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INTRODUCTIO

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    In November 2000 the first cellphone capable of playing an MP3 went on commercial release, in 2002 the newest must-have addition to any phone was a built-in camera. As we approach the end of this decade, it seems that no self respecting phone or PDA is now complete unless it can tell you where you are, at any time of day or night, anywhere on the planet. Although most devices these days have operating systems capable of running sophisticated GPS software, not all of them come with a GPS receiver built-in.

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HELP SUPPORT

    The Freedom Input web site appears only to offer support pages for their Bluetooth keyboard and their ‘New Forums’ page was ‘Currently Unavailable’ on the several times I visited. They do however offer a Contact Us link where you will find a support form submission page and a UK customer support number.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

     This will work with all PDAs and mobile devices with Bluetooth 1.1 and above.

BUGS AND WISHES

    The Freedom Mini GPS sports a small LED window on the front to let the user know the status of three pieces information. The blue LED denotes the Bluetooth connection status, the orange shows the GPS connection status and the red indicates the battery charge status. Not only do these illuminate, but they also flash. Sharing the same LED window means that the colours merge. So at any one time you can have a mixture of blue, orange, lilac (blue and orange), red, purple (blue and red), pink (red and orange) and a strange mixture of all three. This makes it very difficult to ascertain exactly what the lights are trying to tell you. Although not a serious problem, the simple separation in to three windows would overcome this.

    In tests it transpired that it is only possible to pair the GPS receiver with one Bluetooth device at a time. This means that if I swap between my PDA and my laptop, I have to re-pair every time. Multiple device support would be a real bonus here.

    The shell of the GPS has a ‘rubberised’ coating. As you can see from the picture on the previous page, the same type of coating on the Qstarz GPS receiver has peeled quite badly. I imagine that after a couple of weeks rattling around with your keys, the Freedom Mini GPS might start to look a little disheveled.

PURCHASING

   
You can order your Freedom Input Mini GPS receiver from proporta.com for $129.95.

PROS

• Very fast satellite detection
• Good Bluetooth range
• Long battery life
• Charges from car cigarette lighter

CONS

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  Confusing LED indicator

• Pricier than other GPS receivers
• Rubber coating possibly prone to scratching
• Can only pair to one device at a time

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

What do these ratings mean?

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OVERALL IMPRESSION

    It has to be said that this little gadget really packs a punch. It is fast on both warm and cold boot, provided no difficulty in pairing, maintaining or re-discovering a Bluetooth link to any of my devices and it demonstrates the ability to hold good signal strength in odd places (even in my backpack, under my desk, 10 feet from the nearest window). It does sometimes experience trouble picking up signals from a cold boot in a moving vehicle, but once it locks on to a satellite it holds like a bulldog on a mailman’s leg. Running some comparisons against other Bluetooth GPS receivers, it far outperformed my Anycom GP-600 and my Qstarz BT-Q880 in terms of number of satellite signals held, received signal strength, Bluetooth range, battery life and device connection speeds. It is a robust device with excellent functionality. If you want a convenient and reliable GPS receiver, this could be the one for you if you don’t mind paying the premium.