Mobile Crossing Bluetooth GPS

Mobile Crossing is a relatively new player in the GPS arena.  One of their new offerings is a Bluetooth GPS unit for use with either Pocket PC or Palm OS devices.  How is this Bluetooth GPS unit different that others reviewed here previously?  Why should you very seriously consider making this your GPS purchase?  Read on for more. 

There seems to be a plethora of Bluetooth GPS units in the marketplace today and PDA's are fast becoming popular for just this option.  In car factory GPS units run well over a thousand dollars and are not always easy to update and use.  If consumers are comfortable with the OS of their PDA - having something they have already invested in being used for GPS purposes at a fraction of the cost makes great sense.

In steps Mobile Crossing.  A newcomer to the GPS world, but clearly a company that has done a great deal of research into what consumers are looking for in a GPS package.

Overview:

In the box came a completely all-inclusive package with a rechargeable GPS receiver that was of a manageable size, an AC adapter, a DC adapter, a CD with drivers for a Laptop or PC, and two versions of Mapopolis GPS navigation software (which will be covered in a separate review.)

Setup:

Setup was a bit tricky, but I have come to learn after many emails to Mobile Crossing and Mapopolis that the fault was in my Treo - not with the GPS itself.  (more will be said about this at the end of the review.)

The GPS paired beautifully with the Treo 650 and was easy to set up as a trusted device.  I have found that while it takes an extra step - it was worth pairing from the Treo menu as a trusted device than by initial discovery.  

My only real complaint is that, unlike when using a car-kit or bluetooth head set, each time the GPS was used I needed to first select the unit from the list of trusted devices in order for the Treo to connect with it.  I wish it would have been completely automatic - but every bluetooth GPS device I have used requires this step.

Using the GPS:

Once the unit was paired and software loaded, the real test of how this GPS functioned could be tested.  I used both the Mapopolis NavCard (a totally self contained GPS program with full maps on one SD card) and the Mobile Crossing version of Mapopolis.  Both versions had their flaws - but essentially, both worked very ,very well.  What was truly amazing was that as long as their was no other Bluetooth device nearby, I never lost signal.  Accuracy (the real test of a GPS) was by far the best I have encountered on any wired or non-wired GPS.  Testing near my home (which most GPS  units say is on the other side of the street and down the road) was perfect.  I would say that for the most part, the GPS was accurate to within 30-50 feet of where I actually was.  This is very good for most GPS locators and can make the difference between missing a turn or not.  Mobile Crossing points out in their promotion of this GPS that their GPS has a rock steady 1hz beat.  This helps eliminate the "pile-up" in the GPS buffer.  Also, since the Treo uses a relatively new Bluetooth stack it is "sensitive" to "dirty" bluetooth signals which cause a disruption or complete dropping of the signal.

 Trouble spots:

Trouble spots existed with the use of the Mobile Crossing GPS, HOWEVER, after much testing and conversations with the  Mobile Crossing GPS folks (who were among the most helpful technical support people I have ever encountered) it was clear that the major fault here is with the Treo 650.  The Palm OS does not support multiple Bluetooth devices being used simultaneously (unlike the Pocket PC OS.) that means that whatever device the Treo connects to first has priority and any subsequent attempts to connect to a secondary device will fail.  What that meant in real world testing was that in order to use the Treo 650 with this (or any other bluetooth GPS) one must first connect to the GPS before the Treo connects to any other nearby Bluetooth device.  If you have a car kit or headset already in range of your Treo - or if your last active connection was a headset - the Treo will not see the GPS device.  Obviously, this proves to be a major hassle if you have your car set up with a Bluetooth hands free kit (which is one of the great advantages to having a bluetooth phone.)  You must choose between using your hand free or using the GPS.  Again, this is not the fault of the Mobile Crossing GPS - but a flaw in the Palm OS. 

Conclusion: 

All that being said - the Mobile Crossing GPS is simply the finest Bluetooth GPS I have used.  It is accurate, easy to set up - easy to pair with the PDA and the battery life is great - almost eight hours in my tests.

Sadly, because of the flaws in the Palm OS - this, or any other Bluetooth GPS is not a practical alternative for Treo 650 users if they also use any other Bluetooth device like a headset or hands free kit.  I would highly endorse this device if you use the Lifedrive, Tungsten or other Pocket PC Bluetooth PDA.  My guess is that if you have a Pocket PC Smartphone (which I hope to test with this PDA) you will able to multi-task with no problems at all.

Overall Grade: A

Pros:

• Small size
• Great battery life
• Unparalleled accuracy
• Easy to pair

Cons: Not for Treo 650 owners (not the fault of Mobile Crossing)

The Mobile Crossing GPS can be purchased at: www.mobilecrossing.com for $229 without software and $349 with software for Pocket PC and Palm OS 

BLUETOOTH GPS: SPECIFICATIONS