Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought the Wintec WBT-201 GPS logger because it is recommended by Pierre Bernard, the make of HoudahGeo (a fantastic geocoding app for the Mac), and is supported by several OS X applications. It is a great little device. It's small, is fast to fix its position on startup, and in open areas is deadly accurate. As with any GPS device, I found that in the city with tall buildings all around, it sometimes "drifts" 10 to 20 metres off course. Fortunately, myTracks (another great OS X app) enables me to edit my tracks and correct any significant errors.
The only downside to the Wintec WBT-201 is that the driver and software included with the GPS logger is Windows only. The HoudahGeo site provides a link to a Mac driver which enables a USB connection, and of course the bluetooth feature works fine with a Mac with no extra drivers required. The challenge is in changing the device settings (although fortunately it's not necessary to set up the Wintec WBT-201, as it works fine out of the box). Some determined individuals are working on a Mac version of GTK+ (an open source app for modifying device settings), but there's no easy-to-use version available yet. In my case, I keep an old Windows laptop lying around for just this sort of situation, so I installed the included software on it and adjusted a few settings, including the time interval (default is 1 second, I changed it to 10 seconds), the distance interval and the blink rate for the LED. But don't worry if you don't have access to a Windows system and can't modify the device settings, as the Wintec WBT-201 has plenty of memory to save many hours of track points at 1 second intervals.
Lastly, don't expect much from the manual (or the software). Fortunately, it's not that difficult to figure out how to work the thing, and a bit of searching on the 'net will fill in the gaps. All in all, a highly recommended piece of equipment.
UPDATE (14 March 2009): Don't use the little slot in the corner of the Wintec WBT-201 to attach your device to a backpack, bag, belt loop or whatever. I almost lost mine because the thin strip of metal across the slot broke, releasing the keyring I had put through the slot. I happened to look down at my belt loop, and saw the empty keyring hanging there without the GPS logger. Fortunately, I backtracked my steps and found the Wintec, but you might not be so lucky. Now I keep it in an outside pocket on a messenger bag or backpack, and it works fine.
UPDATE (23 March 2009): I contacted Wintec customer service in Taiwan, and they have offered to replace my WBT-201. The interesting thing is that they say inserting a metal keyring in the slot is an "unsuitable use," and that the slot was designed for a lanyard only (and it is apparently made of plastic, not metal). Of course, this is not explained in the manual that comes with the WBT-201, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has put a metal keyring through the slot. This limitation of the design reduces the usability of the WBT-201, as I'm not sure I want to risk dangling it off my backpack or belt loop, even using a "suitable" lanyard.
Click Here to see more reviews about: WBT-201: Wintec WBT-201 Bluetooth Data Logger GPS Receiver (Auto on/off, WAAS, Bluetooth, USB, Push to Log, Data Logger with Google Earth Integration)
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