Treo GPS - Freedom Keychain GPS Review

Not really the smallest in the World as you can bust regular size watches with full GPS receivers in them

Can anybody confirm this really works with TomTom Navigator 5/6 on the Treo 650? I read a review that said it only pairs up with the phone but the TomTom software doesn't work with it.

So how does this work w/ google maps? You pair it w/ the phone and google maps detects it? Does slow internet (650) affect performance?

Google Maps does not support GPS at all. Get "Where Am I?" freeware tool for to pair it with any Bluetooth GPS: http://wfmh.org.pl/carlos/

Here's my question: How does it perform if it's attached to your car key and the key is in the ignition? I thought the gps works best line-of-sight. Does it manage ok down by your knee, or do you have to disconnect the key from the gps and lay the gps on the dash to use it properly?

I got this beautiful GPS keyring three months ago and I can confirm that it works nicely with TomTom 6 on the Treo (650... I never saw a reason to upgrade). As far it's functionality while the key are in the ignition of the car... not a problem so long as you allow it to sync with satellites before having it down there.

Depending on the environment it will go screwy on occasion but overall a very good gps to have in my pocket. It also works with google maps through 'Where Am I'... though this is not a great solution.

Hope this helps...

bless.

So why the hell dos this powerful phone not have it's own antenna built in? I dont get it...I have an LG ENVY and it's built in and works great. ANd they dont even market it's most powerful features... they market it as a stupid text messaging phone... but yet it can do great things. WHEN WILL THE TREO HAVE IT'S OWN ANTENNA?

It has an antenna or are you referring to a GPS receiver?

Looking at the specs for the LG enV (VX9900) it doesn't have a true GPS receiver. It uses the E911 facility, which is a facility built into all US phones, to triangulate your position. This is then used with Verizon's VZ Navigator as a GPS solution. It is not as accurate as a true GPS receiver and is of course reliant on you having a phone signal.

I have been using Freedom for a few days now with Treo 680, and absolutely love it. For software I've been using Where am i? with GoogleMaps and cotoGPS.

What I wonder is can I use the car charger to charge my Treo? It has a mini USB, but can the voltage be harmful?

Apologies. Forget about my question about the charger. I guess I should look at my Treo more often.

Looks like I'm going to be the first to have something bad to say about the Keychain GPS. I got one and apart from a few minor setup issues (the Treo would connect to it no problem, but TomTom Navigator 6 has difficulty identifying it as a GPS receiver initially) it worked fine for the first three weeks or so.

It all started to go wrong when I was on a business trip. There's no way to tell what the battery level is and on the way to an airport, it went flat. I plugged it in with the included car charger, but it took about 45 minutes for it to obtain a useful GPS signal again. On the way home it ran down again and since then, it hasn't worked. It connects okay but it just isn't picking up any satellite signals. Currently trying to get a replacement from the manufacturer, but I think I'm going to go for something a bit more substantial in future.

I've just got this beauty as a present and for the live of me i cannot get it to see to connect to my Treo 750 running WM6. Anyone know what comm port setting i should use as the manual is a little vague.

I was excited to get my Freedom but for the life of me I can't find software for it! I've heard references to TeleNav, but it looks like they only offer service with a monthly contract through cell phone vendors. And other people are using software with it that seems to have come from other GPS companies but you have to buy their GPS to get the software. So what am I missing? How can I use this device with my 700p?

Hi all,

I'm the technical manager for Freedom Input so wont comment on the unit itself (as I'm obviously biased :) ).

Just wanted to try and help with answering a couple of points above.

Software for Palm OS5 devices:
To be honest the only ones I would "personally" recommend are telenav and TomTom. Palm OS5 is sadly very under developed for in terms of "free" GPS software (like googlemaps, etc) but there are some good options out there for subscription based services or "pay once" software (normally you buy the maps or software on a memory card).

Setting up on a Windows Mobile 2005/2006 device:
I have written instructions on how to do this using yahoo2go as an example. The process is the same for most (if not all) software but some software may require specific COM ports or baud rate settings so you may need to check with the software provider or just work it out through trial and error (typically COM port 6 or 7 is the one that is used).

For instructions go to:
http://freedom.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=87&nav=0,31

Kenny:
Your replacement unit was sent out so should be with you shortly (if you don't have it already). If you have any more problems or you don't get it soon just reply to your support ticket or contact me directly.

Anyway glad everyone is loving the product as much as we do :)

hmmmm. I can pay $100 for this keychain that may or may not work when I need it (with my Treo 700wx) or I can pay $150 at Amazon for a Tom Tom One.
I think i'll spend the extra $50 and get the bigger screen . . .

How does this device compare to a gps unit that has WAAS?

Where can i buy this product in Miami (FL)? Not online store (unless they have in-store pick up service)

thanks

I am using this GPS receiver with my Treo 700p and TomTom 6 software...it works great!

It's a much better design than the GPS unit that you can get from TomTom (I left my TomTom GPS receiver on the dash and it melted). You can actually tell if the Bluetooth is connecting and if it has a GPS signal via the lights on the unit. Also, it has a hard on/off switch. All of these issues were problems with the TomTom receiver (hard to believe that TomTom got so many things wrong with such a basic device).

Also, the unit is much smaller that it appears in most of the pictures (I think mine may be a newer design). It's about half the size of either of the keyless entry devices for my cars.

I would highly recommend this hardware for anyone considering a GPS receiver for their Palm.

When I first got the keychain unit I was able to pair it with my Treo 700wx just fine. Now I am unable to get Tom Tom 6 to communicate with it at all, even though it pairs with the phone itself just fine.

I had Garmin mobil 10 (XT on a DVD plus garmin's receiver) on my centro. Problem was that I was always forgetting to bring the receiver, and the receiver performance was pretty weak (needed LOS, kept dropping lock, etc). So bought Freedom keychain receiver. Worked great with google (location only using where am i) and my astronomy program. Unable to use Mobile 10 sw with Freedom so bought Mobile XT card. Took a while to install (probably due to stray mobile 10 sw) but finally got it and couldn't have been happier. Great product.

Do you know if this can be used with a Magellan GPS unit? I see that it could work with a TomTom and other similar devices. Thanks for your help?

Now a days, Treo GPS is a very Popular. Snaps and Information of Treo GPS is very Interesting and Informative for us.