[perspicatio]

Wouldn't the Surface have been awesome with GPS?

I've been wondering if there is a solution out there. Has anyone tried using a USB or BT GPS with their Surface? I haven't been able to find a GPS receiver with drivers for RT.

[HeyCori]

I'm also disappointed that Surface doesn't have a GPS chip.

[Zeroplanetz]

Would it possible for say a app developer to make an app that could load onto the surface Rt that has drivers and or codecs written for winrt????

[johninsj]

Bluetooth gpses work with surface.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

[perspicatio]

Bluetooth gpses work with surface.

You are a tease. Can you suggest a device and any apps that could make use of it?

[perspicatio]

A friend has offered to dig out an old receiver for me. I'll give it a try.

Presumably, once paired, location services will detect it and Map apps will just query RT's location service. But something tells me I'm being optimistic.

[pedenske]

You can check device compatibility here

[perspicatio]

Thanks, pedenske. Unfortunately, MSs spartan compatibility list is devoid of any GPS receivers.

[johninsj]

Pretty much any bluetooth GPS should work, it's a standard profile.

[rdubmu]

Does the surface pro have gps?
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

[perspicatio]

John, yes I'm confident achieving a pairing but the hope is that RT's Location Services will pick it up via Device Manager. There seems to be no manual configurability of Location Services via the Desktop Control Panel.

If Location Services does not utilise it then we're stuffed as the trendy new App model prohibits directly accessing devices.


rdubmu: No. Microsoft say we don't need it. Samsung differ, as their Ativ RT tablet has GPS.

[rmeigs]

No. Microsoft say we don't need it. Samsung differ, as their Ativ RT tablet has GPS.

My ASUS Vivo Tab RT also has GPS as well as NFC.

[johninsj]

John, yes I'm confident achieving a pairing but the hope is that RT's Location Services will pick it up via Device Manager. There seems to be no manual configurability of Location Services via the Desktop Control Panel.

If Location Services does not utilise it then we're stuffed as the trendy new App model prohibits directly accessing devices.


rdubmu: No. Microsoft say we don't need it. Samsung differ, as their Ativ RT tablet has GPS.

I have been meaning to hook mine up. First, I have to find its charger. LOL. If I ever do, I'll report back.

[conanheath]

Ok, what would you use GPS for on a 11" tablet? Do you plan on roaming the streets tab in hand? If I'm getting directions, phone works just fine to get me from a to b. Am I missing something or is it just like a camera in a tablet. You use it once just to see how it works and never again? I just don't see the point and neither did MS. What am I missing here?

[bawboh86]

Ok, what would you use GPS for on a 11" tablet? Do you plan on roaming the streets tab in hand? If I'm getting directions, phone works just fine to get me from a to b. Am I missing something or is it just like a camera in a tablet. You use it once just to see how it works and never again? I just don't see the point and neither did MS. What am I missing here?

I've used GPS in a previous tablet as a large map to give someone directions. It was much easier to show them on a larger screen than on my phone. This has happened more than once, too. I can see both sides of the coin, and I'll honestly live without it just fine.

[perspicatio]

What am I missing here?

Imagination. Whereas wandering the streets of New York holding a tablet at arm's length might be inadvisable, phone snatchers are thin on the ground in the hills of Tuscany. Just one place where a light tablet with a large map display would be of great value.

[perspicatio]

We have tried pairing two different GPS devices with the Surface tablet. Unfortunately, neither worked.

The devices identify themselves and pair with Surface but no GPS data becomes available to apps such as "GPS Satellite" or gMaps. RT's Device Manager lists the "Peripheral Device" as installed but with no device driver (it even says one is not required).

You can tell the device to utilise Bluetooth's Serial Port Profile but it seems that RT's Location Services just point blank refuses GPS. What a pity.

[LMKz]

This GPS BT device, Dual XGPS150, claims to work with Surface RT:

Dual XGPS150 Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver - Windows Phone GPS Receivers - The WP Central Store

Can anyone confirm before I shell out my $100 bucks? Why would this one work but not others??

[sonex293]

I've been using a Holux M-1000 BT GPS with my Surface Pro. I haven't tried any Metro Apps with it yet, but the Windows Desktop apps work fine with it. It is seen as COM3, a standard serial interface.

==
Michael

[inteller]

the problem with any external GPS, especially those running on a BT serial com port, is that the location API doesn't know how to take advantage of them automatically.

[johninsj]

the problem with any external GPS, especially those running on a BT serial com port, is that the location API doesn't know how to take advantage of them automatically.

Yeah,this seems to be true. Unfortunately.