Go to a Toyota dealer and try to buy a hybrid car. Same with a Honda dealer. You’ll have to wait because they are the hottest cars on the market, both in terms of technology and popularity. Hybrids employ both gasoline engines and electrical power to run an automobile, extending the range a car can travel on a tank of gas and yielding incredible gas mileage. Can the use of dual technologies work in other applications? In other words, can one plus one equal three?

I recently received a test unit of the Transystem iBlue Solar 757 Bluetooth GPS from www.BuyGPSNow.com and set about finding out. My previous article about this unit showed the unboxing and did a preview on the unit. Since then I had the opportunity to test it further.

Test Environment

I tested the iBlue with a Dell x50v using the wm2003se operating system. I also used Tomtom version 5. Everything worked flawlessly. I was able to configure the unit in less than one minute, and that was the first time I ever used a bluetooth receiver. The instructions were well written and easy to follow.  I drove through Chicago, and I looked forward to seeing how the gps would handle the skyscrapers downtown.  My old mouse gps couldn’t handle them, it would get all mixed up and jumbled.  The iBlue fared far better.  It managed to eak out the satellites in a very difficult atmosphere where it is even difficult to pick up FM radio.

Description

This unit sports a clamshell design with the lower half holding the circuitry, the solar panel and the 1000mAh battery, which is a Nokia type. The heavier upper half holds the 16 channel Nemerix receiver. In my last article I showed how the clamshell opens to expose the antenna and the solar panel. They should’ve made the bottom half heavier than the antenna half. When folded flat to receive signals everything is balanced, but when you angle the upper half up for a better shot at the satellites, the unit becomes a bit unstable.

The unit can stay on all the time, ready to receive the bluetooth signal from your pda, smartphone or laptop that will pull it out of power save mode. The unit is rated to last 30 hours on a full charge, and up to 100 hours with solar charging. I never had a problem connecting, and I used it a ton after only one initial charge. The iBlue outlasted me. The patent pending "Smart Power Save System" helps the unit consume 65% less power. Most gps units only last 20 hours before charging is needed. If you ever run out of power, the unit does come with a car recharger.

This is for you gearheads:

Solar Cell Specifications	Minimum operating voltage, Vop (with 150 load)	4.5V
	Minimum operating current, Iop (with 150 load)	30.0mA

Availability

You can find the iBlue 757 now at BuyGPSNow for $99.95, after an instant savings of $50.

Summary

I found the iBlue easy to use, long lasting on a battery charge, and overall it delivered on its promise.  It truly is a hybrid, and like hybrids you pay a little extra, but for that premium you get more mileage.  It’s "green" design, lead free production process and environmentally friendly build give it the same qualities that make the Toyota and Honda Hybrids so popular.  I suspect this one won’t stay on the shelves.