[dyonas]

I recently bought myself a second hand (excellent condition) N80, it's not been locked to any network so I assume it came SIM free when it was originally bought. With that said, my contract is due for renewal and I'm considering the N95 as an upgrade. What I'm really wondering is if there are Bluetooth GPS units that are worth looking at for the N80 or if I'd be better off just using the N95.

I realise an external unit would be a lesser strain than a built-in option and I'd be able to use it with the N95 if I really wanted to but I have no idea about them. I've been looking specifically at the Nokia LD-3W and wondering if it's as good as it sounds on the specification sheet or if an older and cheaper version would be just as good. If anyone can offer hints and thoughts I'd appreciate it!

[scoobyman]

Hi dyonas

You would not be disappointed with the LD-3W which I have used now with N70, N80 and N95 with a variety of navigation software, Tomtom5 and 6, Route66, Viewranger and of course Nokia Maps. Another advantage is that it uses the same battery charger as the above phones.

Of course there are cheaper units but some are very fragile if dropped accidentally.

I kept the old rubber casing from it's predecessor the LD-1W, which is a perfect fit as exactly the same dimensions

[dyonas]

That's great to know, thanks a lot scoobyman I don't know if you can answer this but I'll put it out there just in case. If you purchase a subscription to Nokia Maps is the subscription linked to the phone, SIM or is it transferable in case you get a new phone?

[scoobyman]

Hi dyonas

License is linked to phone IMEI. There should be a mechanism in place for transfer of licence to a new phone.

Be aware that if you upgrade phone software, you will have to re-activate the license for days remaining.

[dyonas]

Hi scoobyman, again thank you I'll keep that in mind!

[mark99]

I have an i-Blue 737 which I use with my N95 - I got hooked on the idea of GPS but frustrated with the **bleep**piness of the built-in unit.

Originally I got a GlobalSat BT-359 (a slimmed down version of the popular BT-338) which didn't work with the N95, often dropping the bluetooth connection, so I had to send it back.

However the i-Blue has worked very well, getting fast, reliable fixes and with a great battery life (it also has a low-power standby mode when the bluetooth isn't connected). The battery is swappable and it takes a standard Nokia BL-5C so I immediate had a spare from my old 6230i.

It's fairly small and light, about half the size and weight of the N95 - I just keep it in the outer pocket of my backpack. I had it recommended to me from someone on this forum who was using it with an N80 so should be compatible with that also.

Regarding the built-in GPS on the N95, plenty has been written about it, but basically it's not too good. The addition of "assisted GPS" means it locks on a bit quicker now, but using that feature potentially incurs network data charges, and probably won't work outside your home network.

Also it doesn't help with the general accuracy, which is poor, and it has a tendancy to lose the lock entirely when you close the case. I use it with Nokia Sports Tracker on bike rides, and the i-Blue is far better and doesn't flatten the battery like the built-in GPS does.

Even at the best of times, the built-in GPS jumps around a lot, which makes voice navigation (which I paid for the upgrade) go horribly wrong, telling you to double-back and turn left when you should be turning right, etc.

[petrib]

On thing *NOT* to buy is a NAVMAN Bluetooth GPS unit, if you want to use them with a Nokia phone.

NAVMAN has a fixed Bluetooth pairing passcode that has letters ( "NAVMAN" ) and Nokia phones require use of a Bluetooth passcodes that are all numbers.

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Message Edited by petrib on 12-Aug-200704:26 PM

[lfclad]

Agree with scoobyman. I use the LD-3W with my N80 and it works just great. I get a sat fix very quickly and dont even have it set up in the car very well. I leave it in the sunglass holder and just drop that down when i want to navigate. plus the thing is so small and light its not a problem to drop it in a pocket or laptop bag when on the move.

[planetf1]

I've just bought a Navicore slim gps - see http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/12398.htm

This has worked perfectly with my N80 with any sw I've tried (inc. tomtom6, nokia gaps), as well as a SE k750i

[dyonas]

Thanks a lot for the recommendations guys In the end I opted for the LD-3W because of the claim of a minimum of 15 hours battery life and the Nokia brand. I got it this morning and sitting in my bedroom I got a lock without any problems. So far so good, now I just have to decide on a mapping program to use lol I'm leaning towards a Nokia Maps subscription with the reasoning that a subscription service should have very up to date information with regular updates.

[mumu]

My opinion is that the Nokia LD-3W is better than any GPS module now on market. Until the LD-4W will appear i think that LD-3W is the best because it has a low price (70-90euros) and has great GPS reception.






Regards,