Quote Originally Posted by Raid View Post
What I don't know is if the GPS must be connected to the hot shoe to work as well. If it can be moved, even dangled from the cord, it may make it more usable.
I see no reason it would need to be connected to the hotshoe - it's powered by an internal AA battery and draws no power from the camera via the hotshoe. I'd assume Canon provides the USB connection mainly so you can simultaneously use a mounted flash, just on a 7D that's the only option. It can be mounted on the 7D hotshoe for convenience, but it's not necessary.