What is it?
The i-gotU GT-120 USB GPS Travel Logger is a small, lightweight, water resistant GPS device that records your traveling route so you can later view it on your computer. Just turn it on and it will automatically track your location at specific, user set, intervals. Just install the a-trip software and you can upload map data to the program and then store it online at the @trip PC website. In addition, it can be used with Google Maps and it will geotag any photos you take along the way. It is currently available in many countries including the United States for $69.95.
The Good
The igotU GT-120 GPS Travel Logger is certainly an interesting product with definite potential. Upon receiving the package the device had to be charged via USB for four hours and install the @trip PC software, which you can use to customize the interval in which you want it to track. For example, you would want to set it at 6 seconds interval in case you are traveling by car or if you want it can track every 59 minutes. To turn on the device, press the big button on the front and hold for several seconds. It should flash blue meaning it is on. After 30-40 seconds, both the red and blue light should blink indicating it picked up a GPS signal and is ready to begin tracking. Simply press the button again and wait for the red light to turn it off.
The device as a whole is water resistant so you don’t have to worry about sweat, rain, or water getting into the device and messing it up. It weighs only 20g and features a built-in SiRF Star III low power chipset. I’ve used it several times to map short and long routes and it works very well. It picked up even minor u-turn, which was impressive. Upon plugging it into my PC, it would pick up the data from it and would clear the memory if you so choose. You have the option to upload it directly to a-trip.com (assuming your account is created), or you can opt in displaying it in the software itself. Either way, you can always upload it online or view it on the software. The advantages to uploading it online is the fact that you can share your trip with friends and family, or keep it for private viewing. Be sure to embed the map into personal blogs in case that interests you.
In addition, it has the ability to geotag any photos you take along the way. All you have to do is import the photos as well as the GPS info from the Travel Logger. It will use the timestamp in order to accurately geotag each photo. After that, users have the ability to upload photos directly to Flickr or Picasa.
The Bad
One of the few complaints I have about this product is how long it takes to capture a GPS signal. It could be my fault that I turn it on right before I am about to go somewhere; I should probably start it 5 minutes before I’m ready to go, in order to give it ample time to capture a signal. I’m so used to gadgets with screens that when I own a gadget without a screen it’s almost weird and confusing. Such a GPS device such as this probably doesn’t need a screen, but I think a screen would get rid of any confusion in terms of whether it is on, battery life, and whether it is tracking.
Personally, I’d like to see this GPS have the ability to remotely track its route, even if that would cost extra money. For example, if your child is going somewhere, you can easily sneak the GPS in their bag and track their moves from a computer. However, I think it is still a tad expensive because its functions are pretty limited.
The Crux
For its size, ease of use, and portability, the igotU GT-120 USB GPS Travel Logger is a cool device that is definitely great for people who travel often. It is a great way to share routes with others, especially using Google Earth for added entertainment. Unfortunately, its uses are pretty limited if you don’t travel a lot, and I think it could sell for a little cheaper. Overall I would give it a rating of 3.5/5. If you would like to see more about this product, feel free to check it out at MobileAction. For more pictures, check out the gallery below.
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The good thing about this device is that its very small and can easily be hidden under a car seat or any moving object that you want to track.
very useful for us~!
It must be a nice gadget, I talked to someone of the travel agency I travel with ( http://www.eurorelais.nl ) on the phone and he recommended me one of those! Maybe I'll buy one, I'm kind of gadget freak…
The iGotU is no longer available for me, which is a shame. I tried searching for it in my usual electronic gadgets store and they don't stock it.
I've had this device for about nine months now, and I think 3.5 was a little generous. The accuracy of the unit has some issues, with a variance between 500m to 1km in actual location, try standing still with it and see what the readings like in your area.
Also, the device doesn't log to a text/gpx file. You have to use their (badly designed) software to extract the information from the unit. Mac support was only gained recently, which came along thanks to an open source group who developed an software interface to extract gpx files from the device.