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Posts: 3,397 | Thanked: 1,212 times | Joined on Jul 2008 @ Netherlands
#15
Originally Posted by fattomm View Post
There are good GPS units with bluetooth connectivity available on e-bay. Get last year's most-popular model, and you'll probably find it cheap, and working fine.

I've done comparisons with my Belkin F8T051 (bought used, on e-bay) which gets fast locks, and is incredibly accurate (even in Manhattan and Brooklyn - skyscrapers and ELs are just hell on GPS). My N810 has me wandering across streets, up through buildings, while the Belkin has me +/- a few yards. (I use Maemo Mapper and tracking to review).

If you're hiking, it mayn't make much of a difference, but operationally, a separate bluetooth based unit is much easier to deal with. I can put it in my pocket when getting out (of the house, car, subway) while I get M.M. started up - and typically I've got a lock by the time MM is up and going. When driving, it is nice to put the GPS up on the dash, while keeping my N810 in a more readable position.

Overall, I guess, given the weak "locking strength" of the Maemo, a separate BT attached GPS unit is a *lot* easier to deal with in general....

I should mention also: I use this GPS unit with a couple of different devices. I originally bought it to use with my Palm pilot (and Mapopolis), but it's come along with me to the N810. I actually have a dedicated GPS unit, but frankly have used it so rarely. The GPS unit seems to do only ... GPS things. By packing one more pack-of-gum sized item with my usual gadgetry, I get "free" GPS. I'd prefer to not have to go online for directions (with M.M.) - but that's the only drawback. For interactive mapping and such, MM is great - and is fine for not too complicated trips. I do miss the dynamic re-route capabilities of real GPS units - but I need that about ... twice a year?
Good points. I got my GPS mouse from eBay for what was it 20 or 30 EUR I forgot... Sirf-III chipset, which is good and accurate (MTK is even better).

Maemo Mapper is good software and open source and free. It is also very powerful hence one needs to read the manual. Fragos wrote a good guide for Maemo Mapper.

Maemo Mapper grabs the maps real-time so you must pre-load them (knowing the travelling area) or use a packet radio data connection (mobile operator costs may apply; speed of downloading maps might be limited).

A cheap license for the proprietary Wayfinder software which comes with maps preloaded can be found via various ways. You can use the search for this, I posted many times about this.

The S60 map nav software also comes with preloaded maps.

Programs such as Ecoach also use online maps; so same (dis)advantage as with Maemo Mapper.
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