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9. Sharing GPS via Bluetooth

One of the most useful features of many Andboxs is the integrated GPS circuitry. GPS-enabled Android phones can share the location with other devices, including Android and Linux machines. All you need is Bluetooth and some software.

9.1 Sharing from Android to Android

Let's suppose that you have a GPS-enabled Android phone and a GPS-less Android tablet. On the phone, you can install a program that turns it into an NMEA GPS---that is, a GPS receiver that can ``talk'' to other devices using the NMEA protocol. On the tablet, you will install a program that connects to the NMEA GPS and reads the location info.

Bluetooth GPS for Android,

http://sourceforge.net/projects/bluegps4droid/

is the program you need to connect to the NMEA GPS. In our example, you will install it on the tablet.

On the phone, you have more choice. I tested the following NMEA programs, all of which worked well:

Once you have the software installed on the devices, you're ready to go. First of all, enable GPS on the phone and get the fix. Then, enable bluetooth on both devices and pair them. Then start the NMEA app of your choice on the phone.

To get the GPS location on the tablet, start Bluetooth GPS for Android. The location will become available in a few seconds, and will be shown in applications. My favourite is Osmand, http://www.osmand.net.


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