Products

If you love outdoor sports, especially in the non-urban environment, you would probably want a device that can always tell you where you are, what distance you have travelled and in what time - almost everything a person in sports needs.

Canyon’s product range offers a model titled CN-GPS1, a device that can be tied on the wrist and that features GPS, chronometer, distance meter and even measures the speed rate of your movement. The CN-GPS1 can be used by cross-country runners, as well as cyclists, and even by the users in the mountains – skiers, snowboarders, surfers and  virtually everyone who is at least into recreational sports.

If you read closely, you might see that we have mentioned  surfers, which means that this device can easily be used in water sports because it is waterproof. Naturally, since it is dependent on satellites, it cannot be used under water.

Characteristics

This model is based on the SIRF Star III chipset and has WAAS/ENGOS support. In this case, the manufacturer decided on a black and white display of 24.9 x 39.88 mm in size, with a resolution of 120x80 pix. The device is not too big, since the dimensions of 46 x 82.5 x 18.5 mm will fit even a smaller wrist. Its weight of only 72 grams will make you almost forget you are wearing it.

In order for it to be more functional, and to decrease the weight as well, Canyon has installed a 1600mAh lithium-ion battery which actually lasts from up to 8 hours with GPS on, as well as additional functions such as compass and altimeter, to about 70 hours if the GPS is off .

The operating temperature of the device is -10° to + 60° C, which means that it operates better in heat than in cold and that it is not quite intended for alpinists. Judging by its housing, this device is clearly meant to operate in harsh conditions so it should be resistant even to severe shocks resulting from, say, falling off a bicycle or during skiing.

Device operation

Since it is summer now, we haven’t had the chance to see how resistant CN-GPS1 is to winter conditions and the cold. The right place to test this model is Belgrade’s Ada Ciganlija where we have tested its capabilities. In this case, Canyon supports waypoints, up to 100 of them. Practically, it means that you start from one waypoint and using the compass you can determine your position and add, if needed, other waypoints.

The GPS constantly tracks user’s movement and reports the speed, the distance travelled, etc. Still, CN-GPS1 does not have a fantastic display with 3D view of the locations, but it is rather intended for use in non-urban areas. This is why it will not be of much use to drivers because it does not use already existing maps, but only a starting point and different waypoints. For this reason, we do not recommend this device to those in need of a more serious and more expensive system, but only to those less professional users who just need to know an approximate position in relation to their starting point. This device is perhaps best suited for scouts or people of similar occupations, although it raises some questions: how moral is it to use such a device when their occupation implies much simpler systems of orientation?

This device meets the IPX7 water-resistance standard . According to this European standard, the device can be submersed to 1 metre for up to 30 minutes without harmful effects. If it had the IPX8 standard it would be “completely” waterproof, but that would be somewhat unnecessary and too costly to implement for this type of GPS device. This way, you can always jump in the water and get out of it without the danger of damaging the device. Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not provided the information on how much G force can this model withstand, because we would like to know what would happen during the falls at high speeds, such as falling off skis, both on snow and water.

Do you need GPS?

Our answer is obvious – of course you do . If you are not a professional consumer, or always dying to know the exact position, you can buy a simple GPS system such as this one, which can really assist you in determining your position. If you are into outdoor sports, then we certainly recommend it – you cannot go wrong with this device. Its attractive price might just be the thing that will improve the sales of this kind of, otherwise expensive, electronic equipment. However, we must say that buying a GPS device is not so common and that it cannot so easily be replaced with another model. Therefore, we should warn you in advance that you need to be rather certain whether you actually need such a device. Also, it is important to determine what kind of device might be useful to you over a longer period of time.

Those who do not trust this kind of equipment should certainly try it, and see its capabilities, although we must say that this equipment is quite catching and once you get used to it, it is hard to do without it.

Manufacturer: Canyon
Name: CN-GPS1
GPS chipset: SIRF Star III
No. of channels: 20
Supports: WAAS/ENGOS
Number of Waypoints: 100
Display: 24.9 x 39.88mm, black and white LCD
Contact and price: Sample/ www.asbis.co.yu  

Source: It market 31 – august/September 2006 – www.itmarket.co.yu
Original testing article in Serbian is available via this link http://www.asbis.co.yu/it/gps

To find CN-GPS1 in catalogue
Where to buy CN-GPS1