Connecting a Windows Mobile phone to a PC is probably the greatest selling feature; whether it is to back up contacts and email, sharing internet connections, or syncing files quickly. One feature that has been neglected to be accessible is the onboard GPS. Nearly all new Windows Mobile devices allow the user to access the onboard GPS technology for programs such as Windows Live Search, Google Maps, Garmin Mobile XT, etcetera… to get turn by turn directions. Yet none of these programs allow the user to acquire GPS coordinates on their computer.

Franson has created GPS Gate which allows users to now share GPS information from a Windows Mobile device to a computer via ActiveSync, Bluetooth, or through the GPS Gate server. The software turns any Windows Mobile device into a freestanding portable USB or Bluetooth GPS receiver. This can now be integrated into such software as Google Earth Pro ($400 per year), Streets and Maps 2009 ($40 unlimited) or another mapping program that allows the integration of NMEA GPS coordinates.

For the cost of the GPS Gate and Streets and Trips 2009 software (around $55) you will have a pretty powerful, yet still quite portable, GPS package.