Coolest Gadgets

The GPS navigation system market has seen yet another debutant with the release of Viewsonic’s V38r-07 and V38r-07A models. This is a surprise as we all know that Viewsonic is more famous for their line of LCD displays than anything else. The release of both models are just a start, as there are a bunch of other devices which target various industries such as retail, public safety, health care, and the military. Both models are the only ones in the V series that come with an integrated GPS receiver, offering a portable and pocketable GPS navigation system solution to those who hit the roads frequently.

There is but one difference between the 07 and 07a, which is the latter is Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant, supporting government sales. Other than that, a peek underneath the hoods of both devices reveal the same specifications. It is powered by an Intel XScale 520MHz processor which is sufficiently aided by 64MB of flash memory and 128MB of SDRAM. Connectivity options include WiFi and Bluetooth, while other notable features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, a barcode scanner, a fingerprint sensor, a built-in microphone, an SD memory card slot for expansion purposes, and a 500mW speaker.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a lifespan of only four hours, but it does hold the advantage of being hot-swappable. This means you get to change batteries without having to shut down the device or lose any data on your travels. They are extremely robust as well, being IP54 compliant (that translates to drop, scratch, spill-resistant). The V38r-07 and V38r-07a are expected to retail for $1,899 and $1,999 respectively. One glaring drawback is Viewsonic’s decision to ship these with Windows Pocket PC Edition 2003, a mobile operating system that is 3 years too old.

Source: Navigadget