 | i-gotU is a GPS Device that can record the trace of your journey, auto-add GPS information on the photos taken on your journey, present it in 3rd dimension and export in multiple sharable file formats. i-gotU not only is compatible with all digital cameras & camera phones available in the market, providing you the coolest GPS tracking gadget while saving you extra expenses on other equipments | Forewords I was greatly surprised to be contacted by Mobile Action.I would like to thank them for having send me a free sample for that review and of course, I encourage all companies around the world to do the same ;-))
Package content 
The i-GotU GPS data logger includes the following items in the box: - GPS Logger Cable works both as GT-200 / GT-200e / GT-120 built-in battery charger and data transfer medium for GT-200 / GT-200e / GT-120.
- @trip PC is an easy to use software tool to fast create and personalize the Travel Blog for your journey.
- Jelly case: Besides especially designed for broader appliances, both GPS Logger (USB) & GPS Logger (Bluetooth) also comes with a jelly case for easier wear or any other kind of attachment.
- GPS Logger Fastening Strap allows you to tie and fasten the GPS Logger anywhere for easier travel.
This is how the package look like  
Presentation 
The i-gotU 200E GPS measures 46 mm(L) x 41.5 mm(W) x 14mm (H) and fits easily in a coat pocket, purse, backpack. The interface is minimal but sufficient for most operations: - The blue LED indicator blinks once when you power it on,
- Both the red and blue indicators blink simultaneously twice when data are logged,
- Long press the button, and the red LED stays red until GPS Logger is powered off,
- The red LED blinks: twice / once when battery is low or memory full,
- The blue and red LED indicators blink in turn for 5 minutes during Bluetooth pairing mode
 
Top and rear view. the box is 46 mm(L) x 41.5 mm(W)
 
The i-gotU 200E is about 46 mm long and just under 14 mm thick.
 
The front of the i-gotU 200E has two LEDs (red and blue), used to indicate power, free memory status, Bluetooth pairing status.  
The Fastening Strap, long enough to be fastened to a backpack, bicycle. Small device that fits in the palm of your hand. Nothing else needed, just turn it on to record GPS data, Mapping for the entire world using the latest cutting edge 3D maps from Google Maps www.googlemap.com. Real-time location configurable depending if you are using a car, bicycle, boat and simple walking around, Auto-map your photos with GPS location information, Durable, lightweight, water-resistant housing which is highly appreciable if you are practicing outdoor photography or wildlife, Enhanced sensitivity for indoor and outdoor reporting thanks to the latest SIFR Star III GPS chipset. Specifications | i-gotU 200E | | | Dimension | 46 x 41.5 x 14 mm | | Weight | 37g | | Chipset | Built-in SiRF Star III low-power chipset | | Antenna | Built-in GPS patch antenna | | Battery | Built-in 750 mAh Lithium-ion battery | | LED indicators | Blue & Red | | Cold start | < 35 seconds | | Warm start | < 35 seconds | | Connection interface | USB 1.1 for PC connection; | | Bluetooth | V2.0 EDR Class 2 for PDA & mobile phones | | Operation temperature | -10 °C to + 50 °C | | Water-resistant | Yes | Size comparisons Let’s compare the size of the i-gotU 200E with the i-gotU GT-120  
| Front view | Side view | Top view |  |  | 
 | GPS Chipset SiRFstar III 
From Wikipedia “The SiRFstarIII chip is distinguished from earlier SiRF chips and from GPS chipsets made by other manufacturers (Garmin or Trimble Inc for example), largely due to its ability to acquire and maintain a signal lock in urban or densely covered forest environments, and its faster time to first fix (TTFF), the time it takes for a GPS receiver to lock onto the satellite signals and determine the initial position. The enhanced abilities of the SiRFstarIII chips are made possible by several features: - A 20 channel receiver, which can process the signals of all visible GPS and WAAS satellites simultaneously.
- The chip consumes 62 mW of power during continuous operation.
- Receiver sensitivity of -159 dBm while tracking; GPS receivers based on this chipset have routinely performed better than receivers based on other chipsets. Reviewers have praised the SiRFstarIII chipset for its superior sensitivity and tracking capabilities.
read more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SiRFstar_III and http://www.sirf.com/ Installation A windows universal installer which support all Mobile Action devices. Note this version only run on windows, Linux/Mac user will only enjoy basic functionalities (Screenshots) thanks to an open source project located at https://launchpad.net/igotu2gpx Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.  
 
Usage Scenarios Geo tagging your pictures Make sure your digital camera time is correct, and the same as the on on the GT-200E, take both your camera and the GT-200E with you. When you’re back home, the software will be able, based on picture time, to insert GPS coordinates into EXIF metadata. EXIF is a standard (see specifications HERE), abbreviation for Exchangeable Image File Format, is a metadata format developed by the Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) that is closely associated with JPEG. Most camera users know that it contain some information like aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and flash use. The GPS metadata that are interesting us now are: GPS Version
GPS Latitude Ref
GPS Latitude
GPS Longitude Ref
GPS Longitude
Altitude Ref | GPS Satellites
GPS Status
GPS Measurement Mode
GPS Degree of Precision
GPS Speed Ref
GPS Speed | GPS Track Ref
GPS Track
GPS Image Direction Ref
GPS Image Direction
GPS Map Datum
GPS Destination Latitude Ref | GPS Altitude
GPS Timestamp | GPS Destination Latitude
GPS Destination Longitude Ref
GPS Destination Longitude
GPS Destination Bearing Ref
GPS Destination Bearing
GPS Destination Distance Ref
| GPS Destination Distance
GPS Processing Method Size
GPS Area Information Size
GPS Date Stamp
GPS Differential | But there is more Metadata | EXIF Version
Make
Model
Description
MakerNote Size
MakerNote Offset
Color Space
WhitePoint X
WhitePoint Y
Chromaticity Red(X)
Chromaticity Red(Y)
Chromaticity Green(X)
Chromaticity Green(Y)
Chromaticity Blue(X)
Chromaticity Blue(Y)
YCbCrCoefficient 1
YCbCrCoefficient 2
YCbCrCoefficient 3
Gamma
Pixel Columns
Pixel Rows
Component Configuration
Compressed Bits Per Pixel
YCbCr Positioning
User Comment
User Comment Size
Related Sound File
Date Time
Subsec Time
Date Time Original
Subsec Time Original
Date Time Digitized
Subsec Time Digitized
Exposure Time | Shutter Speed
Aperture
Brightness Value
Exposure Bias
Max Aperture
Subject Distance Min (M)
Subject Distance Max (M)
Subject Distance (M)
Metering Mode
Light Source Temp
Light Source
Flash Fired
Flash Mode
Flash Return
Flash Function
Flash Red-eye
Focal Length (mm)
F Number
Exposure Program
Spectral Sensitivity
ISO Speed
OECF Size
Flash Energy
Spatial Frequency Response Size
Focal Plane X Resolution
Focal Plane Y Resolution
Focal Plane Units
Subject Area X
Subject Area Y
Subject Area X Center
Subject Area Y Center
Subject Area Diameter
Subject Area Width
Subject Area Height | Subject X Location
Subject Y Location
Exposure Index
Sensing Method
File Source
Scene Type
CFA Pattern Size
Photographer Copyright
Editor Copyright
Artist
Orientation
X Resolution
Y Resolution
Resolution Units
Software
Custom Rendered
Exposure Mode
White Balance
Digital Zoom Ratio
Focal Length 35mm
Scene Capture Type
Gain Control
Contrast
Saturation
Sharpness
Device Settings Size
Subject Distance Range
Image Unique ID
InteropIndex
InteropVersion
InteropWidth
InteropHeight | For your info, You may also be able to add IPTC (comments metadata) data to most picture in Picasa/Windows Vista | Headline
Action Advised
By-Line
By-Line Title
Caption/Abstract
Category
City
Contact
Copyright Notice
Country/Primary Location Code
Country/Primary Location Name
Credit
Date Created
Digital Creation Date
Digital Creation Time
Editorial Update | Edit Status
Expiration Date
Expiration Time
Fixture Identifier
History
Image Orientation
Image Type
Keyword
Language Identifier
Location Code
Location Name
Object Attribute
Object Cycle
Object Name
Object Type
Original Transmission | Reference
Originating Program
Program Version
Province/State
Reference Date
Reference Number
Reference Service
Release Date
Release Time
Source
Special Instructions
Subject Reference
SubLocation
Supplemental Category
Time Created
Urgency
Writer/Editor | The software will add GPS data into each of your EXIF pictures. A nice feature also built in @trip PC is the ability to export your pictures to Flickr, Picasa and Google Earth/maps or to the Mobile Action online community @Trip Travel and Sport logging Depending on the kind of travel you are going to do, it is mandatory to connect the i-gotU 200E to an USB port for configuration  
Then you can based on profile usage, fine tune (manual mode) or not the tracking interval. It is basically setting how often you would like the GPS to record your position. Most of the time, you can use the following triggers: - Based on time, every X seconds, a new GPS point will be saved,
- Based on speed, starting at speed X, a new GPS point will be saved,
- Both of the above.
The objective of all these settings is to avoid recording too many points, and as such flooding the internal memory with redundant positions. The graphical user interface is very intuitive, and quite pleasant to the eyes as seen in the screenshots below: Slow walking tracking mode  
Bicycle and scooter tracking mode
 
Boat and car mode
 
Your device is now ready, depending on the recording speed, you may use it up to 80 hours. Importing data back To import you data back in the software, just connect your i-Got-U 200E to your PC. The software will ask for a name and then display your travel path in Google Maps. Below is a screenshot of a travel from Zurich to St Gall by train. 
Export functions are just a click away 
You can easily export to - @trip online community server,
- MHT a single file that contains an HTML page, pictures and JavaScript imitating the @Trip PC interface,
- KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser such as Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google Maps for mobile.
- KMZ are just zipped KML files.
Presentation of portal @trip The community portal is located at http://www.a-trip.com/ and registration is free. It offer you a way to share your picture online along with your recorded GPS tracks. 
There is some tutorials online and an active forum Conclusions The i-gotU GT-200E is one of the most accurate tracking devices I've ever tested. The unit uses the same high-performance GPS receiver found in other SiRF's 20-channel Star III receiver (Accurate to within about 5 meters). The i-gotU GT-200E use SiRF's high performance GPS receiver for enhanced positioning indoors where GPS signals cannot penetrate, and Google Maps/Earth is a powerful combination that let you appreciate the devices accuracy, ease of use, and reporting capabilities. I consider the price also to be quite cheap. The device itself sells online for around (59€ or 89 CHF), money well spent if you have a serious need to track/geo tag your pictures, compare to other proprietary GPS solution from Nikon GP-1 (152€ or 229 CHF) or Canon 3rd party hardware. Pros The i-gotU GT-200E is a durable, lightweight, water-resistant tracking device that works spectacularly well both indoors and outdoors. Extremely accurate SiRF Star III 20-channel receiver, Works inside buildings, movie theaters, basements, Easy to use setup, applications and use of the web portal, Location reports can be viewed from any web browser with Internet access, Google Earth/Google Maps provide visually stunning location reports, Device can record location/altitude data every x seconds , Small size, power up and forget, Water protective casing, a plus for any outdoor photographers, Self-contained, requires no installation, Huge memory storage: enough for 80 hours of recording or 262.000 points, One the easiest interface to geo tag your pictures (I did use RoboGEO in the past) Limitations - Proprietary USB power cable, better not loose it
- Accuracy of battery life indicator (a blinking led)
- An OLED screens would have been great to watch the internal status of memory or to switch from tracking point mode. But very few devices on the market are proposing such features anyway.
Alternatives At this level of price versus functionalities, the choice is quite limited but you may want to consider other model from the same brand
i-gotU GT-120 (39 € or 59 CHF) Where to buy? i-Got-U GT-200E is manufactured by Mobile Action and available for purchase at various retail and online stores. Related Posts
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