Belkin Bluetooth GPS F8T051 mini-review

[BobWitt]

I purchased from eBay a new in-the-box Belkin BT GPS unit for $124… Before my purchase, I had hunted all over the internet for screen shots of the included software - but I could not find any… There are however a number of reviews - most of which are positive… In the following I will be brief

In the box…
… is the GPS Receiver, Battery and cable that connects to the supplied 110 volt or 12 volt adapters with a USB connector. Two CDs with programs and maps…

Installed the battery and charged while I installed the software to my Pocket PC (HP 4155 w/ 512 Lexar 32x SD)… Installed both software and maps to the SD Card…

Opened BT Manager on the Pocket PC and quickly discovered the GPS receiver… Paired the devices…

Tried it quickly with MS Streets & Trips 2005 and my location popped right up and it did a good job of location tracking… But that is not why we buy GPS systems, is it?

Opened the "Belkin Navigation System" on the Pocket PC and at first there is a disclaimer screen suggesting you should not do this when driving - then it allows you to select which BT device to connect to… Then you drop into the map at your current location… The Maps can be seen from directly above or with one of three 3-D views… Below are the above and the mid-level 3-D view at a 10-mile zoom level…




Pressing the Menu button above provides the following menu…



and selecting "Contacts" yields…



The "Satellite" Icon in the tool bar shows…



Note this shot was taken from within my home! Reception is fair here, and much better on the dash of the car!

The "File | About" menu reads…



I've played with it around town and find the spoken directions to be loud, clear and correct… Have not had the chance to plan any extensive trips yet (beyond Nashville to Knoxville)… The Routes generate quickly, and redirect well when one gets off track…

The maps are loaded one state at a time, and I have not yet planned anything across state (map) boundaries, so I can't speak to how well it works… In summary, now you have a few screen shots - and my impressions after one day of use… It does everything that the factory GPS system in a 2004 Escalade ESV does and more - it can use my contact list! So far so good, I'm impressed!

BobWitt

[BobWitt]

I purchased from eBay a new in-the-box Belkin BT GPS unit for $124… Before my purchase, I had hunted all over the internet for screen shots of the included software - but I could not find any… There are however a number of reviews - most of which are positive… In the following I will be brief

In the box…
… is the GPS Receiver, Battery and cable that connects to the supplied 110 volt or 12 volt adapters with a USB connector. Two CDs with programs and maps…

Installed the battery and charged while I installed the software to my Pocket PC (HP 4155 w/ 512 Lexar 32x SD)… Installed both software and maps to the SD Card…

Opened BT Manager on the Pocket PC and quickly discovered the GPS receiver… Paired the devices…

Tried it quickly with MS Streets & Trips 2005 and my location popped right up and it did a good job of location tracking… But that is not why we buy GPS systems, is it?

Opened the "Belkin Navigation System" on the Pocket PC and at first there is a disclaimer screen suggesting you should not do this when driving - then it allows you to select which BT device to connect to… Then you drop into the map at your current location… The Maps can be seen from directly above or with one of three 3-D views… Below are the above and the mid-level 3-D view at a 10-mile zoom level…




Pressing the Menu button above provides the following menu…



and selecting "Contacts" yields…



The "Satellite" Icon in the tool bar shows…



Note this shot was taken from within my home! Reception is fair here, and much better on the dash of the car!

The "File | About" menu reads…



I've played with it around town and find the spoken directions to be loud, clear and correct… Have not had the chance to plan any extensive trips yet (beyond Nashville to Knoxville)… The Routes generate quickly, and redirect well when one gets off track…

The maps are loaded one state at a time, and I have not yet planned anything across state (map) boundaries, so I can't speak to how well it works… In summary, now you have a few screen shots - and my impressions after one day of use… It does everything that the factory GPS system in a 2004 Escalade ESV does and more - it can use my contact list! So far so good, I'm impressed!

BobWitt