Bluetooth Gps Receiver Review

This is a tiny bluetooth GPS receiver which Imy PDA and the Tomtom software.
bought from Mobile Fun Ltd, I bought this toI quickly discovered a workaround for this issue
connect to my O2 XDA 2i PDA and it costbetween the Tomtom software and my XDA
around £40. I was intially looking on googlethat enables the whole system to work flawlessly.
for cheap GPS receivers and this came up as theI shall write a 'how to' on this workaround shortly
cheapest. I thought at that price they'll be a catch,as I'm sure many other XDA 2i users share the
and the catch usually being poor performance, butsame problem.
I was pleasantly surprised! This thing really doesI do know that there is a known issue when using
work, and works well!any bluetooth GPS receivers with the O2 XDA 2
After searching for initial reviews on this device I(note not XDA 2i) due to the bluetooth stack
came up with very little other than the reviewssettings that are shipped with the phone, please
from Mobile Fun Ltd, which I was reluctant tobe aware of this before buying this device as you
trust for fear of them being somewhat biased. Iare sure to encounter problems.
thought for £40 I'll take a chance and soKey Features
bought it, all credit to Mobile Fun the receiverCompatible with TomTom, Navicore, and all major
arrived the very next morning. Upon opening theGPS software packages.
box I was a little disappointed, all the there was12 parallel satellite-tracking channels for fast
by means of instructions was a small sheet ofacquisition and reacquisition.
paper that had been loosely translated fromProvides superior navigation performance in city
Japanese to English by a dyslexic toddler. You canenvironments.
download the user manual from here and theBuilt-in rechargeable Lithium-polymer battery
Tomtom pairing manual from here. After followingprovides more than 10 hours of constant use.
these instructions you will have it set up in noUnit can be charged with the included car charger
time. Another thing I noticed was that there is nowhile still in use.
manufaturer's name or marks anywhere on theMini-USB charger compatiblty, charge not only the
device or the packaging, which makes searchingBluetooth GPS Receiver but also compatible PDAs
for support quite difficult.& Smart Phones with the same charger.
A nice touch with this little device is that it is3 colours LED to show the status of Bluetooth
supplied with a battery that is common to a lot ofGPS/Power activities of this device.
Nokia phones (3.7V 850mAh Li-polymer battery,Specifications
BL-5C), a quick search on ebay means that youGPS receiver: L1, C/A code, 12 channels
can get replacement batteries for these receiversTracking sensitivity: -152dBm (average) or better
for about £4 which is good to know shouldAcquisition sensitivity: -139dBm (average) or
you need one.better
What's In The Box?TTFF (Time to First Fix): Cold Start: 50s
Bluetooth GPS Receiver x1(average) / 60s (95 possibility)
12v In Car Adapter (USB) x1Hot Start: 2s (minimum) / 6s (95% possibility)
Basic Instructions x1Positioning accuracy: Standard Positioning Service
Battery x1(SPS), WAAS (optional) 2DRMS: approx. 5m
USB Charging Cable x1Measurement data output: Update time: 1 second
InstallationNMEA output protocol: V.3.01
Provided you follow the limited instructions forBaud rate: 38400 bps (8-N-1)
pairing with your device, and the Tomtom setupDatum: WGS-84
instructions, you should be up and running in lessType: GGA, GSA, GSV, RMC
than 5 minutes. I have only charged the receiverPower consumption: 75mA (average)
once since I bought it about 2 months ago, theBluetooth: Bluetooth version 1.2 compliant
battery just seems to last forever! The suppliedClass 2 operation (up to 10 metre range)
in car charger and USB cable means that theSerial Port Profile (SPP)
receiver can be charged on the move from a 12vOutput terminal: Type B Mini-USB (TTL Level)
source and can also be charged from any PC orAntenna Type: Built in Patch Antenna
laptop. From cold start up the receiver aquires aBattery: 3.7V 850mAh Li-polymer battery, built-in
usuable GPS signal exremely quickly, quicker thancharger
most of the really expensive GPS receivers thatLED: Power (red), GPS (green), Bluetooth (blue)
I've come in contact with. The device isDimension: 64(L) x 39(W) x18.5(H) mm
extremely small and can easily fit into any spaceOperating temperature: -20°C ~ +60°C
in your car, or even your pocket if you're using itStorage temperature: -20°C ~ +60°C;
for walking or cycling.Battery: -20°C ~ +45°C
One small problem I did have is that when using itConclusion
with my XDA 2i the Tomtom software wouldA great little device that performs well beyond its
often freeze and cause me to stop the car,price range. Check if there is any known issues
reboot my phone, then carry on my journey. Atwith your device and bluetooth GPS receivers
first I thought this was the result of the XDAbefore purchase as this will save you a lot of
losing its connection with the bluetooth receiverheadaches. The only thing that lets this product
and hence confirming my fears about the price ofdown is a lack of documentation and online
this product. It quickly became apparent that thissupport, other than this well worth the buy!
was not the case and it was in fact an issue with