The Great Treo GPS Round-Up
It’s been proven time and again that the Treo is the swiss-army tool of smartphones with its abilities as a PIM suite, Instant Messaging device, Email access, Web-surfing, gaming, digital music player, library for reading eBooks, digital video player, and even the ability to make phone calls. Since the Treo 650 has bluetooth, it opens another functionality to you: GPS Navigation.
GPS stands for Global Positioning Sysem, and it was originally devised and built by the US Department of Defense in the 1970s, reaching full operational status in 1994 with 24 satellites. A GPS receiver reads the satellites’ position and if 3 satellites are present, your latitude and longitude can be triangulated and give you an accurate reading of where you are ( if 4 or more satellites are present, your altitude can also be determined).
By pairing your Treo up with one of the many Palm-Compatible GPS receivers, you can use it as a GPS unit for in-car navigation while driving, or for outdoor fun such as hiking and geocaching. Imagine never getting lost or having to ask for directions again!
Our aim is to show you how exactly to accomplish this and which receivers and software to look into for that purpose. Over the following weeks, we will publish a series of informational articles and reviews in what we’re calling “The Great Treo GPS Round-Up.”
Our project schedule will include first looks at 7 different receivers, along with in-depth follow-up articles, a software section, an instructional guide on how to use this setup for geocaching, and a follow-up article that spells out our favorites.
Related Links
Review units were graciously donated by Semsons, Inc., TomTom, and Stellus Systems.com.
Click here to see the Bluetooth GPS Kits in mytreo.net/store.
Filed under: Accessory reviews, Software reviews
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Hey bro, I really look forward to reading all your info. on those GPS. I’m in the market and cant make up my mind. I look forward to reading your reviews and ideas.
If you have any suggestions for me PM me or email me if you get the chance.
Cheers, Derek
My favorite part is that you need ‘4 or more’ satellite signals in order to TRI-angulate :-P
“Review units were **graciously** donated by Semsons, Inc., TomTom, and Stellus Systems.com.”???
How thankful do you have to be? It’s as simple as, if they don’t submit them to you for review, then they don’t get reviewed!
I already own a Socket BT GPS Reciever… But need mappig software only for the Treo 650. I have not been able to find anyone that has just the software… Do you guys sell just the software, or know anyone who does?
TheDude - yes, you can triangulate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) with 3 satellites, but 4 satellites gives you a 3D position (add altitude to the mix). I suppose that could be made more clear. I’ll change “triangulate” to “determine” (note left so above comment makes sense)
Mr.Peabody - You have to be thankful and appreciative otherwise no one wants to work with you. There’s nothing wrong with being courteous when a company takes the trouble to send out review units, is there?
Kevin - We’ll be covering your software options in a latter portion of this article, but in the interim, you could contact Semsons for some help in selecting a product.
DeLorme has an inexpensive product that works on the 650. http://www.delorme.com/streetatlasusahandheld/default.asp
perhaps not as full featured as what tomtom may have (no “3-d”, limited voice, etc.) but good value for the price.
Can you please include information about what software has what quality maps available in Canada? It seems alot of packages I look at come with US only maps or poor quality Canadian maps. I don’t mind buying the hardware and software seperately but you don’t get a choice sometimes. Also if there’s any incompatibilities between ‘unbundled’ gps software it’d be good to know.
Can’t wait to read more..
Some confusion here: Please help
I read the review and saw the attractive offer from MTStore and would be ordering immediately, except that I also read that there are 7 different receivers and they will be covered in weeks to come.
Sooooo… will I find out later that the one offered product (for the 650) would be the best choice; or assuming that among the best rated receivers, the prices will be much more attactive than this Seidio currently offered; that the software may also be better and the choices there.
It just sounds like the reward MAY be worth the weeks waited for… or not, and let’s say the current Seidio is best but the current offer was taken off.
Have I misread or missed something here. It would be nice to have a comprehensive report from the get go, and yes I know this is volunteered time so don’t push for too much.
Could a non volunteer, MT paid person then do an eval on all alternatives along with the best prices and the best product:cost recommendation?
george: We will be including DeLorme’s software offering as well as those from Mapopolis, TomTom, and Quo Vadis (possibly).
Greg: We will do our best to cover the various mapping solutions as they relate to Canadian mapping, but I’ll have to note in advance that the MTDN personnel who are working on this project are all non-Canadian, so it will be difficult to get into more than simply what manufacturers claim.
LeRoy: The MTDN store does already carry the Seido package, but the units we will be testing are not all in stock for sale in the store. That’s another part of the evaluation process - when we settle on our top contenders, we plan to talk to those suppliers and possibly offer them in our store. I can’t speak to how the current Seido offer will last, but the plan is to offer a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis in the final article (in early October).
This is a _very_ timely review, as I am actively researching this very topic. MTDN to my rescue as usual…
We’ve been using a Garmin for years, but I’d love to lose that last “extra” device by adding it to my already indispensible Treo. Looking forward to the comprehensive results!
Cheers, folks!
This is indeed timely, however a little late for me. I just purchased the Parrot CK3300 Car Kit with integrated GPS. I purchased the Tom Tom Navigator 2005 software seperately, and an excellent suction cup PDA holder off e-bay.
I am completely flabbergasted at the quality and efficiency of this combination. The Tom Tom map colors are astonishing and the 3D representation while driving makes it hard to keep my eyes on the road because you just WANT to watch it.
Turn by turn voice instuctions make it possible to keep your eyes on the road, and you have a choice of many languages and even accents. I chose a woman with a british accent “keep right and enter the motorway” … something hot about that.
At night, the brightly colored map may prove to be a distraction so Tom Tom thoughtfully included a night time color scheme. I chose Arctic Blue, the default night map, and it is very comfortable on the eyes while driving at night, while still keeping the navigation information easy to read.
The maps have proved to be dead on accurate, even including some dirt roads I didn’t even know had a name.
Included with the Tom Tom software as an add-on service is Tom Tom Traffic. This feature, once activated, downloads real time traffic data to your Treo and will reroute your trip around those stubborn traffic jams. You must have a data plan with your phone service provider to access this feature. I have Sprint with the standard ‘Vision’ plan and it works without a hitch.
There is a free trial included with your Tom Tom purchase and a nominal monthly fee for keeping it after the trial.
Pairing my Treo 650 with the Parrot integrated GPS proved to be a challenge, mainly due to lack of support by both Tom Tom and Parrot for configuring their systems under the Palm OS.
Tom Tom has an update to help resolve the issue, and Parrot has a flash firmware upgrade. The Tom Tom update was simple enough to install, but the Parrot update requires a little experience with setting up bluetooth serial connectons, and enough knowhow to decypher their upgrade instructions which are aimed at Pocket PC users. It also requires a laptop because the update will not install to your Treo, then once the Treo is paired with the Parrot transfer the update. This would be too simple. You have to actually prepare your laptop with their update wizard and ROM file, then take the laptop out to the vehicle and pair it with the Parrot unit to complete the upgrade.
After all this is complete, they fail to mention that you must unpair your bluetooth connection from both the Parrot unit and the Treo, then repair to actually get everything to work properly.
Since these products are relatively new, the support will eventually get better. But for me, it was like navigating through the Amazon blindfolded.
Ken Wilson
Please make sure you review both Software AND Software/GPS bundles. Many people already have a Bluetooth GPS receiver that can connect to the Treo; it would be good to know what software can be bought independently of the GPS hardware.
The Semsons link in your article is bad, goes to http://www.semons.com
Some of the vendors listed have their sites only semi-functional, i.e. http://www.tomtom.com (specs and product info is down)
Perhaps you should have done some groundwork before releasing this. Very unprofessional.
Hoping you can be nice enough to point out if any of the units / software will behave nice with the 600’s…. I’ve been looking since May for hardware that will work but it seems the SDIO on the 600 was like the original USB support in 1995… there in hardware but not software…
Tim S
Greg - We will take a look at a few different software packages for mapping on the Treo later on after we conclude the initial testing of the various units - Stay tuned!
Edward - We can only link out as best we can to product sites, we cannot actually edit them to provide all of the content that you would like. You should write to them instead to ask that they send you information. As for the minor typo, it has been corrected - Thanks so much for pointing it out and leaving your opinion!
Tim - Not to spoil the coming review of the other units, but it looks like there’s only one good option for 600 users - the iTrek S3 Mouse. I’ll have more details on Thursday after I complete initial testing with my older Treo 600.
I am very interested in the results of your test. My Treo is as usefull as my Letherman, but I hope the results of your tests will be usefull in the European situation as well. I know TomTom has a European solution (and maps) but the other mentioned?
Thanks for the reviews anyway. Peter
Please don’t forget (like DeLorme) that not everyone lives in the USA. While I appreeciate it is a big market and that most Americans don’t travel internationally, some of us do get lost when we are AWAY from home :-) Any decent GPS system should allow international maps to be loaded and used. I still remember the first DeLorme products. You got to the Canadian border and… blank! There be dragons (polar bears?) here!
Could anyone suggest the best way forward on Treo car mounts. With my previous PDA, I fount the windscreen based ones best for my car, but I can’t seem to find a decent mount for the Treo.
Thanks,
Charles
I have used a Garmin III with my Treo 600 and it worked just fine. It requires a Treo 600 to serial cable and a serial cable for the Garmin, so you are hooked up with wires, but the system works very well. My problem was good mapping software. I am currently using the Delorme Bluelogger with my Treo 650 and it also works great. I have the Delorme Streets USA for Palm and it works fine. Again my problem is getting good Palm based mapping software that is outside of the US. The Microsoft Streets and Trips software has very good Canadian coverage, but of course they only support the Windows CE operating system - not Palm.
What about GPS software for the Treo 650?
I already have a BlueTooth GPS receiver but it only came with stinking Windows / Pocket PC software. I cannot find anything but the Mapopolis software that can be purchased separately from the GPS receiver (and I wasn’t impressed with Mapopolis).
I’m looking forward to the GPS artlcle. One question, most carriers, through e-911 are required to provide location based services. On my verizon Treo 650, I can set location services at normal, or emergency only. Why can’t one of the mapping providers tie into the location services of ther carriers to provide GPS capabilities without the separate GPS device?
Thanks,
David C.
it`s great
What about the iGolf GPS SDIO reciever? That seems to be the smallest one. Anyone have opinions/reviwes of it?
Dwayne
I need to know which SW I can buy for my Treo 650, covering europe. I already have a GPS receiver. Thanks
I have a Treo 600. I’ve searched for a GPS add-on for it, but the more I look, the more I get confused.
There’s the DeLorme Earthmate® GPS LT-20 for $99.95 US, which requires a $60 cable, and Street Atlas USA® 2006 Handheld
for $40. For $200 total, it seems like a good package. But does it work? Any problems? Any better choices than this?
Please help us loyal 600 users, by providing more info on GPS!
Just another vote for Treo 600 information if possible … will certainly look into the suggested iTrek s3
One thing confuses me… the Treo 650 has a built-in GPS receiver capable precisely locating the phone’s position. It is used for e911, kmaps, etc. So why is it necessary to always purchase a separate GPS receiver. In a car it makes sense because the window-mounted antenna has a better view. But I’m mostly interested in hiking, and would rather not carry a second redundant receiver if not necessary. Are there any programs that would allow me to use my Treo 650 as a stand-alone GPS receiver with topographic maps?
(Ed: the 650 does NOT have a built in GPS receiver, all GSM phones can be located using the cell network as is required for emergency services, but it’s not anywhere near as accurate as GPS.)
It doesn’t have to be. A general fix will do. 10-20 feet off are good enough for driving purposes, Hiking, and a myriad of other functions. I don’t see why an application overlay couldn’t be used with the e911 applications in the Phone. If you couple with google maps (valid in data range only usually not roaming) you could hack out just about anywhere in a metropolitan city.
Is this forum completely dead? I wholeheartedly agree with Krystof & Mohammad. E911 accuracy is more than adequate for driving directions and if you’re lost. I know TeleNav uses this for their service, but at $10/month, it’s a bit much for those who make rare trips.
Is this forum completely dead? I wholeheartedly agree with Krystof & Mohammad. E911 accuracy is more than adequate for driving directions and if you’re lost. I know TeleNav uses this for their service, but at $10/month, it’s a bit much for those who make rare trips. There must be others, especially something that is a one-time purchase of software.
i have a 650 treo and gps receiver but need software-what do i do?thanks