GPS technology is coming to Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10 netbook family, the PC giant has announced.
A combination of hardware and software packaged as the Dell Wireless 700 kit will allow you to establish your position using Wi-Fi base-station information or GPS, Dell said.
The firm’s yet to say how the gadget will connect into the …
The Broadcom Assisted GPS chip is part of the Broadcom 3G chipset already in the Dell Mini series (at least, the ones with built in 3G like the now-extinct Mini 9 from Vodafone).
I have a Mini 9 and have enabled the GPS timing receiving with some hacked drivers. It works, but not very well - it is slow to get a fix and needs a very clear view to the sky, as there is no antenna plugged in to the chip. I presume this is why Dell didn't make this a feature earlier.
My guess is the new Mini 10 will have a GPS antenna built into the body (alongside the existing 3G and Bluetooh antennae). There's probably more room for this in the Mini 10 than the Mini 9.
Still, a nice easy feature win for Dell without having to pay for any extra hardware.
Register
Dell's Mini 10 to become location aware
GPS technology is coming to Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10 netbook family, the PC giant has announced. A combination of hardware and software packaged as the Dell Wireless 700 kit will allow you to establish your position using Wi-Fi base-station information or GPS, Dell said. The firm’s yet to say how the gadget will connect into the …
This topic is closed for new posts.
Posted Thursday 2nd July 2009 11:17 GMT
Ian Ferguson
The chip is already there #
The Broadcom Assisted GPS chip is part of the Broadcom 3G chipset already in the Dell Mini series (at least, the ones with built in 3G like the now-extinct Mini 9 from Vodafone).
I have a Mini 9 and have enabled the GPS timing receiving with some hacked drivers. It works, but not very well - it is slow to get a fix and needs a very clear view to the sky, as there is no antenna plugged in to the chip. I presume this is why Dell didn't make this a feature earlier.
My guess is the new Mini 10 will have a GPS antenna built into the body (alongside the existing 3G and Bluetooh antennae). There's probably more room for this in the Mini 10 than the Mini 9.
Still, a nice easy feature win for Dell without having to pay for any extra hardware.
This topic is closed for new posts.