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I am looking to buy a mobile phone with GPS. Is it better to buy one
with a built-in receiver, or should I save money and get one that
requires a separate bluetooth GPS receiver?
Obviously, with a built-in receiver there is less clutter and fuss,
but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
Thank you,
JD
I've got a Nokia n95 and find that for general use the built in GPS is
okay, it's not as sensitive as an 18 channel GPS receiver but to save
the hassle it's fine.
There are advantages of having a stand-alone GPS receiver (like a
Bluetooth one) as when one upgrades phones or changes handsets then
one can stay with the same GPS receiver, or use it with a laptop with
bluetooth.
I went on a motorcycle tour of Germany last year and a friend had a
standalone GPS unit (which needed a rechargable battery) and his was
more sensitive, especially indoors on ships. His GPS unit/PDA and my
n95 agreed with placement on the map most of the time, but both
disagreed as to what the altitude was. I didn't use the n95 for
satnav as I have a dedicated Garmin StreetPilot 2610 which is
waterproof so doesn't mind being pissed on for eight hours when going
down horrid, cold, windy autobahns on a bike.
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wrote:
>>I am looking to buy a mobile phone with GPS. Is it better to buy one
>>with a built-in receiver, or should I save money and get one that
>>requires a separate bluetooth GPS receiver?
>>Obviously, with a built-in receiver there is less clutter and fuss,
>>but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
>>being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
>>with a built-in receiver, or should I save money and get one that
>>requires a separate bluetooth GPS receiver?
>>Obviously, with a built-in receiver there is less clutter and fuss,
>>but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
>>being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
>I've got a Nokia n95 and find that for general use the built in GPS is
>okay, it's not as sensitive as an 18 channel GPS receiver but to save
>the hassle it's fine.
>There are advantages of having a stand-alone GPS receiver (like a
>Bluetooth one) as when one upgrades phones or changes handsets then
>one can stay with the same GPS receiver, or use it with a laptop with
>bluetooth.
>I went on a motorcycle tour of Germany last year and a friend had a
>standalone GPS unit (which needed a rechargable battery) and his was
>more sensitive, especially indoors on ships. His GPS unit/PDA and my
>n95 agreed with placement on the map most of the time, but both
>disagreed as to what the altitude was. I didn't use the n95 for
>satnav as I have a dedicated Garmin StreetPilot 2610 which is
>waterproof so doesn't mind being pissed on for eight hours when going
>down horrid, cold, windy autobahns on a bike.
>okay, it's not as sensitive as an 18 channel GPS receiver but to save
>the hassle it's fine.
>There are advantages of having a stand-alone GPS receiver (like a
>Bluetooth one) as when one upgrades phones or changes handsets then
>one can stay with the same GPS receiver, or use it with a laptop with
>bluetooth.
>I went on a motorcycle tour of Germany last year and a friend had a
>standalone GPS unit (which needed a rechargable battery) and his was
>more sensitive, especially indoors on ships. His GPS unit/PDA and my
>n95 agreed with placement on the map most of the time, but both
>disagreed as to what the altitude was. I didn't use the n95 for
>satnav as I have a dedicated Garmin StreetPilot 2610 which is
>waterproof so doesn't mind being pissed on for eight hours when going
>down horrid, cold, windy autobahns on a bike.
Many thanks for the reply. What you said is very helpful. I may well
need to use the gps while trekking and/or sailing in all weathers, so
your comment about the Garmin's rain resilience is a good point. I'm
now thinking of sticking with my mobile phone/PDA which has no
built-in GPS receiver, and perhaps getting a Garmin unit as well
(instead of just a bluetooth receiver).
JD
> Obviously, with a built-in receiver there is less clutter and fuss,
> but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
> being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
> but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
> being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
I have an N95 and the built-in receiver is surprisingly good, it's the
fastest receiver to lock-on that I have and it's the only one that can
get a signal downstairs inside my house. I have 6 other GPSes, 3 of
which are sirf III and the N95 seems to be holding its own.
It's nice not to have to worry about the battery in the GPS as well as
the phone, and you've always got your entire satnav with you, however
what you can do is use the built-in unit and get a decent separate GPS
and keep it in the car just in case. I doubt you'll need it though.
BTW I bought a cheap SIRFstar III chipsetted GPS on fleabay, cost me
£20 and works OK but every now and again resets itself for no apparent
reason and has to re-obtain lock, so don't just buy any GPS with the
right chipset!
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On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:36:17 +0000, Ian Rawlings
>> Obviously, with a built-in receiver there is less clutter and fuss,
>> but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
>> being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
>> but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
>> being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?
>I have an N95 and the built-in receiver is surprisingly good, it's the
>fastest receiver to lock-on that I have and it's the only one that can
>get a signal downstairs inside my house. I have 6 other GPSes, 3 of
>which are sirf III and the N95 seems to be holding its own.
>It's nice not to have to worry about the battery in the GPS as well as
>the phone, and you've always got your entire satnav with you, however
>what you can do is use the built-in unit and get a decent separate GPS
>and keep it in the car just in case. I doubt you'll need it though.
>BTW I bought a cheap SIRFstar III chipsetted GPS on fleabay, cost me
>£20 and works OK but every now and again resets itself for no apparent
>reason and has to re-obtain lock, so don't just buy any GPS with the
>right chipset!
>fastest receiver to lock-on that I have and it's the only one that can
>get a signal downstairs inside my house. I have 6 other GPSes, 3 of
>which are sirf III and the N95 seems to be holding its own.
>It's nice not to have to worry about the battery in the GPS as well as
>the phone, and you've always got your entire satnav with you, however
>what you can do is use the built-in unit and get a decent separate GPS
>and keep it in the car just in case. I doubt you'll need it though.
>BTW I bought a cheap SIRFstar III chipsetted GPS on fleabay, cost me
>£20 and works OK but every now and again resets itself for no apparent
>reason and has to re-obtain lock, so don't just buy any GPS with the
>right chipset!
Thank you for the input. Yes, I see there are a lot of Sirf III
receivers on ebay for about £25 including P+P. Can you tell me the
name/model of the bluetooth receiver you bough (the one that
occasionally resets)?
JD
>with a built-in receiver, or should I save money and get one that
>requires a separate bluetooth GPS receiver?
>Obviously, with a built-in receiver there is less clutter and fuss,
>but are there hidden disadvantages, such as the built-in receivers
>being inferior to the separate (Sirf III) ones?