Database Users

tomtom? do i need an external GPS device?

This seems like a silly question even while i am the one asking it. but by the looks of things i need to buy a bluetooth GPS to get my tomtom working.
is this correct..
thanks jay

Yes I'm afraid so - Unless your Pocket PC has a built in GPS (but as far as I know none of the HTC models do).

you could also use a SDIO GPS, but BT is a more elegant solution.

by bt you mean like the bt phone company?

jamiehutber said:
by bt you mean like the bt phone company?
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Bluetooth GPS Receiver, from £50 inc vat. - http://www.gpsw.co.uk/cats/cl3_209.html?OrderBy=Price&

ye sounds good. i was looking on ebay they have solo panel bt one. any preference on the number that they have. the one you pointed to is a "36". whats that mean?! :lol:
cheers for the help

Ill recommend you the Holux GPSlim 236 Bluetooth GPS with SIRF Star III chipset, imho the best you can get for your money right now.

How about the Solar GPS reciever
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Solar-Bluet...9709303933QQcategoryZ4668QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I have heard of people using this one with the universal.
Anyone have any info about that one?

My advice is don't waste time on gimmicks.
The priority is to get a SIRF III chipset inside as beachmeat suggests.
Solar panels do not stop you having to charge the device, they merely slow down the rate of discharge, providing it's day time, in the winter evenings and at night, you'll probably find they have less battery power then a non-solar panelled device. The guys over at Pocketgpsworld.com did not rate solar panel recievers very well and took time to recover from the piece of advice on the instructions which say "Contains sensitive electronic parts, keep out of direct sunlight"
Another excelent device is the Globalsat BT-338, or the Holux that was recommended earlier.

another Vote for either the Holux 236 works really well with the Exec

well i took your advise even though the solar panel did have the new chipset... i ended up getting a Globalsat BT-338 for £70.. so when i get it i'll let everybody how it goes and works

other options
being 3g the universal is able to run telco programs which help u with traffic like tomtom, even better they can give you more personalized information because the telco can feed u life information.
I live in Australia and Telstra is currently testing a live road map system through 3g, optus does this also.
hope that helps

I might be talking rubbish, but I recently read somewhere that there is a GPS receiver built into the Universal or something like that. From what I remember it was called the 911 GPS and is used to give position information to the emergency services when they are contacted. I heard somewhere it was possible to integrate this to work with navigator software, but would like to know whether or not this is actually correct.
Thanks
Euan

How the GPS works for the wizard

I was curious as to how to get GPS working on my wizard. I see some people purchasing a GPS device of some type, but can't the wizard just act as the gps itself? Why the need for a device?
Maybe im just missing something here. If someone could post up to me how it is I can get one running on my MDA i'd appreciate it as that'd be a great help for me when traveling.
T.c.

veritas17 said:
I was curious as to how to get GPS working on my wizard. I see some people purchasing a GPS device of some type, but can't the wizard just act as the gps itself? Why the need for a device?
Maybe im just missing something here. If someone could post up to me how it is I can get one running on my MDA i'd appreciate it as that'd be a great help for me when traveling.
T.c.
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Click to collapse
Well congrats this is the 1000000 thread regarding the GPS topic. Ok sorry to be sarcastic but people need to learn to use the search button. As to your question, the MDA does nto have a built in GPS chip. You need a GPS device and software in order to use it like a gps unit such as a tomtom car unit.

... Ya know I did look that up by the way. All the topics I found spoke about the tomtom6, tomtom5, or isomethingmap and people BUYING the device but no one saying WHY they were purchasing it. No need to come into the topic and flame me I did search, I always search and it wasn't like I placed a bunch of half thought out questions in my post either.
T.c.

What you need is a Navigator program (eg. TOMTOM) installed on your Wizard and a satilite receiver (GPS - Wire or Bluetooth (better)). Link your device with GPS via bluetooth or wire, open Navigator program and you are now up and running. It is that simple.

Thank you WLove. That's all I was wanting to know was why people had to have a secular device to have it running (the satilte receiver). Now I see i'm going to need to pick up that 2.gig mini sd chip.
T.c.

I just started using my navman 4410 GPS with iguidance v3 and they work like a charm!

while we are on the topic, anyone have any reccomendations on some bluetooth GPS receivers?

Just thought I;d point out that it may be slightly easier to get confused as to whether the Wizard has GPS or not, as when I rang O2 for my upgrade I explicitly asked 3 or 4 times if it had built in GPS and they said yes. I also stressed it was GPS not GPRS I was asking about. They still said yes. And also I believe one of the chips in the Wizard has some kind of gps related capability, even though it is not a gps receiver, so maybe someone read that also. I know I have somewhere on this forum.
Thirdly, the search function is useless here.

Magor said:
while we are on the topic, anyone have any reccomendations on some bluetooth GPS receivers?
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Just google for Bluetooth GPS receivers. You'll find loads. I bought the cheapest at about £35. Works a treat. I think it's a generic model sold by many sites. Has a pic of a satellite on it!

Magor said:
while we are on the topic, anyone have any reccomendations on some bluetooth GPS receivers?
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Click to collapse
Buy a receiver with SiRFIII chip: quicker, more accurate and better reception than any other chip available on the consumer market. If you want to spend a little less (say about $/€ 50) you could buy a SiRFII receiver. Don't blindly believe claims like "supports up to 20 satellites". In most situations you are lucky to receive 10 satellites or more! Even with as little as 4 or 5 satellites calculating your location is accurate enough for road navigation.
If the software supports TMC (traffic updates free of charge by RDS on certain radio channels; not sure if this exists in the US) you could buy a GPS/TMC combined receiver. Unfortunately TomTom does not support TMC as it has its own paid traffic service.

In regards to the GPS units with the SiRF chipsets, can anyone vouch for the cheap $50 on eBay that are solar/battery powered with linking via Bluetooth or wire? I am getting a T-mobile MDA to unlock for my personal usage and I am highly thinking about getting one, just I wanted to know if anyone had any good things to say about them.
Here's a link for an example: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Solar-Bluet...34QQihZ016QQcategoryZ4668QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I have never ONCE seen "GPS" listed as a feature for any Wizard... I can't grasp why people would ever think it has a feature that is never listed any where :? :roll:

Rutter said:
Magor said:
while we are on the topic, anyone have any reccomendations on some bluetooth GPS receivers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just google for Bluetooth GPS receivers. You'll find loads. I bought the cheapest at about £35. Works a treat. I think it's a generic model sold by many sites. Has a pic of a satellite on it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what I've been doing, but I'm new to the GPS stuff so I wasn't sure what to get 8)
Thanks to AgentSmith for the info, something like this should do the job for me http://www.engadget.com/2005/06/02/holux-gpslim-236-bluetooth-receiver-reviewed/

Agreed, the Holux 236 is the one to go for. Has the added advantage of using the same in-car charger as the O2 XDA Mini (i.e. a USB style one).
Don't get Holox (cheap rip off), get Holux.
Get SiRF III, not II.
Don't be fooled by lots of channels, 20 is plenty.
And you don't need a 2GB card. A 512MB with high transfer speeds from a decent manufacturer will be far better than a cheapo no-name 2GB one. I have a 512MB with TomTom 6, full UK maps and speed cam database and it only takes up about 250MB.

I've used an Belkin BT GPS (rebadged Fortuna Clip-On upgraded to Xtrak2) on my Ipaq, both over two years old, which worked well with Belkin's version of iGuidance v1.1. So when I upgraded to the TMo MDA (US version) I kept the Belkin and purchased iGuidance v3, which has worked well.
A friend who also owns an MDA wanted a GPS, but since Belkin quit selling this GPS 18 months ago I started researching, and like others here have noted the Holux GPSlim 236 looked like a winner. I'll know for sure next week when she gets the unit, but I expect it to work fine.

That Holux model seems very good, but you can actually find cheaper SiRFIII receivers (less than 100 bucks).
The needed storage space for maps depends on your personal wishes. If you travel internationally often, you might want a 1GB memory chip for borderless maps like Western or Central Europe. Such maps often occupy 900 MB or more. Otherwise a much smaller card for just one or two countries or regions is indeed enough.

AgentSmith said:
That Holux model seems very good, but you can actually find cheaper SiRFIII receivers (less than 100 bucks).
The needed storage space for maps depends on your personal wishes. If you travel internationally often, you might want a 1GB memory chip for borderless maps like Western or Central Europe. Such maps often occupy 900 MB or more. Otherwise a much smaller card for just one or two countries or regions is indeed enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Holux one I found for $90
I also already have a 2GB card and TomTom so once I get the receiver I'm good to go

I don't see the point of using the MDA as a GPS without having a powered car mount, since you could run out of battery quite easily. Go to semsons.com and find what's the best for you. I got mine there along with the M3.itrek+itrek mount for MDA+iGuidance3.0 for around $200 (but you can surely mix&match what you need). It really worths. I mean if you can get a phone with so many functionalities for such a cheap price (mine is USD $250, sounds expensive, but try to search and compare the price with PPC phones from other countries then you know what I meant), why not having it does the most for you at the least cost. You might not use the GPS all the time, but will definitely love it when needed.

Best GPS Navigation Program For Hermes?

I recently purchased a GPS unit for my Hermes and am very interested in knowing what navigation programs everyone likes for traveling. I'm going to be using this in the US and occasionally in Canada - thanks for your input!

TomTom 6
lacroixdp said:
I recently purchased a GPS unit for my Hermes and am very interested in knowing what navigation programs everyone likes for traveling. I'm going to be using this in the US and occasionally in Canada - thanks for your input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used TomTom 5 and now Version 6 with no issues at all. I've seen co-pilot live 6 up and running and I'm very impressed with that too, but TomTom has never let me down before, so I'd recommend that.

i 2nd tomtom navigator 6 (apart from the lockup sometimes when it sarts its great)

I'll give that a shot - thanks much! It's pretty pricey but it looks to be the best out there!

Tomtom 6 seems to do the job.. expensive though, very old maps in some cases, people in the US have been *****ing about it doing silly things.
Here in australia though, no problems so far. Although I'd like a map update to tell it of some local changes..

i am using tomtom5. it's ok, although sometimes it hangs the hermes.

Best GPS software depends a lot on your location; because of it's obvious purpose, the most important things are area coverage and maps quality, then comes the interface, POI management and so on... Tried TomTom Mobile and iGO and stuck with the latest, because the maps are far better and precise (in Romania where I live).
For off-road I use GPSDash, it has all the features some might need + the posibility to create user maps.

Entire USA in 1GB microSD w/ OCN5
Any body tried OnCourse Navigator 5 on their TYTN? I think this GPS software blows TomTom away w/ seamless USA fitting in 1GB microSD. ETA,elevation,speed displayed in 3D mode, map refresh rate of 4fps compared to the usual 1fps with the other usual display-(like time and next street to turn)
I just hope it is compatible with the Tytn...

Try iGo Europe 2006 (http://www.i-go.com/en/products/iGO_2006_SD/screenshots.php). VERY FAST and has less problem than TT. It also has better graphics.
The downside is that the POI listing sucks. If I search for McDonald's around my current location, it'll list those from 100 meters to 50 kilometers! The software enough to know I won't drive that long from my current location just to get a fries.

Well, I got Tomtom6, but my GPS unit that was supposed to be shipped to me today was reported as out of stock - so sounds like I'll be waiting a few more days to try it :/

I use the Garmin Que software with a Garmin GPS10 receiver. Works great. I own the North America maps as well as the Europe maps. Have used them extensively in NA and in the UK - very happy with the combo.
When I researched the options, the above combo was rather cheaper than the TomTom option.

If TT works then most other software will work too.
I've a few other programs I'm going to test to make sure they work but assuming they do then I'll have the folllowing installed and to use:
GPS Tuner
GPS Auto
VisualGPSce
Memory Map
Navigon Navigator

try mapopolis
mapopolis has a free demo. at 99.00 it is cheaper too.
I've been using it for a year on my harrier, and now on my 8525. Works pretty well on both.
I use an I-blue gps. sensitivity and reliability is very good, mini-usb charger is non-standard pinout though.
wes

wwwes said:
mapopolis has a free demo. at 99.00 it is cheaper too.
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Indeed, however, not unless you already own the software

the software is free to download. you pay for the maps only. to download the app, go to demo maps and the first step is downloading the app. the demo maps are short lived, but full function. I think you can keep downloading them over and over when when they expire.

iGuidance v3.0.1. It is excellent!
Everybody says "tom tom" because it's the most common name. After doing my research I settled on iGuidance and could not be happier. Good luck.

I'll definitely have to look at that too! My GPS unit is backordered... I'm still waiting on it ><

The problem w/ iGuidance is that you cannot fit the entire USA on a 2GB microSD. Map file is 2.5GB

lacroixdp said:
I recently purchased a GPS unit for my Hermes and am very interested in knowing what navigation programs everyone likes for traveling. I'm going to be using this in the US and occasionally in Canada - thanks for your input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi i m using IGO 2006 in Germany and Turkey... its very cool Try it

Elwyn M3100 said:
If TT works then most other software will work too.
I've a few other programs I'm going to test to make sure they work but assuming they do then I'll have the folllowing installed and to use:
GPS Tuner
GPS Auto
VisualGPSce
Memory Map
Navigon Navigator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have GPS Tuner. Where do find the best source of maps? I have tried the OS site but once I've deleted all of the surround and extra graphics, you're left with a blurry image. google and multimap down't have sufficient detail for "off road".

tom tom 6 + exec

how easy is it to install tomtom 6 on a O2 EXEC and get it working with a bluetooth gps reciver?
Are there any/many cracked coppies of this floating arround?
Cheers
Oblique

oblique said:
how easy is it to install tomtom 6 on a O2 EXEC and get it working with a bluetooth gps reciver?
Are there any/many cracked coppies of this floating arround?
Cheers
Oblique
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's an idea: try not stealing.

i don't nomaly steal but as i don't know how stable tomtom works on my phone or how stable bluetooth gps works on my phone i am reluctant to spend 80quid to find out.

works very well, you have to config your exec to get TOMTOM to work with bluetooth gps( you can find that on here somewhere).

It works fine, but slower than on a QVGA screen device.
I have used v5 and v6 on AKU 2, 3, and now Crossbow ROMs, it works fine on the Universal, so you can buy it without worrying.

jowett69 said:
works very well, you have to config your exec to get TOMTOM to work with bluetooth gps( you can find that on here somewhere).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't actually have to config anything if you have the TomTom GPS, it turns on BT itself, and finds it.
If you have a non TomTom BT GPS, simply pair it, and select an outgoing COM port, then when you fire up TomTom, tell it that it's a BT GPS on whatever port you chose.
All very easy.

cool, that is the kind of information that i was looking for, does anyone here use the live trafic update service? does it work well and divert you automaticly and how much does it cost to subscribe?
cheers

If I can remember, you and get 1 free month to try. Traffic is not always update!!!!!

It's good if there's a large incident, but in my experience you usually get stuck in things before they hit your device, and you see the road signs on motorways and things warning you anyway.
I stopped the subscripton, and just reroute myself if I see warnings, or hear something on the radio.

I am using TomTom 6 on my Exec now.
Previously used Navigon MN|5 which required *LOTS* of memory, so TomTom was a nice refreshment with its 7-9 MB memory trace.
Had problems setting up Bluetooth receiver. It wasn't showing up in the port list when I selected Bluetooth one. What I did was: added an incoming serial port, run TomTom and set port to this one (did not work yet!) then closed it and removed the port; after that TomTom just worked straight away At this point, an attempt to change port led to inability to get out of port selection, and you're buggered again. I'm sure that's some glitch, but I solved it anyway. May be there's a neater way of doing this.
But the software itself was good and stable, does what's on the tin, copy a directory to your card and you get Full Postcode navigation (very useful when finding businesses and not residential homes), and POI Warning function is built in now -- a *major* plus, never really got time to make POIWarner work properly. Tunnel mode -- progressive marker movement when lost GPS signal in a tunnel -- and that won my heart.
I do understand people's need to try BEFORE you buy, not after your money is tied up with some dud product and you get no refund. Go Trial, go.
Well in this case I'm pleased with TomTom 6 and its services. You can easily get a camera database each month from the Net and probably can live without Traffic service, but for me £33 a year doesn't seem too big a dent in my wallet - compared to £170-200 TMC receivers currently available on the market.

AlanJC said:
It works fine, but slower than on a QVGA screen device.
I have used v5 and v6 on AKU 2, 3, and now Crossbow ROMs, it works fine on the Universal, so you can buy it without worrying.
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Click to collapse
AlanJC: Have you tried TT6 under WM6 and did all work well? Also, was TT6 happy after you upgraded the ROM - did you have any problems with TT6 thinking the Device Code had changed, thereby needing to re-register the software?

best gps software and bt gps receiver...

Hey guys,
I want to buy some gps software for my dopod 838pro and a bluetooth gps receiver. I was wondering what ones work best with your hermes devices and what problems arise when using them.
I was looking at the papago software and it seems pretty good. If there is anyone here using it I would like to know your feedback on how it performs and also what kind of gps reciever you are using.
Thanks for your time and input
oh I am also in Australia..I don't know if that makes much difference or not
Cheers

I suggest IBlue 737 with the latest MTK chipset, it has nice auto on/off feature an 25 hours of battery life. another more expensive option is the Garmin Gps10X (the new Sirf3 model only, the old one is crap)
Software that i use:
Garmin Que + Franson GPSGate
OZI Explorer
IGO
TomTom

sorry to threadjack.
but regarding the IBlue 737, will it or does it need anything else other then my 8525 to work?
I have google maps on the 8525. will it work with that alone or do I have to add something else?
Once again sorry to threadjack but I think it fits into the OP's questions.
if needed delete this and I'll make a new thread.

google map is good with any GPS. (just nmake sure you have unlimited data) else it could be expensive.

ive used iGuidance 4 and iGO my way plus 2006 with BT-Q818
GUI:
iGO rocks.. smooth.. and really nice...
iGuidance .. just plain and dull.. gps tracking not smooth as iGO is.
what i really like about iGuidance though is the TTS feature, and it tells you which side the destination is.. iGO does not..
if the features i liked in iGuidance would just be integrated in iGO, ill get it in a heartbeat.

Fantastic!
and yes I have the unlimited data plan, had it for a long time. I used to have a smt 5600 before the 8525.
one more question... will it also work with the yahoo go 2.0?
thanks guys, one more thing to spend money on

yes, it will work with yahoo go 2.0. i use one myself(live in UK). make sure u have a data package though.(unlimited would be the best). i use t-mobile wnw £7.50 and a BT gps.its amazing what you can do with this phone.i love it

The thread jacking is ok its all relevant
So any other suggestions with people who have the papago software at all?
And does anyone have any other gps receivers?
Cheers

My favorite GPS sw is TomTom, great features, easy to use and no bugs. I use it with a earthmate bt-20. Takes up 1gb of space but worth it. Tomtom automatically connects to my BT receiver, responds quickly and has nice smooth 3d graphics.
My next favorite is MSN streets. It is easy to use and has the most up to date maps of my area.
I really dont care for Google maps unless I'm in a G network. If you dont have internet reception which is often the case when you travel then Google maps is completely useless.
The Earthmate BT-20 receiver seems to work ok but it is the only one I have tried. Its a ugly yellow, blue, and black 2"x3.5" plastic box. I look forward to the day when GPS is built in.

im in aussie town too, tomtom 6 (soon 7) on the hermes with some bluetooth gps that i got off ebay works wonders.
also has no issues running on prophet (my wifes phone) and my now retired magician.
microsoft streets was good when running in offline mode however it looks like they dont support australia anymore with the only map set available being a few years old.

Thanks guys for the advice
Seems like tomtom might be the go..its what I've been hearing as being the best out there.
I think I will just get a gps receiver off ebay too
Cheers

I might as well throw in my .02 as well hehe
I'm in Australia and using Tomtom 6 with a Globalsat BT receiver and it works perfectly
Good luck with your decision

naughty said:
I suggest IBlue 737 with the latest MTK chipset, it has nice auto on/off feature an 25 hours of battery life. another more expensive option is the Garmin Gps10X (the new Sirf3 model only, the old one is crap)
Software that i use:
Garmin Que + Franson GPSGate
OZI Explorer
IGO
TomTom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have the garmin GPS 10x and i get a weird error - ive only had it a week, long story short sometimes it wont turn on. --- how do you tell which model you have?
when it works, its awesome. tells you which turns to make, has a "recalculate" feature, good maps with a lot of detail
how do you connect it to google maps? i did it one time but haven't been able to do it since! would like to run it simulatneous with garmin XT the software that comes with it, google in satellite mode so you see from the sky where you travel to and hear from the garmin software which way to turn, would be pretty neat
i get confused which settings need to be put to which com port? i tried to add it in blue tooth and set up COM port 0 in there, and then go intot he GPS external setting (WM6) and set up both hardware and program port to 0 as well. cant get it to work alongside garmin XT software

Microsoft was offering a BT Pharos GPS for about $70 for PocketPC devices awhile back, not sure if they still are.
I got one and it works very well. The only difference between this and the typical Pharos offering is that it doesn't come with any software. Using it with Livesearch works perfectly -- the only thing Livesearch is lacking is vocal turn-by-turn directions and automatic trip recalculation. But of course you're not limited to just using livesearch with the GPS anyway.
Looks like it is still available:
http://www.amazon.com/Pharos-Blueto...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1187064734&sr=8-3

Nokia Smart2GO.. It's tomtom but for free worldwide. (with some very minor limits/payable extras)
Have a search for the word nokia and posts by me and youll find some info about it in one of the hundreds of other gps threads around the hermes

thank you for your info. I am thinking of getting a bt gps receiver with software

my favourite is Navigon (you can tinker soo nicely with all the settings 'under the hood' ).
Dunno whether Navigon has a AU map at all, but they sell under a different name in the USA.
I would recommend any sirfIII GPS antenna with a good review in one of the navigation fora. I am using a cheap Mainnav that is OK.(great reception even behind metal coated car windows)

Wait for a Natural Disaster!!
I use TomTom 6 with a Nokia Bluetooth GPS reciever.. i got it for 29.99 from Fry's!!!
I live in central texas and when Katrina was on its way to New Orleans fries had CRAZY discounts on GPS units, Maglites, Waterproof cases for pdas.. basicly almost anything that can be used for "survival" so i grabbed a bunch of other stuff... now that Hurricane Dean is on its way i'm pretty sure they'll have discounts again... Time to hit up Fry's!!

lol its "natural disaster" sales at frys...for every hurricane that comes along we drop the prices by 20%
Cheers

WM5, iGuidance 3.x, i.Trek M5+
Never a hiccup.