The Navin miniHomer GPS position finder can be used with the company's shareware nTrip software to add location information to JPEG images, making it a useful accompaniment to a weatherproof digital camera for geotagging. The miniHomer can't be immersed in water but meets the IPX 6 standard for weather resistance, meaning that it can resist water jets from all angles - sufficient to prevent damage from blowing rain. Up to five locations can be stored in the miniHomer's memory - either from a PC (allowing waypoints to be prepared before leaving home), or by storing the current location (say, to help navigate your way back to the car after a hike). Routes of up to 165,000 points can be recorded by the miniHomer, with a rated accuracy of 2.5 meters for location, and 0.1 meters/second for velocity.

The miniHomer's 66-channel GPS receiver has a cold start time that should average 29 seconds under an open sky, while hot starting should take an average of around a second. Power comes from an internal 400mA rechargeable battery said to be good for fourteen hours of continuous operation under open skies, and at just 42 grams with dimensions of 73 x 35 x 17mm the miniHomer should fit nicely on a keychain, or perhaps attached via a carabiner clip to a camera strap or bag.

Retail pricing for the Navin miniHomer is set at US$69, and the device is already available direct from the manufacturer. US retailers are expected to begin carrying the miniHomer from January or February 2010. The geotagging software isn't included, but has a sixty day trial period followed by a modest $5 registration fee. More details can be found on the Navin website.

The Navin miniHomer is available in several colors, and isn't much larger than many keychain remotes. Photo provided by Navin Corp.