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Loving my new O2 XDA Mini S, and am gonna get GPS SatNav thingy for it - I can get a 2GB Mini SD card for £25, but can someone recommend a good GPS Bluetooth receiver that works well with it (I'm in the UK). Is sirfIII better than sirfII chips? Do I need 32 channel or is 16 fine?
Also what software do you guys recommend? TomTom? iGuidance? iGo? All I'm really interested in something with spoken directions and something that lets me type in 2 post codes and Go!
What version of TomTom is applicable to the XDA Mini? TomTom Mobile? TomTom Navigator?
Is 6 worthwhile or is 5.21 ok?
Is it easy to install?
Sorry for all the questions, just excited about the prospect of SatNav
Hi there, welcome to the world of the Wizard, :lol:
As far as GPS chipsets go, I think the SirfstarIII is better but I can't be sure.
I always got on very well with a 16 channel BT GPS before it broke so dont be fooled by loads of hype about how many channels it has.
More channels does mean it can lock on to more at once but it isn't absolutely necessary.
Tomtom 5.21 is good enough but I feel personally that 6 is better. Bear in mind that if you would like TT on a landscape setting, it doesnt have that feature anymore so 5.21 is the way to go. Other than that, there are ways around it, it's up to you.
Hope that helps a bit
Jerry-S said:
Bear in mind that if you would like TT on a landscape setting, it doesnt have that feature anymore so 5.21 is the way to go. Hope that helps a bit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry i disagree with that, it may not have it i the programm but i have my mic button set to switch between Land and Port. I just press that button and it works good in land!!!
To set a button Start, Setting, buttons, select you button at 1. and then select <Rotate screen> at 2.
and now you have landscape for Tomtom 6.0
The holux GPSlim 236 is a very good device, Sirf III so great reception and its tiny.
as has already been said, more channels isnt better, while there are loads of satellites up there due to the curv of the earth you will NEVER get more than 10 sats at once, Ive had 9 and thats the most my device sees.
You also only need 3 to get a lock. 4 gives your position in 3d (so altitude as well) and more doesnt really do much. So any 12 channel reciever is good. But yeah, aim for SIRF III, the quicker lock on and better reception in built up areas is a must.
Im currently using Tomtom 6 and its the latest and greatest. If your getting tomtom then obviously get 6, its actually cheaper than 5 (even cheaper if you know where to look )
I tried route 66 but its too much, Im a techie myself but this program is just stupid, giving you all sorts of useless info on screen and very little map.
funman said:
Jerry-S said:
Bear in mind that if you would like TT on a landscape setting, it doesnt have that feature anymore so 5.21 is the way to go. Hope that helps a bit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry i disagree with that, it may not have it i the programm but i have my mic button set to switch between Land and Port. I just press that button and it works good in land!!!
To set a button Start, Setting, buttons, select you button at 1. and then select <Rotate screen> at 2.
and now you have landscape for Tomtom 6.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jerry-S said:
Other than that, there are ways around it, it's up to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree with what???
And on that score, if you want to sacrifice your recording button, the next option, "Button 4 (Hold)", assign that to the Tomtom Navigator program and hey presto.
Yes, I have "purchased" TomTom 6 already at an, erm, "good" price, with GB maps.
I'm gonna get a 2GB mini SD when I get paid, and a GPS receiver.
So am I right in thinking ANY Bluetooth sirfIII receiver will do?
Also is it easy to set up? I've read some scary (to me anyway!) stories about registry hacking etc on the XDA Mini S to get it to recognise GPS receivers.
Paiting a BT GPS is easy - just ensure that the name you give it ends in "GPS"..... then TomTom will connect to it .
That was valid for 5.32 - haven't tried 6 yet..
Charlie Grillo
cgrillo said:
Paiting a BT GPS is easy - just ensure that the name you give it ends in "GPS"..... then TomTom will connect to it .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't aware that you could rename the connection! Hows that done then?
markmcrobie said:
What version of TomTom is applicable to the XDA Mini? TomTom Mobile? TomTom Navigator?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer the question, the pda version is Tomtom Navigator.
Mobile runs on 'phones'. By that I mean units that do not have a touchscreen.
Well thats my interpretation anyway. I have Tomtom 5 Mobile on a Nokia 7610. i.e. It doesn't have a touchscreen.
I decided to purposefully disregard price for the GPS and got a USGlobalsatBT359. It cost £75.
The reception is fantastic. I can get 8 or 10 sats at high strength if I stick the unit on the underside of the car roof. My TomTom Go barely picks anything up.
The start up time and battery life are great. Just needed to tweak the WM5 registry of the Vario2.
The only thing I don`t understand is the GPS control panel!!!! It does not seem to do much!!!!
And on that score, if you want to sacrifice your recording button, the next option, "Button 4 (Hold)", assign that to the Tomtom Navigator program and hey presto.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What i've done on mine is assign that button to the voice commander thing so I can run multiple actions by voice by holding in the button.
Not perfect but I found that assigning TT to just one button then left me wanting other things at other times.
David.
I have a Holux (not HOLOX - cheap copy) 20 channel BT GPSlim 236 receiver which is great. A 32 channel receiver may well mean you stand a slightly better chance of picking up satelites but there isn't 32 satelites up there anyway.
The system works by triangulation meaning you only need three to get a lock on your position. The more you see the better though as the lock will be stronger. Many will tell you that due to the curvature of the earth you can only ever pick up 6 satelites maximum, but I happen to disagree.
Tomtom 5.21 is great, got it the other day and I found my way home first time... lol.!
Matt.
p.s Don't forget that GPS works using US military satelites, so if the US feels a bit twitchy i.e. either someone is about to pick on them or vice versa then they can change the coordinates of the satelites meaning over a distance you won't have a clue where you are!!
justinmg said:
The only thing I don`t understand is the GPS control panel!!!! It does not seem to do much!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it does but you might not need it.
Say you've got TT talking to the GPS on COM7, that's fine until you now need another app also talking to the GPS at the same time. It can't because the GPS is already talking to TT like a pair of housewives that haven't seen each other for, oh about a day! (ok, nothing like a bit of evil stereotyping eh?).
What the GPS control panel lets you do is share the GPS between multiple apps. You configure the GPS CP to talk to the real GPS via the hardware port number and then create a software GPS port.
You now configure your apps to talk to the software GPS port and the GPS port driver abstracts the real GPS port and sends the data to all the interested apps.
Like I said, you might not need it unless you want multiple apps to talk to the GPS at once. Why might you want to have multiple apps? One example could be a track data logger running at the same time as the satnav.
Or another might be Wififofum doing a wifi wardrive at the same time as running Tom Tom for satnav.
David.
Get the Holux GPSlim 236 and iGuidance 3. Bundled together it's $169 from buygpsnow.com and includes a free Arkon vent mount. I couldn't be happier!
Here's the bundle: Link to bundle on buygpsnow.com
andy3000 said:
Get the Holux GPSlim 236 and iGuidance 3. Bundled together it's $169 from buygpsnow.com and includes a free Arkon vent mount. I couldn't be happier!
Here's the bundle: Link to bundle on buygpsnow.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the same bundle and I love it.
looks like some people have had problems with teh Houlk 236 over at gpspassion.com
I just got a Globalsat 338 and its awesome!! Huge improvement over the SIRFII based CF card GPS I had for my old ipaq.
I also 2nd iguidance. Its cheaper than tomtom5. I don't know which I like more, they both different things well (but Iguidance sure loads faster than tomtom for me). I'm looking forward to trying tomtom6 to see if its a huge improvement
looks like some people have had problems with the Holux 236 over at gpspassion.com. Might have been a bad batch but I steered clear. Hopefully no one here is affected by them.
I just got a Globalsat 338 and its awesome!! Huge improvement over the SIRFII based CF card GPS I had for my old ipaq.
I also 2nd iguidance. Its cheaper than tomtom5. I don't know which I like more, they both different things well (but Iguidance sure loads faster than tomtom for me). I'm looking forward to trying tomtom6 to see if its a huge improvement.
-edited because I type like a 1st grader
I would never buy Holux ever there technical support is arrogant and rubish they turned round and said sorry we dont support the item unless it was purchased from the uk
And would not send me the firmware to flash my gps230 so its now sat in a drawer doing nothing and i have a cheap £40 one thats brilliant BT-GPS
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/8590.htm
Any success anyone in using the built-in GPS with Google maps? No problem with TomTom, Copilot or Pocket streets, but the darn google maps (that obviously has the best maps), won't use the GPS. I set the Hardware port to COM4 and tried every speed possible (the others seems to work fine at 115200). Any tips anyone?
lbarouf said:
Any success anyone in using the built-in GPS with Google maps? No problem with TomTom, Copilot or Pocket streets, but the darn google maps (that obviously has the best maps), won't use the GPS. I set the Hardware port to COM4 and tried every speed possible (the others seems to work fine at 115200). Any tips anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. I've searched everywhere and there was one hack but I never tried it. I just downloaded Microsoft's Live Search, which is free, and this works perfectly and is just like Google Maps....and arguably better. Easily configured to your built in GPS and you're on the way. Hope this helps.
I have to agree Microsoft's Live Search is great !!!
ltxda said:
Nope. I've searched everywhere and there was one hack but I never tried it. I just downloaded Microsoft's Live Search, which is free, and this works perfectly and is just like Google Maps....and arguably better. Easily configured to your built in GPS and you're on the way. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After trying to get Google Maps to work for a while with obviously no success, I ran across this post (thank you!!!). I just installed it from (http://mobile.search.live.com/about/default.aspx) and it works incredibly well.
FYI, these are the settings I have that work (after reading the GPS posts) for the GPS Settings tabs:
• GPS program port - (None)
• GPS hardware port - COM5 with 9600 baud rate
• Access - Manage GPS automatically is CHECKED
This really is going to make me wonder how Navigation companies like TomTom are going to survive in the future. Why will people pay for something when they have the wireless internet and programs like Live Search for free. Anyways, the GPS worked perfect and even get's a signal inside my office, which was impossible with my bluetooth GPS I have.
Yep, Windows live! is the way forward until GoogleEarth Mobile gives you an option to tell you where the GPS is, rather than trying to auto find it, and doing it rather badly. Especially when Live!, TT and Reperion have no difficulty locating the signal via the GPS applet. But then you can point them at the comport, unlike Gearth.
As for these systems replacing personal nav systems, I still use TT for my navigating to places I need to get to. I find its features far easier to use than Windows Live! and also TT doesn't fail when I'm outside a 3G or GPRS connection! But perhaps in 5 years time, server based navigation will be the future - its just to immature at the moment though.
olliesshop said:
After trying to get Google Maps to work for a while with obviously no success, I ran across this post (thank you!!!). I just installed it from (http://mobile.search.live.com/about/default.aspx) and it works incredibly well.
FYI, these are the settings I have that work (after reading the GPS posts) for the GPS Settings tabs:
? GPS program port - (None)
? GPS hardware port - COM5 with 9600 baud rate
? Access - Manage GPS automatically is CHECKED
This really is going to make me wonder how Navigation companies like TomTom are going to survive in the future. Why will people pay for something when they have the wireless internet and programs like Live Search for free. Anyways, the GPS worked perfect and even get's a signal inside my office, which was impossible with my bluetooth GPS I have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it worked for you. Live will work well with most configurtions, thank goodness. Not sure what the fellas as Google were smoking when they developed an app that uses GPS and left the manual config option out. Especially with a new and not throughly tested app. I hate to admit it but Microsoft saved the day on this one.
Have a look how it responds with Fransons GPS Gate installed or the other free to use GPS Port splitter software, I have no way of testing this at the moment as no "real" PC connection to use, Franson sorted out a similar issue with certain software problems on the P3300 and sound similar - Mike
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.
Hi all,
I just got the Touch HD and is loving it. The 3.8" lcd is just awesome.
I'd like to use this phone along with its GPS feature. Do i have to subscribe to it? or can i use it for free?
I am currently using t-mobile as the service provider.
How can i enable the GPS?
PLEASE HELP, I AM A NEWB in phones.
The program enables the GPS. If you have TOMTOM then select built in gps receiver then it enables it automatically. The other programs you have to select what port GPS is on... i think it is on port 4.
the using of GPS is for free, but you have to buy a navigation software. so you can choose between several tools (tomtom, igo 8, navigon mobile nagigator and several others.
you can use google maps as well and the software is for free, but in this case you have online maps. to use them you have to pay for the transfering the maps over internet to your hd.
ponickka said:
Hi all,
I just got the Touch HD and is loving it. The 3.8" lcd is just awesome.
I'd like to use this phone along with its GPS feature. Do i have to subscribe to it? or can i use it for free?
I am currently using t-mobile as the service provider.
How can i enable the GPS?
PLEASE HELP, I AM A NEWB in phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is there anywhere on the internet that i can dl tom tom or other gps software? if yes, please advise?
A buddy of mines have a gps software in his TyTnII and he didn't have to pay for dataplan or any GPS plan.
When he bought the phoen (used) it was already pre-installed, so i couldn't ask him for help.
Thanks
You can legally get TomTom from plenty of the threads posted in this forum.
The maps you have to pay for though.
i know this is not widely pratice, but is it possible to dl the maps, and just having it on my sd card?
once i have the map, do i download a navigation "player" on my phone?
if have a tomtom navi unit myself, byt like to have it on the phone also. can i use the software that came with actual navigation system for the phone?
if yes, how can i do it?
I am a newb at this.
Thank
So I just got an Elf. I bought it new off of ebay unlocked. I'm using T-Mobile but this phone just has straight WM 6.1, no Tmobile software.
So I was able to put the T-Mobile Settings in and the internet works fine. I downloaded Google Maps and it will give my location but it’s always a bit off from where I actually am. Like maybe it’s getting my location from the cell tower and not the GPS?
I downloaded some other GPS programs like SportyPal and it will say configuring GPS and then just sit there. Do I need to do something to turn the GPS on?
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Elf
it's specs don't mention gps at all
what makes you think it got gps?
Here it says that it has:
I think it is a external Bluetooth GPS receiver.
http://phones.intomobile.com/phones/2176-htc-touch-elf-gsm
Touch-ee said:
So I just got an Elf. I bought it new off of ebay unlocked. I'm using T-Mobile but this phone just has straight WM 6.1, no Tmobile software.
So I was able to put the T-Mobile Settings in and the internet works fine. I downloaded Google Maps and it will give my location but it’s always a bit off from where I actually am. Like maybe it’s getting my location from the cell tower and not the GPS?
I downloaded some other GPS programs like SportyPal and it will say configuring GPS and then just sit there. Do I need to do something to turn the GPS on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
elf doesn't have built in GPS
kekele said:
Here it says that it has:
I think it is a external Bluetooth GPS receiver.
http://phones.intomobile.com/phones/2176-htc-touch-elf-gsm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
External bluetooth GPS reciever.
External means that its outside of the device, and Bluetooth-powered is how it interfaces with it. You'll need to purchase another piece of kit to enable Bluetooth on an Elf - it is not internally native.