Windows Mobile 5.0 GIS data collection PDA
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

There have always been a number of Pocket PCs and PDAs with built-in GPS, but early on, GPS was often poorly integrated. The Trimble Juno SC is built from the ground up to be a GIS data collection system by GPS specialist Trimble. As far as hardware goes, the Juno SC combines tried and proven Pocket PC components such as a 533MHz Samsung processor, 128MB of RAM and 128MB of Flash, a 3.5-inch sunlight-viewable QVGA display with LED backlight, a microSDHC Card slot, a 3-megapixel camera with auto focus, Bluetooth, 2.0, 802.11b/g wireless LAN, an integrated 3.5G HSDPA cellular modem, and the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating platform with an integrated high-sensitivity GPS/SBAS receiver and antenna that support the NMEA and SiRF protocols.

The Juno's high-sensitivity GPS receiver was specifically designed to maximize position yields in challenging GPS environments, such as under forest canopy and near buildings in urban areas. Both can achieve 2 to 5 meter GPS positioning accuracy postprocessed or in real-time with Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as the U.S. Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), and Japan's Multi-Functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS).

The bright-yellow device is handsome and compact (2.9 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches), though a bit larger and heavier (8.5 ounces) than the earlier Juno ST. It comes with the standard complement of Windows Mobile software, and a large selection of optional software, ranging from TrimPix Pro for wireless camera support, GPS Controller software for controlling NMEA output and in-field mission planning, TerraSync, the Trimble GPScorrect extension for ESRI's ArcPad and GPS Analyst extension for ESRI's ArcGIS, GPS Pathfinder Office software and a SDK for it.

Though well-made and durable, Trimble does not specifically advertise the Juno SC as a rugged device. It can operate in a wide temperature range of 32 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, handle 2.5-feet drops, and passed a 50 0.5 meter tumble drop cycles.

Status 02/2012: Juno SC remains available, together with its SA, SB and SD siblings. However, in February 2012, Trimble announced the new Juno 3B and 3D.