Richard's Tech Reviews

Holux M-241 GPS logger with LCD display - reviewed

Summary

The Holux M-241 GPS logger (available from Amazon.com in the USA) has a similar cylinder form to some other loggers, but adds a new feature: an LCD display which can show current location and GPS time, as well as enabling the changing of settings on the device itself.

It takes a single AA battery, and although it can run off of USB power, it can't recharge the battery.  It uses the 32 channel (51 channel) MTK chipset.  It comes with very basic photo geocoding software for inserting photos into Google Earth tracks, the software is Windows-only.  It has Bluetooth serial support, so it can work with compatible devices (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, PDAs) as a Bluetooth GPS.  The device itself is also Mac compatible, using BT747 software, including track download over Bluetooth.  130,000 log points with user-settable time interval or distance trigger.

See my GPS logger comparison spreadsheet for a full feature comparison with other loggers.

If you want to be able to check your location in real-time or change settings on the fly, this may be the logger for you.  However the Windows software is very basic, and I found some minor sensitivity issues.  As well, it does not automatically start logging as soon it gets a satellite fix (you have to watch and manually start it once it has a signal).  You may find some of the other models I have reviewed better suited to your needs.

Note: Although you may see mention of a Holux GR-241, there is no such device.  It may have been an early model number for the M-241.

Details

My colleague Chris actually noticed the design is reminiscent of a film canister.  There is a small plastic cylinder on top through which you can thread the provided thin string that attaches to a strap.

Here's what it looks like, compared to some other loggers, it's the one in the centre

You can see that in colour (orange), size and shape, it's almost identical to the GiSTEQ DPL700 PhotoTrackr Lite.  They are strikingly similar models, even down to the GPS chipset (MTK), with the M-241 LCD display being the main differentiator in terms of hardware.

Here's the packaging and what comes in it

It includes a USB cable, a strap, a battery, a car adapter for power, and a 7-day license for smart2go mobile (cellphone) map software (which works only on Windows Mobile 5 and some Nokia phones, unfortunately).  You can get an optional and rather oddly-named "travel adapter" which is just a wall-socket USB power cable.

Using the LCD display, you can control logging settings (time interval or minimum distance).  You can also see a count of remaining log record storage (continuously decremented if the log is running) - a very nice feature so that you know exactly how much memory you have left.  As well, for the first time with a GPS logger, I actually can find out where I am in real-time, since it has a lat/long display.  GPS time is also displayed (you have the option to adjust the time display for you timezone).  This time display will make it very easy to keep your camera synchronized with the GPS.

It also has a sort of "odometer" mode, where you can measure distance travelled.

Surprisingly, despite the elaborate controls and display, I could find no way to set a waypoint (perhaps because it considers every track record location a "waypoint").

The included Windows software (Holux Logger Utility) is quite basic (as is common for most loggers other than the GiSTEQs).

Once you have the serial driver installed, you can connect to the device

The logger settings can also be controlled from software

"Upload" brings up a small dialog box

Files will have the device name ("user name") you have chosen prepended.

"Combine JPEG file" is one option for photo processing.  It will "combine" matching photos into the Google Earth .kml

"Write Total Track Log" means one file combining all the tracks, in addition to all the individual logs.

The software will save both a Holux datafile (.trl tracklog filename) and a Google Earth .kml file, with start, end, and every intermediate datapoint included as a waypoint.  Here's an example of me walking to work from my bus.  Waypoints are in yellow, with date/timestamps in white, the track runs through the middle of the image.

and here's the .kml file itself

Download Richard_M-241_Start_20080117-094618_Finish_20080117-100317.kml

It does not produce time-based .kml

There are various other output formats available

The software has no concept of true photo geocoding with EXIF stamping, instead it will only create KML tracks with embedded photos.

It will let you make time adjustments to sync your photos with the GPS time of the track points

[Here's where I wrote about photos and the software, and TypePad ate it, so let's try again.]

The matching worked fine, I did some photos from my K790a camera, offset by -5 (my timezone).

However, all the photos are embedded in the .KML in the same section as the "waypoints" (the track log points), distinguished only by a camera icon.  If you have dozens or more photos, you will have a heck of a mess trying to sort them out from the yellow track points.

Photo icons manually selected (purple with white date stamps)

Default appearance with everything selected.  Good luck trying to find your photos.

Just to emphasize, there is no way to select just your photos all in one click, you have to manually scroll through the waypoints directory and select them one by one.

The waypoints directory showing one photo

Photos are not auto-rotated in the Google Earth display.

Here's what a single photo looks like (it's a snow groomer, in case you're wondering)

Please note: this is not true photo geocoding, the GPS coordinates are not embedded in the photos (I checked the processed images with IrfanView using the EXIF extension - no changes to the EXIF or IPTC).   The photos are actually completely untouched and unaltered as far as I can tell.

To do true photo geocoding, you will have to convert your .trl files to a standard format (e.g. GPX) and use some other software (not provided by Holux) to embed the locations into the photo EXIF.

The M-241 will also work on Windows and Mac using the BT747 software, see my posting "BT747 support for Holux M-241 on Mac over USB and Bluetooth" for more information.

I tested the Holux M-241 against various other loggers:

M-241 with 5s logging interval, BT-Q1000 with 10s logging interval, not sure of HGE-100 (TrekBuddy recording interval), AGL3080 always fixed 1s interval (1Hz), Sony GPS-CS1 always fixed 15s interval

20080117 - roughly the same as the Qstarz BT-Q1000 and Sony HGE-100

20080119 - this is a problematic set of tracks from skiing at Vorlage - the M-241 overall does well, but there are a few tracks (the ones I am certain are wrong marked with "X") where it is clearly not correct (fortunately for my health, I didn't suddenly start skiing through the woods).  M-241 (cyan track) and BT-Q1000 (orange) both in ski jacket pockets.  This may be an antenna issue, the Holux does have a "this end up" indication, and I can't guarantee what direction that was pointing as it tumbled around in my pocket.

The original Holux .kml is quite large, so I have saved .kmz out of Google Earth.

Holux-Vorlage-20080119.kmz

Qstarz-Vorlage-20080119.kmz

20080123: roughly the same, keeping in mind the different logging intervals, except for the Sony GPS-CS1 (green) which not surprisingly is a bit more off-track given its SIRFstarII chipset

Download Holux-M241-20080123-part-1.kmz

Download Holux-M241-20080123-part-2.kmz

Download Ottawa-20080123-Qstarz.kmz

Download Ottawa-20080123-Sony.kmz

Download Ottawa-20080123-AGL3080.kmz

20080126: Back at Vorlage.  Again an anomalous track (big loop at top).  Could be due to battery I suppose, the Holux battery died part-way through the day.    Cyan is Holux again, Orange is Qstarz again, Red is AMOD AGL3080.

Here are two of the tracks.  There is more in the Qstarz because the Holux battery died (the advantage of having a 32-hour rechargable battery in the Qstarz).

Download Voralge-Holux-M241-20080126.kmz (just noticed filename typo, sorry)

Download Vorlage-20080126-Qstarz.kmz

These are just my observations in terms of the GPS performance, I don't have the equipment or software to do extensive sensor tests - I hope someone will do some detailed testing about the impact of the orientation of the M-241 and the antenna sensitivity.

UPDATE 2008-02-11: I did some additional testing and I got good tracks as long as the M-241 stayed with the antenna pointing upwards.  ENDUPDATE

Things that could be improved:

• no way to have it auto-start logging when a satellite fix is obtained
• no way to set a waypoint (UPDATE 2008-02-11: May be possible in Lat/Long display mode.)
• awkward battery door (common problem with this type of design)

AMOD AGL3080 Mac-compatible driverless GPS logger reviewed

Summary

The AMOD AGL3080 is a "driverless" GPS logger, it shows up on your computer like a USB memory key.  It worked fine on Windows (XP) and Mac (OS X 10.4.10).  It logs to NMEA 0183 format files with a fixed 1 second interval.  Given this logging frequency, and its capacity of approx. 256,000 data points, the total maximum duration for stored tracks is about 70 hours.  It uses the SIRFstarIII GPS chipset.  It takes 3 AAA batteries.

(Disclosure: AMOD provided me with this GPS for evaluation purposes.)

Details

In general concept the AMOD AGL3080 (available from Amazon.com in the USA) is like an improved Sony GPS-CS1.  The CS1 has an older chipset, and for some reason Sony and Apple haven't been able to get it together to get the CS1 to mount as a USB drive on all versions of Mac OS X.

This leaves the AGL3080 in the position of being one of the very few GPS loggers that is easily Mac compatible right out of the box.

As you can see, the AGL3080, the GPS-CS1, and the GiSTEQ DPL700 all have roughly similar designs, with carabiner loops at the top, and compact form factors.  The AGL3080 does have a covered USB port, although the cover is not as elaborate as on the Sony.  Still either one should protect from spraying water e.g. on a boat ride.

AMOD AGL3080 (black), GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr Lite DPL700 (orange), GPS-CS1 (white)

(in case you're wondering, the photo isn't backwards, I changed the orientation of the GPSes and moved the pen for the second photo)

The AGL3080 has a separate waypoint button, it is however almost identical in size, shape and location to the power button, so it's hard to know which one you're pushing without looking.

There are three LEDs: file system full, GPS tracking, and battery low.

What you get in the box (USB cable, CD, carbiner attachment thing):

There are no user-configurable settings for the AGL3080, it logs tracks from its SIRFstarIII chipset every 1 second.  This to me is a rather unfortunate choice, I would rather it log less frequently, perhaps every 10 seconds.  The two consequences of this logging frequency are very large individual log files (NMEA 0183 format), and limited (70 hours) total logging time, even though it has a generous 128MB of file storage.

As an example, just a three hour trip to a ski hill generated a 3.1 MB log file; this is larger than the 3 MB maximum for processing log files on GPS visualizer.com

You can of course still work with them locally using e.g. gpsbabel

The tracks themselves are good; about what you would expect from a SIRFstarIII logger.  Reasonably good in urban canyon. 

Here is the AGL3080 [red] compared against the Qstarz BT-Q1000 [purple] (MTK chipset, 10 second logging interval) and (a partial track from) the Globalsat DG-100 [yellow] (same SIRFstarIII chipset, 30 second logging interval).

They're all about the same when I walk up Gloucester (off by about a block south) and Albert (off by about half a block south).  The GPSes were just in my jacket pockets, so it wasn't exactly ideal sky view.

Download AMOD-Ottawa-20080112-red.kmz

Download Qstarz-Ottawa-20080112.kmz

Download Globalsat-Ottawa-20080112.kmz

For geocoding photos on a Mac, the package includes JetPhoto 2.9.1 on CD.  It's not the Pro version and there is no special AMOD integration - the software is a free download (about 21 MB) for anyone, there is a newer version 2.12, available from http://www.jetphotosoft.com/ (the newer version has improved Leopard compatibility).

I will review JetPhoto in a later posting.

You can of course use other Mac software like HoudahGeo, as the tracks are in a standard format.

On Windows, there is software from AMOD (AMOD GPS Photo Tracker) as well as JetPhoto for Windows.

On the Mac there is some weirdness about the file display - in the Finder, the files show with size, but no date, in a browse window the files all show a date of 18/02/04 and no size - but the files themselves work fine.  The date and time are embedded in the filename anyway.

On Windows XP, the files also don't show a date and time, but still work fine.

I would definitely recommend this unit over the Sony GPS-CS1, which has a less-sensitive chipset and lacks consistent Mac compatibility.  The ease of use of a driverless model is very compelling.  Although the AGL3080 does have a very high logging frequency, this will only create issues if you're on a long trip (longer than one week).  You could deal with file management issues by using a laptop, copying files at an Internet cafe, or using a direct USB-to-USB transfer to a memory stick or other USB storage.

UPDATE 2008-01-28: Unfortunately a test using the Sima Hitch USB transfer device was not successful; it did not recognize the AGL3080.  END UPDATE

TypePad helpfully ate my entire list of suggested improvements, so let me see what I can remember.

Suggested improvements:

• Increase logging interval from 1 second to 10 seconds; this will increase total track time that can be stored from 70 hours to 700.
• Provide several logging interval options (e.g. using a switch like the DG-100).
• Since the logging interval is so short, add a motion sensor like the GiSTEQ models, so that it doesn't log when you're not moving.
• Change the position and shape of the waypoint button so that you can find and press it without having to look at the GPS.
• Fix the minor Mac Finder display issues.
• Support USB charging of rechargable batteries, like the DG-100.
• Show an indication when the device is connected as a USB drive, and when it is transferring files (currently there is no indication that it is connected).
• UPDATE 2008-01-28: Support the Sima Hitch and other USB / USB OTG transfer devices.

You can see my GPS logger comparison chart for how it stacks up against other models.

GISTEQ DPL700 PhotoTrackr Lite review

Summary

Both the GISTEQ DPL700 (PhotoTrackr Lite) [see at Amazon.com] and GISTEQ CD111 (PhotoTrackr) [see at Amazon.com] GPS loggers come with powerful Windows software that provides a complete photo geocoding experience, from helping you synchronize your camera time, through geocoding of images, to display in Google Earth or on photo websites such as Flickr and SmugMug.  The PhotoTrackr software is "trip aware", and a nice feature of displaying a photo slideshow with accompanying map locations.

The software may take some getting used to as it is complex, and it is highly recommended that the guides and help file provided with the GPS be read and followed before getting started.

The GISTEQ units are not Mac compatible.  UPDATE 2008-08-01: Mac software is now available for download from www.gisteq.com ENDUPDATE

Initial testing shows acceptable GPS sensitivity, and quick location fix time.  The GISTEQ DPL700 uses the MTK 32-channel (now called 51-channel) chipset and takes one AA battery.  The CD111 uses the Nemerix 16-channel chipset and has a rechargeable battery.  Additional comparison tests with other GPSes will be forthcoming.  Both units have 4MB of memory, but since they are storing the data in binary form rather than as full text files, they can fit 250,000 records (over twice as many as other units I have tested).

UPDATE 2008-08-01: As of June 16, 2008 the CD111 and CD110BT have the same MTK chipset as the DPL700.  The main way to tell new versions from old versions is that the external antenna connector has been removed from the new CD111 and CD110BT.  ENDUPDATE

The main advantage of the DPL700 or the CD111 over a unit like the Qstarz BT-Q1000 (which also has the MTK chipset) or the Globalsat DG-100 is that the GISTEQ provides the complete photo geocoding solution, whereas the Qstarz and Globalsat units are only GPS loggers, for them you have to add the entire photo geocoding aspect yourself using additional software. 

Details

In this review I will mainly focus on the DPL700, although I also have the CD111 for comparison.

The DPL700 is the latest model from GISTEQ, with a form factor almost identical to the Sony GPS-CS1, a cylinder with a carbiner loop built into the top.  Like the GPS-CS1, it takes a single AA battery.  Interestingly, although it is branded as "PhotoTracker Lite" on the GISTEQ website, it just says PhotoTracker DPL700 on the packaging.  I got mine in Canada from Expansys.ca

This is the second model of GPS logger from GISTEQ, the earlier one, also called PhotoTrackr (model CD111 or CD110BT if it has Bluetooth), has a small oblong form-factor similar to the Qstarz BT-Q1000.  (I describe the GISTEQ PhotoTrackr CD111 as reminding me of a type 1 phaser.) In addition to the chipsets, the main other differences between the two models are mainly in extra functionality in the original PhotoTrackr: the original has a rechargeable battery (charges over USB), an antenna connector and a rather unusual feature, which is that it reports status (and time if you want) using an audio voice.  It will report its status with messages like "Satellite Positioning", which is a good way to freak out people sitting next to you.  Also the CD111 has significantly longer battery life - its lithium-ion battery is rated to last 32 hours in continuous use, versus 14 hours for the single AA battery that the DPL700 takes.

Minor note: Although the official spelling is GiSTEQ, I will just use GISTEQ throughout.

Image: The orange/yellow PhotoTrackr Lite with carbiner and USB cable attached on the left, black CD111 PhotoTrackr on the right.

Another view, showing size against pen and AA battery:

Here's the packaging it comes in:

The idea is that you will hang it on the outside of a bag using the attachment, but personally I always just put the GPS in an inside pocket of my bag.  I'm not sure how people will react to you walking around with an orange or white cylinder that has flashing LEDs.

There are numerous subtle differences between the DPL700 and the GPS-CS1:

• The Sony device exposes its files by acting like a USB memory key.  The GISTEQ using a USB serial interface that talks to its PhotoTrackr software.
• The USB interface on the bottom of the Sony is nicely covered with a rubberized shield - the GISTEQ USB interface is exposed.  If you were e.g. whitewater rafting this might be an issue.
• The Sony shows signal being acquired by the speed at which it flashes its green GPS LED - you have to watch quite closely to tell the difference between "searching for satellites" and "position lock acquired".  The GISTEQ has a separate LED that flashes red while signal is being acquired, then switches over to another LED that flashes green, making it much easier to tell when you have acquired a position fix.
• The GISTEQ is slightly smaller and has a tight channel in the top which I guess is supposed to be for the carabiner.  In fact it's a puzzling bit of industrial design, the small tightly angled circular channel on top of the DPL700 is not large enough for the carabiner that is provided, the channel is simply too small.  Sony provided a detachable plastic strap connected to a carabiner, but I never trusted the plastic connector.  However, the Sony provides a generous loop of plastic at the top of the GPS, so you could connect almost any kind of strap or carabiner.  After considerable reflection, I decided that one is expected to use the metal ring in the provided carbiner strap to go through the top of the PhotoTrackr, and "carabiner-enable" it that way (as shown in the image at the top of this posting).
• The GISTEQ DPL700 uses the MTK 32-channel (now called 51-channel) chipset.  The Sony uses a 12-channel chipset (presumably SIRFstarII).  What this means in practice is that the GiSTEQ should be much better at acquiring a good signal in challenging locations like skyscraper city downtowns.

Here are the units together (Sony is white, GiSTEQ is orange):

I have tried both the Sony and the PhotoTrackr attached with a carabiner to a belt loop, but I find it fairly annoying as it bangs against your leg as you walk, YMMV.

Both models of the PhotoTrackr share the same software and drivers.  The software is the most elaborate I have seen for a GPS logger, it is like a space-shuttle cockpit compared to the very simple software that comes with the Sony. 

Image: GISTEQ PhotoTrackr Program

It is designed to walk you end-to-end through the photo geocoding process - no extra software is required.  It uses Windows .NET 2.0, which may add some extra installs and updates to the basic software installation process.  The software is also called PhotoTrackr, so I will refer to it as the "PhotoTrackr Program".  The current version of the PhotoTrackr Program is 2.1, it is available for download from the GISTEQ website (version 2.0 came with this unit).  The software requires an activation code, which is provided on the envelope of the mini-CD that comes with the unit.

To get started, as with every other GPS logger except the Sony, you have to install a custom serial-to-USB driver.

The serial port aspect may cause some confusion, as it requires the use of COM ports, but the software was good at just finding the device on the right COM port.

The initial program complexity may I think prove a bit intimidating for the casual user.  For example, the very first step presented by the software is to sign up for a Google Maps API key.  While it does automatically get the API key once it is generated, the process may be a bit mysterious to new users.  If you generate the key incorrectly (wrong website), the maps functionality in the software won't work.  You must generate the key for http://maps.gisteq.com for it to work inside the program.  That means of course your maps display is up-to-date, as it is pulling the map down live over the Internet.  It is a fully embedded Google Maps page within the application, showing a line for the track, as well as any waypoints you set (you can set a waypoint by briefly pressing the power button, the first LED will flash orange briefly to indicate a waypoint.)

SIDEBAR: You can regenerate a key within the software, but it's rather a rather roundabout process - go to Trip Records, right click on a record, select Export Google Map Webpage, enter the correct URL, and click "Get My Key" (NOTE: This is a bit of a hack, as this function is intended for you to generate keys for your own website.)  You can also just go to http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html to get a key.  You may have to exit and re-start the software before an updated key works (in Logger Settings->Software - Google Map API Key).  END SIDEBAR

There is also no way to access the help file within the application itself, you have to know to go and open the separately-provided help file.

There is also an error in the Lite setup documentation which says to wait for a red light for an initial fix in step 2, perhaps due to the fact that on the GISTEQ PhotoTrackr original, a light flashes RED when you have a GPS satellite fix, while on this model, the GISTEQ PhotoTrackr DPL700 "lite", a light flashes GREEN when you have a fix.

The next step you are supposed to follow within the software is to sync your camera with the GPS (UTC time).  I gather it wants to talk to the GPS to get this time in order to get an exact match (I'm not sure why, when accurate time can be obtained over the Internet).  It is great that they included this step, because a lot of people find the time issue confusing (GPS works on near-UTC time, it doesn't matter what timezone you're in, the GPS is always set to UTC).  However the time it proposed for my camera is not UTC, it's my local time.  I don't see how this is going to work if one crosses timezones during a trip.  You have to set your camera manually, it won't send the time to the camera somehow, it just shows you the time to set.

SIDEBAR: I know this can be a confusing issue for some.  GPS time is zone-less, the GPS has a single fixed universal time worldwide.  It's close to, but a few seconds different from, universal time (UTC).  (See my posting about time for more details.)  So at a very basic level, a GPS logger without any additional software can't synchronize with a particular timezone, as the GPS has no concept of timezones.  In order to avoid this issue, I typically set my camera to GPS time.  GiSTEQ has chosen to set your camera to your local timezone instead, which I believe will cause problems if you travel and take photos in many different timezones.  END SIDEBAR

The next powerful-but-confusing element is that GISTEQ has the concept of multiple users for a single GPS.  The user has to be switched on the computer, there is no way to do so on the device itself.  I can see this is conceptually useful for a family sharing a GPS to be able to keep separate sets of tracks, but it adds an extra layer - there are already test users configured, so you have to set up your own users before you can start recording tracks - if you just turned the device on without setting up the users, I don't know what account your position will show up as.  I think the users are purely identified by number - it doesn't seem to have a multiple device concept.  This doesn't work very well for me, where I have one user (me) but two GISTEQ devices.

Since the assignment of users appears to be local-software-based, rather than stored on the device, there are lots of scenarios to consider: in a typical desktop + laptop one, both installations of the PhotoTrackr Program will have to have the same users assigned to the same "Driver IDs".  In the case of a complete software reinstall, you will have to rebuilt the user table (hopefully you kept records of it).

The interface starts you off in "Photo Management" mode, which is a complete photo trip interface.

When you select "Add Images" you get a standard Windows browser, then it will go immediately to "Add GPS Info to Photos", then various stages of processing as it geocodes the images, then a map with photos indicated (by placemarks unfortunately, not by thumbnails).

Image: Screenshot of adding images, with map of already-processed information in the background

It doesn't read rotation information, although in version 2.1 of the Program it now allows you to rotate photos.  Even after you rotate the photo, it doesn't update the live placemark display with the rotated image.

A very nice feature is that the map is indeed live - if you move a placemark, it will ask if you want to update the location information for the photo.  This is very useful when the GPS data got the photo close, but not exactly in the location where the photo was taken.

Another feature is the slideshow, which displays the images and their descriptions along with a synchronized map - a great "photo tour".

It is also a single click to export the track and photos to Google Earth.  Rotated images are displayed rotated, although with an incorrect aspect ratio.  It does not, however, generate a time-based track, which would be a good option or new feature.

You can upload photos from within the software to your choice of geocoded-photo-aware services (Flickr, locr, Picasa Web Album and SmugMug), and it understands how to authorise itself to e.g. Flickr. 

For Flickr it wants to select an Album, "no album" doesn't appear to be a choice.  Also there is no way to set any tags. 

The geocoded location is of course uploaded and read by Flickr.  Once upload is complete it offers the option to automatically start your web browser, open to your Flickr photos page (it won't open on the specific photo, if you've only uploaded one).

Here's the image I uploaded (I added the tags within Flickr after the upload).

Overall PhotoTrackr is a very impressive system, providing a combination of hardware and software specifically designed for photo geocoding.

UPDATE 2007-12-19: The more I work with the GiSTEQ software and hardware, the more impressed I am.  When you select Trip Records->Download Trip Record it will give you an interface to connect to a COM port (it tries to select the correct one) and then download the entire contents of the logger.  There is no way to do a partial download.  It will suggest you delete all the files after the download is complete.  I believe one of the main reasons it wants you to clear the logger is that it doesn't de-duplicate the resulting downloaded tracks - it will keep creating duplicate Trip Records every time you download the same data.

It does separate the "trips" very well though, it breaks them into sections of continuous logging, so e.g. if you took one track in the morning, then switched off the device, and then took a second track in the afternoon, it will display them as two separate trips.  It's actually even better than that, because both the DPL700 and CD111 have motion sensors, so if you're just standing still (or the logger is motionless, anyway) no data are recorded.  This is a really nice feature for people like me who forget to turn their loggers off when e.g. sitting at a cafe for lunch.  GISTEQ calls this "Smart Power Management with built-in vibration sensor".

Once you have downloaded the tracks, it brings up a very nice trip playback interface - you can select a track and it will play back position and speed, showing a green dot moving on a Google Map.  Very cool.  You can also select a particular data point and it will display the date, time, position and speed.

When you switch back to the Photo Management interface, this functionality is still available through the Trip Records section in the lower right of the display.  As well, right-clicking on a trip in this interface brings up a menu with various options, including exporting to NMEA, GPX, or Google Earth, as well as exporting an entire Google Map webpage.

I compared tracks from four different units:

• CD111 - yellow track - logging every 15s
• DPL700 - white track - logging every 15s
• Qstarz BT-Q1000 - magenta track - logging every 10s
• Sony GPS-CS1 - orange track - logging every 15s

The results are about what you would expect.  The Q1000 and DPL700 have very good and similar tracks, which is not surprising since they have the same chipset.  I would say for this trip, the Q1000 was very slightly better.  The CD111 does fairly well.  The Sony, with the least-sensitive chipset, has the most problems.

As you can see, as soon as I go between or even near high buildings they all start to lose their fix.  (I'm in a bus going down the streets, so it should be a smooth line going up the right side of the street, then a sharp turn 90 degrees, then another sharp turn 90 degrees and continuing up straight).  I've put this image in the Creative Commons so you should be able to download it if you want a closer look.  I will be doing further comparisons with more tracks at a future date.  END UPDATE

UPDATE 2008-01-14: Until there is Mac compatibility for the DPL700, Mac users may want to check out the AMOD AGL3080.  END UPDATE

Addendum: I want to thank Semsons.com for exceptional customer service in re-shipping a CD111 that UPS had failed to deliver.  Semsons truly is committed to customer satisfaction, something that is all too rare in this day and age.

SmartParts SPDPF70EW (Centrios) 7" digital picture frame review

SmartParts SPDPF70EW / Centrios 7" digital picture frame is about as simple and bargain-basement a frame as you can get.  (Sold as SmartParts in the USA, Centrios in Canada.)  There is no included software (although you can download the OptiPix application from the net, using your frame's serial number).  There's no separate power switch, instead hold down Play/Pause to power it on and off.  There's no way to change the slideshow interval and there's no choice of slide transitions.  It doesn't support Compact Flash, it can take SD/MMC, Memory Stick, and xD.  No remote, no speakers, no MP3s, no video, no format other than JPEG.  The resolution is only 480x234, made even worse by the aspect ratio issue, which means if you want to preserve your digital photo's 4:3 aspect, you really should size your pictures to 312x234, and you will have black bars on either side of the screen (a problem common to all widescreen digital picture frames).

So, it depends who will be using the frame.  If it's for a non-technical user, it might be good.  Other frames have elaborate remote controls and many menus with preferences settings, which could be overwhelming.  This frame is basically fool-proof in that way.  Play/Pause, Prev, Next, Rotate and Switch Display Mode are the only options.  As soon as you put in a memory card it immediately starts running a slideshow.

Side-by-Side

Here is the SmartParts frame (wood frame, left) next to the higher-end Kodak SV811 (black plastic frame).  The difference in the resolution (sharpness of the image) is noticeable (the SV811 has a 800x480 display).

Displays

SmartParts screen close-up

(click to view larger image)

Kodak SV811 screen close-up

(click to view larger image)

OptiPix

Basically the sole function of OptiPix Pro is to help you load the memory card, it again is about as simple an application as you could get:

1. Select Photos

2. Process and Save Locally

It will "optimize" the photos, oddly what it appears to do is resize large images down to 1024x768.  I don't quite understand how this is an optimization, considering it is still more than double the resolution that the frame can display.

3. Copy to picture frame (removable storage)

It is nice that it walks one through the basic steps, but after it copies to the removable storage, it doesn't provide any instructions on safely stopping/unmounting the drive, so one may end up with improperly disconnected or unclosed file systems.

Also the image quality is not great.  In addition to the low resolution, the display is unusual for an LCD in that it has the appears (under careful examination) of either being underdriven in terms of refresh rate, or being run in an interlaced (alternating lines displayed) mode.  If you look quickly up and down the screen as the display is running, you can actually discern the lines on the screen.  This is quite different from other frames I have seen (e.g. the Kodak SV811 and KSPF-2000 which have smooth, rock-solid LCD displays).

If the price difference were huge between this and higher-end frames it would perhaps be justified, but it's in roughly the same price space as e.g. the Kodak SV710 7" frame (Kodak Easyshare SV-710 7-Inch Digital Picture Frame at Amazon.com), which has a lot more features, albeit the same 480x234 resolution.

I do like the wood frame on the SmartParts.  But to me I would select the SmartParts frame only if it's on sale at a great price, or if you want an absolutely dead-simple frame that's basically impossible to screw up, and if you're sure whoever will be looking at it isn't going to be bothered by (or notice) the flicker in the display.  The frame is bright and the image is certainly acceptable from a distance.  If you want to show off your photos in a more serious or professional way, you're definitely going to want a higher-resolution frame.

Kodak SV811 digital picture frame vs. KSPF-2000: how much has changed in 7 years?

Summary

It's not really a fair comparison, as the older frame (KSPF-2000) was more expensive than the new, wider one (SV811).  It is interesting to be able to compare similar devices from the same brand, seven years apart.  I actually prefer the industrial design of the older frame.  Plus if I display the entire digital photo in its proper aspect ratio, I don't actually get any more usable display on the widescreen frame than I already had on the old frame.  However, the newer frame has a brighter display, with a wider face-on set of good viewing angles.

I will have a followup review comparing four current digital picture frame models.

Details

Kodak was early to market in the digital photo frame space, with the KSPF-2000.  Courtesy of Internet Archive, you can see what their site looked like on October 19, 2000: KODAK Smart Picture Frame.  There was even a telephone modem based network called StoryBox (that required a subscription), for sending images to frames.  You could also order prints from the frame itself.  The frame is 6.4" diagonal, 640x480: a good match for the aspect ratio of digital photos.  It supports Compact Flash cards only.

The frame was not successful, probably a combination of the market not being ready for it, and the price (U$350 - roughly U$410 in today's dollars, plus a subscription fee).  The situation was however good for those few savvy buyers who understood the product, as they were able to snap the frame up at fire-sale prices after it was discontinued.  (You may still be able to do the same these days, as old frames occasionally show up on eBay.)

It's unfortunate for Kodak that they weren't able to stay in the market, as they could have been a lead player.  Now that they are back in digital picture frame business, they are just one player amongst many brands large and small.

They have a 7" widescreen model, the SV710, but I will look at the larger one, the widescreen 8" SV811 (Kodak SV-811 8-inch Digital Picture Frame at Amazon.com)  The frame resolution is 800x480.

An Aspect of Digital Photos

Aspect ratios: digital camera images are typically 4:3 (1.33...), so e.g. 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1600x1200, 3072x2304.

So it is puzzling why the digital picture frames are all adopting 16:9 (1.77...) aspect ratios, which would be 640x360, 800x450, 1024x576, 1600x900, and so on.  It means that the display is simply not a good scalable match to the image.  I suppose it is probably because most of the small LCD screens being manufactured these days are for DVD players, which do need a 16:9 widescreen ratio, so screens in that form factor are probably cheaper.

So if you set your widescreen frame to "fit entire picture" rather than "fill entire screen", you end up with the rather ridiculous situation of only using the centre of the screen, with black bars on both sides.

Side-by-Side

Here's what they look like side-by-side, the older KSPF-2000 is the one with the wooden frame on the left.

I have to say, I think the styling has gone downhill.  The new model has a wide black frame (which is 1.25" larger than the actual body of the display, I guess to make you feel like you're getting a big step up from a 7" frame). 

Photo: SV811 wide plastic frame

However, the newer model has a noticeably brighter screen, the older KSPF has an almost matte effect on its screen, with a narrow range of good viewing angles.

I had a tough time to capture any images that give a good representation of the frames side-by-side in terms of image quality, sharpness, brightness etc.  There's a lot of complexity with the screens glowing and dependencies on light angles and lighting conditions.  I can certainly say that in terms of sharpness the screens are basically indistinguishable.  In terms of colours, the KSPF shows quite a bit darker than the SV811, and the newer frame is probably the more colour accurate of the two.  Take the next set of images with a grain of salt - slightly different lighting conditions or angles would give different results.

Here are two macro shots of the screens, first the KSPF-2000

and then the SV811

There are other features of the KSPF that I prefer: the controls are simple, with shapes recognizable by touch, and easily accessible, and it has rubberized feet at the back, so it doesn't slide around.  The SV811 has quite complex controls that are at the back of its deep frame, so (unless you are using the remote control), you have to lean quite far over to look at the labels in order to select which of the identical black circular buttons to press.  As well, both the front and back edges are just hard plastic, so it tends to slide easily on a hard surface like a wooden table.

KSPF controls, with blue Menu button and arrow buttons, versus black circles of the SV811

The SV811 built-in controls lack left and right buttons, it only has up and down buttons, so some functions, such as setting the time, appear to only be possible using the remote control.

The firmware that came with the SV811 was 2007.3.27 Worldwide, I upgraded to 2007.7.03 Worldwide

Kodak provides software support for both Windows and Mac, including for frame firmware updates, which is very nice to see.  The firmware update is possible because the frame can mount as a USB drive, so you just attach it to the platform of your choice and copy the firmware update over, and then just run Settings->Upgrade Firmware.

SV811 Mac Firmware upgrade - issues

1. The instructions are written mostly for a Windows PC.

2. The Mac will show drive icons for both the 128MB internal frame memory and the memory card.  The internal memory doesn't have a name assigned.  When you try to unmount these drives, before disconnecting the USB cable, they just automatically remount.  If you just disconnect the cable as the instructions direct, you will get an "unexpected disconnection" message on the Mac.

More on software and features

Almost all the information about the KSPF is gone from the Kodak site.  There are two old FAQS: "Registered, Network-Connected KODAK Smart Picture Frame" and "Non-Network KODAK Smart Picture Frame".

The SV811 frame came with EasyShare 6.2, but version 6.4 is available for download for Windows (version 6.1 for Mac).

The SV811 adds a number of new capabilities beyond what the older KSPF frame can do: the new frame has a built-in speaker (and can play MP3s), it can play movies and it can be mounted on a computer as a USB drive.  It can read directly from digital cameras or USB memory keys and storage devices.

As well it reads multiple card formats, including the ability to support the insertion of both a small-format card (e.g. Memory Stick) and a CF card - it will display both in the interface.

You can also copy between all storage options - between cards and from cards to internal memory.  Copying card to card in this way is pretty darn slow though (of course it will depend on the card read/write performance as well) - I wouldn't doing this unless it is your only option, it doesn't provide any information other than a progress bar, and in my case it failed after a partial copy with an "unable to create file" message.

It can print directly from the frame (over USB) to a PictBridge-enabled printer.

It comes with a remote control that can be used to navigate the interface as well as stop and start slideshows.