This is a small bluetooth GPS receiver that I bought from Mobile Fun Ltd, bought it to connect to my O2 XDA 2i PDA and it costs around £ 40. I was initially googling cheap GPS receivers and this turned out to be the cheapest. I thought at that price they would be a gimmick, and poor performance is usually the problem, but I was pleasantly surprised! This really works and works well!
After searching initial reviews on this device, I found very little more than Mobile Fun Ltd reviews, which I was unwilling to trust for fear they were somewhat biased. I thought for £ 40 I would take a chance and bought it, all credit to Mobile Fun, the receiver arrived the next morning. Opening the box I was a bit disappointed, all there was by way of instructions was a small sheet of paper that had been freely translated from Japanese to English by a dyslexic child. You can download the user manual from here and the Tomtom pairing manual from here. After following these instructions, you will have it set up in no time. Another thing I noticed was that there is no manufacturer’s name or brand names anywhere on the device or packaging, making it difficult to find support.
A nice touch with this little device is that it is supplied with a battery that is common to many Nokia phones (3.7V 850mAh lithium polymer battery, BL-5C), a quick search on eBay means you can get replacement batteries for these receivers for around £ 4, which is good to know if you need one.
What is in the box?
Bluetooth GPS receiver x1
12v car adapter (USB) x1
Basic Instructions x1
Battery x1
USB charging cable x1
Installation
As long as you follow the limited instructions for pairing with your device and the Tomtom setup instructions, you should be up and running in less than 5 minutes. I have only charged the receiver once since I bought it about 2 months ago, the battery seems to last forever! The included car charger and USB cable means the receiver can be charged on the go from a 12-volt source and can also be charged from any PC or laptop. From cold start, the receiver acquires a useful GPS signal extremely fast, faster than most of the really expensive GPS receivers I have come in contact with. The device is extremely small and can easily fit in any space in your car, or even in your pocket if you use it for walking or cycling.
One little issue I had is that when I was using it with my XDA 2i, the Tomtom software would often freeze and cause me to stop the car, restart my phone, and then continue my journey. At first I thought this was the result of the XDA losing its connection to the bluetooth receiver and thus confirming my fears about the price of this product. It quickly became apparent that this was not the case and was in fact a problem with my PDA and the Tomtom software.
I quickly discovered a solution for this problem between the Tomtom software and my XDA that allows the whole system to run smoothly. I will write a ‘how to’ in this solution shortly as I am sure many other XDA 2i users share the same problem.
I know there is a known issue using any bluetooth GPS receiver with the O2 XDA 2 (note not XDA 2i) due to the bluetooth stack configuration that ships with the phone, please be aware of this before purchasing this device as you are sure to find trouble.
Key features
Compatible with TomTom, Navicore and all major GPS software packages.
12 parallel satellite tracking channels for fast acquisition and reacquisition.
Provides superior navigation performance in urban environments.
The built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery provides more than 10 hours of constant use.
The unit can be charged with the included car charger while it is still in use.
Mini-USB charger support, charge not only Bluetooth GPS receiver but also compatible PDAs and smartphones with the same charger.
3-color LED to show the status of the Bluetooth / GPS / Power activities of this device.
specs
GPS receiver: L1, C / A code, 12 channels
Tracking sensitivity: -152dBm (average) or better
Acquisition sensitivity: -139dBm (average) or better
TTFF (Time To First Repair): Cold Start: 50s (Average) / 60s (95% Chance)
Warm start: 35s (avg) / 40s (95% chance)
Hot start: 2s (minimum) / 6s (95% chance)
Positioning accuracy: Standard Positioning Service (SPS), WAAS (optional) 2DRMS: approx. 5m
Measurement data output: Update time: 1 second
NMEA output protocol: V.3.01
Baud rate: 38400 bps (8-N-1)
Datum: WGS-84
Type: GGA, GSA, GSV, RMC
Power Consumption: 75 mA (Average)
Bluetooth: Compatible with Bluetooth version 1.2
Class 2 operation (range up to 10 meters)
Serial Port Profile (SPP)
Output terminal: Mini-USB type B (TTL level)
Antenna type: Built-in patch antenna
Battery: 3.7V 850mAh polymer lithium battery, built-in charger
LED: Power (red), GPS (green), Bluetooth (blue)
Dimension: 64 (L) x 39 (W) x18.5 (H) mm
Operating temperature: -20 ° C ~ + 60 ° C
Storage temperature: -20 ° C ~ + 60 ° C; Battery: -20 ° C ~ + 45 ° C
Conclution
A great little device that works well beyond its price range. Please check if there are any known issues with your device and bluetooth GPS receivers before purchasing as this will save you a lot of headaches. The only thing that disappoints this product is the lack of documentation and online support, other than this, it is worth buying!
Johnsreviews rating: 8/10
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