GUIDE: Bluetooth GPS Pucks
 

I'll get started on this if anyone's interested, and make updates as necessary if it's well received. This isn't meant to be a be-all-end-all comparison, but rather a guide for shoppers like me who had no direction to look when shopping for a receiver.

Things to look for:

• miniUSB charging
• size/weight
• battery life
• Replaceable battery
• GPS logging capabilities

MiniUSB charging is an obvious benefit for BB users, because it can share chargers w/ the BB (tried and tested).
Size and weight is an obvious concern, but most packages are optimized one way or another (either super low weight/small size at the expense of battery life, or vice versa). Some are longer, but thinner, etc etc.
Battery life is addressed better in the chipset comparison below.
Replaceable batteries are pretty important in my opinion, unless you want the iPod syndrome, which means you'll be left with a brick once the battery cycles to death.
GPS logging is a neat feature to have, which basically creates a large log of your positions over time (or change in position, depending on how you set it), and stores it in memory to be downloaded later. It doesn't interface w/ anything on the Blackberry, but if you're stalking someone (legally of course), it'll give you pinpoint accuracy of where someone's been. Be sure to check the memory size offered (8 MB will get you around 50,000 waypoints).


There are basically 4 current competitors in the ultra-low power consumption GPS receiver market. These chipsets are: MTK, the SiRFstarIII, the uBlox Antaris 4, and the NemeriX NJ-2020. Chipsets are rated by sensitivity, where the MTK is rated at -158 dBm, the SiRFstarIII is rated at -159 dBm, the uBlox Antaris is rated at -158 dBm, and NemeriX comes in rated at -152 dBm or better. All in all, these mean pretty much nothing. There are also older iterations of these chipsets (i.e. SiRFstarII, etc), but all the new ones seem to capture the benefits of the old ones without any drawbacks. They are all similarly priced as well.

To throw out blanket statements:

MTK
This is MTK's first GPS chipset, and it appears to be an instant hit. The MTK based units are currently the *most accurate* in driving speed conditions (results unverified by me personally, but verified by many reviewers on the Internet). They are also more suited for urban applications because they are less susceptible to positioning errors due to reflected signals off buildings and such. They also come out as the most sensitive units, acquiring satellites where no others do at times. The MTK units are also surprisingly frugal with power, with some units like the Qstarz BT-Q818 achieving an astounding battery life of 32 hours on a 1000 mAh battery.
More popular MTK offerings include:
Freedom Keychain GPS 2000
Transystem i-Blue 737
Transystem i-Blue 747 (same as 737 but w/ GPS logging)
Transystem i-Blue 757 (solar powered! but clunky)
Qstarz BT-Q818

SiRFstarIII
SiRFstar has been the industry leader debuting most recently their 3rd generation of chips. Before MTK arrived, they led the way in terms of accuracy. They still do offer better accuracy for walking conditions than the MTK, should you ever feel the need to track your walks through town. They have the most widely used chipset, being the OEM provider for Holux, Globalsat (who builds receivers for Telenav), and others. Their chipsets aren't as frugal as MTK's, with around a 8-10 hour battery life for a 1000 mAh battery (some units do come with extra large batteries to compensate, at the expense of size). A low power version of the chipset has been developed that supposedly sacrifices nothing for lower power consumption except for 5 Hz sampling rate (which is excessive for mapping purposes). Since they have been industry leaders, many have developed free 3rd party software for Palm/Pocket PC's that offer tweaks and support some more advanced features of the chipset (not that I see any of us BB users needing that).
More popular SiRFstarIII offerings include:
Holux GPslim 236 (almost an industry standard)
Holux GPslim 240 (USB thumbdrive sized, at the expense of battery life)
Globalsat BT-338
Globalsat BT-359
OnCourse Edition 2 (same as Globalsat BT-359)
Telenav GPS Receiver (same as Globalsat BT-359)
Royaltek RBT-2010
Pharos PT250

uBlox Antaris 4
On par with the SiRFstarIII chipset is the uBlox Antaris 4, which provides similar accuracy, but perhaps not as high sensitivity as the others. They also offer "powerful" tweaking software. I'll post more if I find more.
More popular uBlox offerings include:
Socket uBlox SuperSense
Wintec WBT-201

NemeriX NJ-2020
I haven't found many units implementing this chipset, thus there's few reviews to read up on, but what I've gathered so far is it has high sensitivity (can pickup weak signals that the uBlox can't) and is on par w/ the SiRFstarIII in terms of accuracy.
More popular NemeriX offerings include:
i-Blue PS-3200

So what should I buy?!?!
After sifting through all the reviews and whatnot for half a day, I plunked down my money for an i-Blue 747. It features an MTK chipset, with logging capabilities. I have no need for the tweakability offered by the SiRFstarIII's, and liked the proposition of very long battery life, GPS capability (with 16 MB so up to 100,000 waypoints), great urban performance, and great accuracy. So far, its worked great with the BB. Your priorities might be different than mine, so I can't tell you what to do except to do some reading if this wasn't sufficient. Also, each implementation by each manufacturer may affect the performance of each chipset one way or another. So *all* MTKs might not be superior to SiRFstarIII's, etc. Read the reviews if you're so interested.

Sites to look at:

Reviews:
G p s P a s S i o n
Pocket GPS World

Manufacturers:
Freedom Input GPS & Keyboards
Transystem Inc.
Qstarz!
HOLUX
USGlobalSat
Pharos GPS
TeleNav GPS Receiver
u-blox: Home
RoyalTek
Haicom Electronics CORP.

Buying:
buy GPS Now
Semsons
eBay

You should consider pulling your link before you get banned for advertising your own store. Plus, your stuff is outdated.

stealth
very nice post. I am considering the i-blue 737 instead of 747 but may switch since you say the logging feature is useful and its only about 15 bucks more at semsons.

i want to nail down the software side of gps. will this work with google maps or will i also have to purchase separate software? i have a 7130 c and i am told that bbmaps does not work for the att/cingular network (i suspect if i search this forum, i will find a work around) :)
thanks

This is a highly informative post. I think it should be stickied.

On another note, I think I am going to go with the Qstarz BT-818.

how does the Holux m1000 compare to the other Holux models?

that's my question also. i have a m1000, and like it a lot. it has problems getting a sat connection sometimes when i'm in the middle of a lot of tall buildings, but otherwise has been stellar... am curious to how it stacks up to other gps units.

GPS for BB7290
 

I’m planning of buying an I-Blue 747 to add GPS capability with Google maps for my BB7290 . Does this combination work with BB7290.:?

Cheers

Recently purchased a i737 from semsons, awesome puck and accurate to 10meters. It is very quick to acquire signals also. Semsons was lightning fast on shipment also, which was nice.

GPS BB Pearl 8100 and a couple of Palms to throw in.
 

I am a relatively new member, based upon my latest BB, 8100 Pearl. Well I now have lots of toys, but I am not quite clear on getting everything working together.

I just received my Holux GPSlim 240. Very slick looking.

In addtion to my BB Pearl 8100 (with full data service), I also have a Palm T5, which I use reasonably often, as well as a TX which my spouse used before she passed away. So I now have two Palms to choose from, although my preference is to always use the T5.

I thought that I could keep the TX in the car as a dedicated GPS unit. Use the T5 for my usual stuff, and the BB everyone knows what to do with.

I downloaded the Google Maps application and it seems to show up OK on the Pearl. I have also installed the app on both Palms, but I am confused as to how to get them to work with the Holux. Seems like there are too many network connections just to get the GPS to work with Google.

Does anyone have any advice on how to do the Palm configuration?

Also, is there a better software product that will give voice directions on any of these three units (2 Palm and BB)?

Thanks

SN

For the Palm I would use TomTom. The latest version says it only works with Treo but I have a Palm Zire 72 and it works perfect. I think you should be ok with your two units also but I would do some searches. You should have no problem hooking your GPS to the palm or BB. I have a 8320 Curve and I can use the GPS with either, but NOT at the same time.

For the BB I think turn-by-turn is lacking. Once you use TomTom you can never use anything else.

Pucks are a waste of time! Go Get one with built in GPS!

Pretty bold statement.....

I could say "Built in GPS is a waste of time. Go get a device with wifi/uma."

I use a Freedom KeychainGPS and I love it. Honestly, I have fewer problems with my bluetooth GPS than some of the built in GPS's. My BT GPS has never taken 10 minutes to lock on to a satelite and it will pick up satelites even in the middle of my house.

oki have a question about these, will they work in my pocket or backpack while on my bike?

i want to get one to take on road trips in the car and on my bike/rollerblades to track my distance/speed so a small one is better but im not sure about what one

i like the freedom key chain for obvious reasons and the Mainnav MG-950D because i can attach it to my bike

any help would be greatly appreciated

I have the Ambicom BT-GPS Rev 2.0 puck. I keep it in my pocket when I am golfing and it picks up satellites fine. If it is in a backpack, I would put it in one of the outer pockets or on top of the items in the main pocket.

--Ariel

Wirelessly posted

Hmmm ill have to check it out thanks

The freedom is pretty sensitive and gets reading in my home on the second floor with 3 layers of shingles.

I had it my daypack today and other days on hikes and it gets a good signal even through trees.

Wirelessly posted

Wow! my old garmin gpsIII won't work if u cover the antenna from direct view, I guess they have made huge improvements in gps techonology. Looks like the price size and look are more of a factor than performance when they work like that

Agreed -- I had to have a camera, so I could choose a BB with a GPS or one with wifi/UMA. I figured that I can always add GPS another time, and that's the situation that some folks are in now.

Mainnav 950d
 

I own a Mainnav 950d and use it with my bb8320, it works flawlessly

• Sirf III based
• spp bluetooth profile
• data logging (170k wp)
• 17 hours of autonomy (arround 12 hours on my experience)
• charges through usb
• has a small display with some information on it (time, speed, distance, altitude)