05-26-2005, 10:30 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Geekzone Reviews the Globalsat BT-338 Bluetooth GPS Receiver
"This little beauty felt right from the start. It only has one button (on/off) and 3 LEDs, one for power, GPS, and Bluetooth status. It can operate for 17 or more hours continuously on each charge, longer when in Trickle mode. It was incredibly easy to get going with the Pocket PC, and I have had no bad Bluetooth experiences with it. <...> The GlobalSat BT-338 uses the latest generation of GPS chipsets from SiRF, the SiRFStarIII, which is stated to be as sensitive as the SiRFXTrac used in their SD-501 GPS, but without the delay and overshooting issues."
I know from previous posts that while a lot of you have already invested in GPS solutions, there's still many of us remaining who are interested but don't know yet what to buy. I'm about 95% sure that I want a Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver, but which one? Well, just to throw another option into the ring, it looks like Geekzone was pretty pumped-up in their review of Globalsat's latest offering. So if you're still procrastinating, check it out and let us know how you think this stacks up against the competition. 
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05-26-2005, 10:41 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 59
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I purchased this unit back in the winter when it was first released, and I have to say, it ROCKS! I had used a Garmin Etrex Vista with a serial cable previously and this unit blows the Garmin out of the water in every way. It has awesome battery life, great bluetooth functionality, and spectacular GPS reception. I use it with my HP h6315 PPC Phone and Tom Tom Navigator and have had ZERO issues with it since I got it.
Great product!
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05-26-2005, 11:01 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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I currently have a Garmin unit and haven't been exactly overwhelmed by the specs of any other receiver I've seen to date, but this is the unit I'm keeping my eye on at the moment.
__________________
iPhone 4! ☠☠☠ Mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro! ☠☠☠ Gateway LT2102h! ☠☠☠ Dell XPS M1210!
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05-26-2005, 11:12 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 96
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The perfect unit for my needs will be a standalone GPSr (Like a Garmin, Magellan, etc.) that has Bluetooth connectivity. I love the idea of being able to use a Bluetooth GPSr with my PDA and laptop, though I'm not too thrilled about taking my PDA into the field on a Geocache hunt. A standalone unit that has Bluetooth would let me use the GPSr with the PDA/Laptop in a vehicle for directions, and then I could take just the GPSr into the field with me for the remainder of the cache hunt.
Fortuna makes one like this but most of the comments and reviews that I've read on it have not been favorable.
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05-26-2005, 11:23 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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I've heard nothing but good reports about this receiver. It picks up satellites from basements, under bridges, under car dashboards, in consoles, under seats, in pockets...well you get the idea. My BT308 works great but I would be very happy to get this for my birthday next week....my dearest wife....are you reading this.....  pclove:
Dave
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05-27-2005, 12:13 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 52
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I purchased this beast, actually two of them...one for my wifes X50v and one for my E830 and it works flawlessly. I have had it pick up signals in a parkade no less.
My experience is with Mapopolis and I read about 1 user not being able to get it to work with his E830 and OnCourseNavigator 4. This tells me that OCN is doing something that the E830 does not like (the Bluetooth Stack on the E830 still needs some work apparently).
Anyways, the BT-338 is a winner in my books and you really can't go wrong!
alt
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05-27-2005, 12:18 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by CrashX
The perfect unit for my needs will be a standalone GPSr (Like a Garmin, Magellan, etc.) that has Bluetooth connectivity. . . Fortuna makes one like this but most of the comments and reviews that I've read on it have not been favorable.
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I take it you are talking about the Fortuna GPSmart Bluetooth GPS Receiver? I am currently borrowing one from a friend. It's OKish. The sensitivity is not too great, it has a dreadful design fault whereby it's incredibly easy to switch the unit off as you pick it up, it's bulky, eats batteries at a fast rate and you need a serial to USB connector to get the tracking data off it. Apart from that it's great. :wink:
I really wanted to like it, but it does have a lot of black marks against it. On the positive side, it's almost exactly two years old, which leads me to hope that we should bee a replacement for it soon. I love the idea of a unit that you can take independently and can track and record your position if your PPC is off. I would hope that the new version would use replaceable and rechargeable nokia phone batteries, would be substantially smaller (possibly with a detachable belt clip) and use the new SiRFStarIII chipset. Not much to ask for eh! :wink: I can but hope.....
This Globalsat does look good, but it would be nice to have something that can track a position for 12+ hours or so, which is not always possible or convenient with PPCs.
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05-27-2005, 01:05 AM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Wow! Great feedback across the board for Globalsat!
I'll have to start checking prices and availability on this one! :way to go:
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05-27-2005, 01:54 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 235
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I purchased this GPS unit a couple of months ago. I have been trying to use it with my HP iPaq 2215, but it appears that the bluetooth implementation on the 2215 just can't maintain a connection to ANYTHING for more than 5 minutes. Whether its a connection to my desktop, my laptop, this GPS unit, or anything else, the 2215 drops the connection within 5 minutes.
It has been really frustrating because this GPS unit is so awesome, but I am not able to enjoy using it. I get connected and start driving, only to have the BT connection dropped in a short period of time.
I can't wait to get a new PDA with bluetooth that works!!!
Anyone want to speculate on when the WM 2005 devices will begin to trickle out????
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05-27-2005, 02:15 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 246
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ekkie Tepsupornchai
Wow! Great feedback across the board for Globalsat!
I'll have to start checking prices and availability on this one! :way to go:
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Let us know if you find a good deal! I think I saw a special offer on the unit when it was released, but I guess it's over now.
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Linear Mode
