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Gps using usb port on kindle fire

M

moose26

Lurker
I have pre ordered a kindle fire and was wondering about that USB port. I have a wired GPS receiver I used with an old Street Atlas program; I wonder if Backwoods Navigator or one of the Android map programs would work. That would solve the GPS for those that want it. What about a USB memory expansion for that 8GB limit?
 
From what can be gathered about the Kindle Fire, the USB it slave only; not a host port. meaning it can only be plugged into a computer and used for the dev bridge, and one big flash drive. And not big as in space, big as in physical size.

I hope I'm wrong, because I want to be able to plug in a USB keyboard and mouse. However if I am wrong, your GPS receiver will still not work, because of the lack of drivers for the device, and lack of GPS software w/maps. I doubt Amazon will allow google maps and nav on the device, and even if it did, you would still need an active Internet connection for it to work.

I'm sorry to be the barrier of bad news, but I don't think this will be possible. However, this is still an unreleased device, I COULD be wrong, but I doubt it.
 
moose26 said:
I have pre ordered a kindle fire and was wondering about that USB port. I have a wired GPS receiver I used with an old Street Atlas program; I wonder if Backwoods Navigator or one of the Android map programs would work. That would solve the GPS for those that want it. What about a USB memory expansion for that 8GB limit?
Click to expand...
That probably won't work, however once this device is rooted you can GPS tether to your Android phone (assuming you own one).

TetherGPS on the Market
 
lynyrd65 said:
That probably won't work, however once this device is rooted you can GPS tether to your Android phone (assuming you own one).
Click to expand...

The performance of the GPS would be pointless then. Why would you tether your GPS to the Kindle when you have it on your phone?
 
lynyrd65 said:
That probably won't work, however once this device is rooted you can GPS tether to your Android phone (assuming you own one).

TetherGPS on the Market
Click to expand...

Would that really work? I was just going to ask about that possibility but I couldn't imagine the ability for that to work properly. But then again i know nothing about working with that kind of hardware.
 
mungoid said:
Would that really work? I was just going to ask about that possibility but I couldn't imagine the ability for that to work properly. But then again i know nothing about working with that kind of hardware.
Click to expand...
The example situation for this app is wifi tethering a nook color (similar capabilities as kindle fire) to an evo to use GPS. So assuming that a Maps app can be sideloaded after rooting, I would say yes.

Android Market said:
TetherGPS will allow you to share the GPS on one WiFi enabled Android device with another WiFi enabled Android Device.TetherGPS can be launched by using the included 1x1 widgets, through intent broadcasts from other apps, or by using the launch buttons in the TetherGPS configuration app.
Example use - Connect your Nook Color and your HTC Evo to the same network, or tether the Nook Color to the HTC Evo with android-wifi-tether. Run TGPS Server on the HTC Evo and TGPS Client on the Nook color. The Nook Color will receive GPS data from the HTC Evo. Applications on the Nook Color such as Google Maps and Google Navigation will then work using the shared GPS data.
Click to expand...
 
I seem to remember reading a review in which someone sideloaded Google Maps in the stock Fire UI. Don't think it'll pose much of a problem, but if it does, you can always root - Amazon seems to be pretty hands-off in terms of worrying about the Fire getting rooted instantaneously.
 
I don't know anything about the Kindle Fire.

I am running my Nook Touch on a USB hub with keyboard and USB GPS hockey puck. It's also charging.

For you, the first problem is to get USB host mode working, then to get the USB serial driver working. At that point you can get the NMEA data.

The problem I'm working on now is how to get Google Maps configed to use the data.
 
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