IO Gear GBGPS201 Bluetooth GPS Kit -US and Canada Maps Reviews

• Good Unit but not compatible with some Pocket PC's

  
  By A2Q5FDKA5SQR73 on 2005-05-25
  Warning for Dell Axim owners - this unit will not connect to Dell Axim's through bluetooth. The software is good enough for the price - it's just like the iGuidance or Routis product. IOGear's web site also states the product is not compatible with Pocket PC's running Windows Mobile 2003!!!
  
  Here is the statement below:
  
  ---------------------------------------------------------
  Document # 10133
  
  Title
  GBC201: Incompatibility List
  
  Applies To
  GBC201
  
  Details
  We have found that the GBC201 is incompatible with the following PocketPC PDAs.
  
  - Dell AXIM series
  - Any PDA running PocketPC 2003
  
  
  

• Great BT GPS and Software Combo...

  
  By AJHQF1OSIU6LR on 2005-05-22
  This combo has very decent software to compliment a LiIon battery powered BT receiver (22 hrs per charge). The software is by Deluo (iGuidance is another known name for it) and is up to date as of 2004. The interface is seamless, the installtion a breeze, and the receiver reception fast (15-20secs). At $180 here at Amazon, with an additional $30 off rebate untill August 2005, you cannot go wrong (plus you have iogear to support this vs. some no-name comany).
  
  The GPS receiver I found also works with Maptech's topographical GPS Maps ($20) if you want to use it on your offroad adventures. Recently took it on a 3 day hunting trip and Maptech's software did wonderfully in the great wilderness...
  
  

• Acceptable accuracy, updated software

  
  By A220FQKH59IY5N on 2005-09-03
  We used to have the Belkin Bluetooth GPS but it broke down. The main disadvantages for the Belkin one was the lack of sufficient points of interest (shops, restaurants, etc.) in our area (Portland, OR) and the inaccuracies in the GPS locations (10-30 feet off).
  
  The IOGEAR Bluetooth GPS has a major advantage over the Belkin one: it has the same software but un updated version that significantly improves the number of pints of interests (POI). The positioning inaccuracies remain and it is bulkier (although with better batery life).
  
  On the overall usage:
  
  - it works fine with the Dell X30 that we have, connection is smooth, not that difficult to setup the first time
  - the software has voice guidance so you don't have to keep an eye on it. It doesn't spell the names of the streets except when the names are actually numbers.
  - on our PDA the rerouting if you missed a turn or an exit is very fast (much faster than on dedicated Garmin or Magellan GPS gizmos)
  - another advantage over the dedicated solutions: you can use the addresses associated with your contacts to setup a route
  
  

• It works on DELL AXIM!!

  
  By A29AXPJCCUGKY8 on 2005-07-13
  The previous post is mistaken this unit with a different (discontinued) IOGEAR product. The IOGEAR GBGPS201 DOES work with DELL AXIM and other PDAs running Windows Mobile 2003!
  
  I have successfully tested and used this IOGEAR GPS with DELL AXIM X30, and AXIM X50.
  
  

• Software is better than the hardware

  
  By A2NXLE7RBI5GVK on 2005-08-09
  I recently purchased the IOGear GBGPS201 and used it on a trip from California to Missouri. The software worked great. It happens to be the same as IGuidance. The GPS receiver on the other hand worked ok. It worked great in the city but when I was on a highway where there was an access road running parallel, it often thought I was on the access road and kept trying to get me back on the highway.
  
  I tried using a Holux GPS receiver with the software provided by IOGear but kept getting a message saying that it could not find an IOGear GPS receiver. I questioned IOGear tech support and they had no idea if the software was changed to only work with their receiver or not.
  
  Overall, it is worth the price but it would work much better if the receiver could see more than 8 satellites.
  
  
• Superior Battery Life and Ease of Use.
  By A3OTDZL80FBKMG on 2005-08-16
  I have suffered through many bad GPS units to go with my PDAs over the years and this one by far is the best i have had. The battery life truly lives up to the claims. The unit charges up and you are ready to go. As long as you are sure to turn it off between uses it lasts and lasts. The unit usually always attains staelites quickly and holds them. The accuracy of this unit is unparalleled to anything I have used in the past. The only downfall, software is a little basic and leaves something to be desired.
  
  
• DOES NOT WORK WITH POcket PC / WM 5.0
  By A25VQBB2PODKAG on 2006-12-29
  STAY AWAY IF YOU INTEND TO USE WITH A POCKET PC. It will not work on Windows Mobile 5.0, and IOGear knows it. It will slow your device to a crawl. I use a powerful Dell Axim x51 (fastest processor availabel and lots of RAM). They said they would patch it in 2005, but it's almost 2007 and they still haven't.
  
  They guy who said it works with his Pocket PC was running WM 2003, and yes, it works with that.
  
  iGuidance uses the same software base and they have patched their's. Consider iGuidance if you don't want to have to hook up your laptop to the car just to use GPS. Their customer service is outsourced and unhelpful
  
  
• Am I missing something about the software?
  By A2RWSEY7KVGDSS on 2006-02-21
  If I was just reviewing the receiver itself, it would receive 5 stars. However, I have had nothing but problems with the bundled software.
  
  The original CDs that came with it did not work on my computer for some reason. They came up as totally blank, and I even got the automatic Windows "what would you like to do with this blank CD" menu when I popped each of them in. I immediately went to work with diagnostics on my 5 month old CD/DVD-RW drive, and even did the HP online chat help to try and figure something out. I have tried all other computer data CDs that I have, and they all worked (really, ALL of them did). Music CDs and DVDs of the original and burned variety also worked.
  
  I emailed IO Gear about the problem (after 4 phone calls I have only been able to talk to an actual person on their tech support line once, and he promptly put me on hold for so long I hung up), and they sent me a new set of CDs. These didn't work, either. So they sent another set. Same story. I tried them in my computer at work, and a total of 4 CDs out of the 12 worked there, so I burned copies of those so I could install the software on my computer at home.
  
  These seemed to work at first, but the laptop program claims it is not properly installed and any maps that require the 2 maps CDs claim that those CDs are the wrong version. This is all probably due to copyright protection on the original CDs, which I can understand.
  
  After all of this, I have a product that I've paid good money for that I can't use, sold to me by a company that doesn't seem to care or be able to help me at all, if I can get through to them. In the meantime I'm glad the device will work with any software, although Pocket Streets is really just a map, not something that can generate directions (or if it can, I don't know how).
  
  By the way, if anyone can help me with this it would be much appreciated.
  
  
• problem with CDs
  By A18EYN4N1SMVF5 on 2006-02-27
  I have a same problem with the below review.
  
  So far as... I even have no chance to use this GPS because not only 'setup CD' but also 'map CD' doesn't work. IOGEAR said they will send other CDs but I should wait 1 week more. Don't order this GPS if you need to use it immediately.
  IOGEAR website doesn't offer download of setup programe.
  
  
• Good Hardware, So-So Software
  By A1VQHH85U7PX0 on 2006-05-30
  I have owned the IOGEAR Bluetooth GPS unit for almost a year now and I absolutely love it. This GPS unit locks on to satellites very quickly and it has never dropped out of reception. The mapping software (and maps database) however is another story. Keep in mind I made my purchase a year ago. They might have made improvements on the software since. I did not have the bad CD woes a couple of the reviewers have. My complaints are as follows. While making turns (usually onto or off of a freeway ramp), it sometimes gives off a rapid succession of contradicting instructions. It gets back on track once the turn is completed however. Sometimes, it doesn't give enough advance notice before a turn, although this doesn't happen very often. The software package is not ALL bad. For example, I love how it automatically computes a new route every time you make a wrong turn. It also lets out a sound right at a turn so you know whether you've made a right turn. The voice giving directions is crisp, clear, and pleasant. On my Axim x30 624 Mhz, the routing/re-routing computation is done very quickly. I also love the ease with which the maps on the CD can transferred to my pocket PC. I was able to load the entire map of CA and NV onto my pocket PC with unbelievable ease. How much map data you load is entirely up to you and the only constraint is the capacity of your SD/CF card or harddrive (for those using a laptop). All in all, despite a few minor shortcomings (annoyances mostly), the software is very usable -- it's never failed to bring me to my destinations. Due to budget constraints, I'm sticking to the bundled software for now. But if you can afford it, do a little research by reading reviews for other GPS software such as TomTom, Mapopolis, etc. among many others. Hardware-wise, the GPS unit is superb and I strongly recommend it. I am awarding 5 Stars for the hardware and 3 Stars for the software.
  
  

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