordinates and draw maps. We launch it and get a working and very convenient solution. Thus, a multifunctional laptop becomes even more functional.
But if you, having read all the above, decided that this design has solid advantages, then I will disappoint you. Cons, of course, are there too. To fix the laptop on the car glass, as we usually do with simple GPS receivers, you will not succeed. So get ready to either hold the laptop in the passenger seat, or get a navigator, on his lap this design will look very harmonious.
But this is if you are traveling by car, but in cases where there is no car at hand (for example, when traveling by bus), the usual GPS receiver will not be powered up, since it completely depends on the battery and the mains. But the laptop does not need constant power, in addition, the USB navigator for the laptop, like all other USB devices, consumes very little electricity and does not burden the batteries at all. So with it, you can get a few more hours of sometimes so necessary autonomy.
So I recommend that you take a closer look at these interesting devices - GPS receivers with a USB interface, they can be useful.