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This post got lost in a locked thread, figured I would repost it.
It's a real big band-aid, but it works fine for the car and is easier than rolling the dice and getting a new phone.
I spent 20 bucks and got a tom tom bluetooth GPS receiver, combined with a free up on the market called "Bluetooth GPS Provider" and I get 1M accuracy in Maps/Nav. Since I primarily only use the GPS in the car, it's not that big of a deal to leave an accessory in there.
If you need good in car nav, and are tired of waiting for a fix, something like this is the way to go. Tested for over 400 miles of driving, never lost a fix or lost track.
http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Blueto...I2YY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292625649&sr=8-1
Edit: Link fixed, thanks.
Whole link did not copy ...
http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Blueto...I2YY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292625649&sr=8-1
Thats what Samsung should do to resolve the issue, they need to release the Galaxy S GPS Repair Kit. It comes with one of these GPS Receivers and a piece of double-sided sticky tape...EPIC!
Yeah, it's kludgy, but it works great for the car. Only thing that really sucks is that the tomtom doesn't charge from USB, means having to carry another charger too. Oh well, battery last a good long time at least.
Holy markdown batman! $149.99 marked down to $18.99? How could that thing ever be worth $150?!
That's actually kinda tempting.
polarbee said:
Holy markdown batman! $149.99 marked down to $18.99? How could that thing ever be worth $150?!
That's actually kinda tempting.
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That receiver is old school. It's from the pre-smartphone days when everybody rocked iPAQs. The $150 MSRP was normal back then.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
It's still a sirf-star and better than what's working on the captivate right now!
I decided to go the same route as you. Although, I wish I did earlier because that TomTom receiver is longer available for $20 on Amazon. I ended up getting a Globalsat BT-359 for $40.95 instead.
I have to say, while not the ideal solution, it's by far the best one yet. GPS now works perfectly. Fast locks, pinpoint accuracy, no lag, and never loses its lock. It basically works how you expect a GPS to work. While it does suck that I had to spend extra money on the receiver, and that I now have the extra steps of connecting/disconnecting the receiver whenever I need to use it, it's a small price to pay to eliminate the frustration induced when using the poor excuse of a built-in GPS.
I don't know about you guys, but I always had a bit of anxiety when using the built-in GPS. Cuz at every point, I was worrying about something. At the beginning, I'd worry about how long it'd take to obtain a lock. Then once I get the lock, I worry about how accurate it will be, how long I'll keep that lock, and whether or not the GPS will lag behind. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I was able to drive without having to worry about how the GPS was going to behave.
Although, this still doesn't change my attitude towards Samsung Mobile (I specify Mobile because I've had no issues with their TVs). As soon as AT&T releases a high-end Android phone that doesn't have a deal breaking issue, I'm buying it outright and selling my Captivate on craigslist.
I have a question about this thing: I use BT stereo to play music in the car. Can I use both devices at once?
Me too
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
ScottyNuttz said:
I have a question about this thing: I use BT stereo to play music in the car. Can I use both devices at once?
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I'm able to use my bluetooth headset at the same time, so probably.
Donatron said:
I decided to go the same route as you. Although, I wish I did earlier because that TomTom receiver is longer available for $20 on Amazon. I ended up getting a Globalsat BT-359 for $40.95 instead.
I have to say, while not the ideal solution, it's by far the best one yet. GPS now works perfectly. Fast locks, pinpoint accuracy, no lag, and never loses its lock. It basically works how you expect a GPS to work. While it does suck that I had to spend extra money on the receiver, and that I now have the extra steps of connecting/disconnecting the receiver whenever I need to use it, it's a small price to pay to eliminate the frustration induced when using the poor excuse of a built-in GPS.
I don't know about you guys, but I always had a bit of anxiety when using the built-in GPS. Cuz at every point, I was worrying about something. At the beginning, I'd worry about how long it'd take to obtain a lock. Then once I get the lock, I worry about how accurate it will be, how long I'll keep that lock, and whether or not the GPS will lag behind. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I was able to drive without having to worry about how the GPS was going to behave.
Although, this still doesn't change my attitude towards Samsung Mobile (I specify Mobile because I've had no issues with their TVs). As soon as AT&T releases a high-end Android phone that doesn't have a deal breaking issue, I'm buying it outright and selling my Captivate on craigslist.
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Are you running Eclair or Froyo on your Captivate?
Found it here...
hxxp://dealsproshop.auctivacommerce.com/TomTom-Bluetooth-GPS-Receiver-for-USA-and-Canada-P1259994.aspx#
This is a great idea. Also, if anybody has an older android phone with working gps that they no longer use, the same outcome can be achieved with a couple simple apps. I'm using my lg eve to send the gps signal to my captivate via bluetooth and it works flawlessly.
GPS on Captivate is already fixed, it works great on latest versions of Axura/Phoenix, but for 20 bucks it's good purchase anyway
Too bad that shipping to Europe costs more than reciever itself.
joedoe said:
Are you running Eclair or Froyo on your Captivate?
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Froyo. I'm currently running Cog 2.3b8.
TheNaturat said:
GPS on Captivate is already fixed, it works great on latest versions of Axura/Phoenix, but for 20 bucks it's good purchase anyway
Too bad that shipping to Europe costs more than reciever itself.
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I haven't tried Phoenix yet, just Axura before it died. When you say "fixed", do you mean significantly improved, or legitimately fixed. Like if you were to do a head-to-head comparison with a Captivate paired with a bluetooth GPS receiver, would you be able to tell the difference? Cuz with the receiver, it's pretty much perfect performance.
Donatron said:
Froyo. I'm currently running Cog 2.3b8.
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I tried to attach a MTK v2 based i-Blue 737A+ Bluetooth GPS Receiver to Eclair, but it says
paired but not connected. However it works great with Galaxy Pad with less then 1 meter accuracy
There seem to be some limitations on the bluetooth. Im able to use any 2 of the gps, my bt headset or my bt obdii scanner, but all three at once and one of em wont work.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Donatron said:
I haven't tried Phoenix yet, just Axura before it died. When you say "fixed", do you mean significantly improved, or legitimately fixed. Like if you were to do a head-to-head comparison with a Captivate paired with a bluetooth GPS receiver, would you be able to tell the difference? Cuz with the receiver, it's pretty much perfect performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fully working, reliable GPS device. I don't have Bluetooth reciever, but in comparision to my dedicated Garmin navigation based on legendary SiRFstar III chipset there is no real diffrence, maybe it takes few seconds more to lock, but it's diffrence between like 5 and 10 seconds, so rather negligible in real use.
My phone constantly runs out of battery when i need it the most.
I have an anycan portable power pack thing allready and its good, however i dont always remember to take it with me.
So im looking for a 2nd one and came across this little thing
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EXTERNAL-...303?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item336667368f
Has anyone here purchased one? if so how much of a charge does it give your phone?
Or could anyone give me links to anything similar to the powermonkey for about half the price? and preferably in the UK as im going away in a weeks time.
Thanks
just seen this, sounds good for the money, another listing for the same looking items shows same figures as the power monkey?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2200-Li-Ion-P...ories_MobilePhoneChargers&hash=item41552d55f7
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=3001
This one works very well, much better than that one, i bought it for 20 euro's in a local electronic store, charges it 2,5-3 times from 15-100
Thanks for that. Does it hold enough power to give the desire 1 full charge or more ? ?
And can you plug in your own usb cables or does it have a different connector?
Cheers
I re-read your post last night(2am) and orderd the advanced pack for £19.99.
good price, free post and the item sounds decent!
I should hopefully have it by wednesday/thursday so just in time for me to go away on sunday.
I think you'll already know, you can put any usb(cable) in it, only if you charge the thing itself it uses MINI-usb(not micro like desire) so don't lose that cable and use the one you got.
PS: i don't use the torch but it is a very good one, provides a lot of light.
Yes i read up on it, expansys have posted it out allready so should be with me in time for my trip
I got the advanced kit aswell so im happy about that.
And i have plenty of torches so cant see myself using that much either tbh.
Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction!
BIG praise to exansys as i orderd it around 2am yesterday morning and it was waiting for me when i got home from work today.
I will be plugging it in very soon for its 1st 8hr charge as it has no charge at all right now.
I have 1 question for you though TopGear63z, the smaller pouch, is it supposed to be a single compartment pouch or has the lining come away from one side of mine?
Thanks
as you have an advanced kit> you should have such a pouch without it.. the big one is for the thing itself+ the cable> the small one is just for the car charger or on of the other things> so it doesn't need that lining as the big one has.
Im fussy so i will try and get it changed lol
So i gave the thing a full 8 or 9 hours first charge and used it to charge my phone whilst at work today.
Fully charged my phone, choiix unit down to 2leds from 4.
Im really pleased with it and highly recommend it to everyone!!
TopGear63z said:
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=3001
This one works very well, much better than that one, i bought it for 20 euro's in a local electronic store, charges it 2,5-3 times from 15-100
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Click to collapse
Thanks, this one is good to me.
Ok. I love my Inspire + Android but the battery life just kills me. I'm a heavy GPS user because I go to NYC a lot and need to find places where to eat, subway directions, LIRR schedule, etc.
Anyway I was thinking, since the battery for the Inspire is small and thin, would it be safe to keep a spare charged battery in my wallet for when I need it? Even in my back pocket would be a good place to put it.
Yeah, plenty of people buy a second battery to switch out when one dies. When I bought my phone at Radioshack they tried to sell me one. It will be fine, just don't let the battery get too hot and maybe put it in something so no piece of metal can make pins contact each other.
Thanks for the answer
Two other options:
1) External battery. I have this one from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Energizer®-XP...2WWI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1313594802&sr=8-5
Works pretty well. You simply attach it to the phone via a USB cable, and it charges it up.
2) Recently bought a powerskin case
http://www.amazon.com/PowerSkin-AP1..._1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1313594686&sr=1-1
This adds bulk to the phone, but is really nice to have. Simply attach the case to the phone and you are good to go. The battery in the case keeps the phone charged. I only recently got this, but it works really well for all day use. The bulkiness of the case could be an issue. I only use it when I know that I will be away from a powersource all day. Otherwise, I go to my regular case, which is much slimmer.
Hope this helps.
I just rooted and s-off, battery life is much better.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
So I was scanning eBay for Bluetooth docks, and came across this, " Bluetooth A2DP Music Audio Receiver Adapter for iPhone 4 4S iPod ". Search for it on eBay, without the quotation marks obviously.
Wow, really? I'm not allowed to post a clickable link to eBay??? How about the moderators just do their job and remove spam posts like the moderators on other forums I'm on do, rather than **** up new members ability to post helpful information. Because I'm damn sure not gonna run back out and get my post count up just so I can post a link.
Anyway............................
It's an adapter that sits in an iPod/iPhone dock, and receives audio via Bluetooth! It requires, obviously, a dock that is capable of charging the iPod/iPhone, as it uses that as it's power source. I have a Samsung HW-D7000 Blu-Ray receiver that came with an iPod/iPhone dock, and this will be put to great use now, rather than just sitting in the box in my attic! Hahaha. And at only freakin $16, it's a great deal! I'll come back and let you guys know how well it works as soon as I receive it, and get to test it out.
Also, this opens up out possibilities for buying docks for out phones too! I actually already have a Phillips Fidelio AS140 Android dock, and it is awesome! Has great sound via Bluetooth, and honestly, I prefer being able to play music through a dock without it being required to be sitting in the dock. As I know it's bad on the battery to continually be in a charging status, but also it's very nice to be able to carry the phone around the house in my pocket and control the volume and music being played, rather than awkwardly leaning down to use the phone on the dock.
Holy ****!!! This is absolutely the most aggravating forum to post to that I have ever been on as a new member!
Hahahahahahahahahahaha, oh my dear freakin' god. And I received an "Error" trying to post this also! Gotta wait 5 minutes before I'm allowed to post again. Maybe one day, xda with graciously allow me to offer up help without it being a pain in the ass to do so. I'm not an expert, but I do like to offer help and advice when I'm able to.
Sorry for the rants, I get angry when things don't work like I would like them to. Hahaha.
The restrictions, while aggravating, are there to prevent spam and malware links. Frustrating, but necessary unfortunately.
That's a great find, though. Provided it works (I see no reason it shouldn't) it opens up the previously very limited number of Android capable docks, and makes a Bluetooth solution very affordable.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727
liquidzoo said:
The restrictions, while aggravating, are there to prevent spam and malware links. Frustrating, but necessary unfortunately.
That's a great find, though. Provided it works (I see no reason it shouldn't) it opens up the previously very limited number of Android capable docks, and makes a Bluetooth solution very affordable.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727
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Yea, I understand why the restrictions would be put into place, but I also take responsibility for my own computer, and what finds its way onto it. Enough of that though.
I will most certainly be relaying how well this works, and any quirks it may have. I did find a Bluetooth receiver that can be used with any stereo with a 3.5mm audio input, and it has about a 3-4 hour battery life. The only issue with it so far, is that it can only be used on battery power. You can't just plug the charger up, and leave it. So basically, you use it until the battery dies, and you must charge it completely, then unplug the charger before you're able to use it again. It's still pretty impressively simple, functional, and easy to use tho.
Hey guys
After a notable absence of Android in my life I'm heading back over with a TF300T. Now, as you may guess from the title I want to talk about my various connection options and draw from your experiences with the device to help me make the right choice in terms of getting my new baby online outside my house.
Obviously I could have gotten a device with built in modem but nothing really turned my head in terms of price and stuff, and as I recall just buying a device that just does what you want it to do already isn't really the Android spirit; half the fun is getting there.
Anyway, this leaves me with a number of imperfect options for data connections:
My phone will happily tether up to the tablet and because my network are cool dudes I can do that for free. Problem is that doing so means I can't make/recieve calls and texts while I'm tethered up and since I want mobile data love when I'm out of the house working that would seem to not be a great idea.
Secondly I could jump in with a mobile wifi thing, but I'm really not keen to get a another contract to make that happen and the amounts of data I'm likely to use (literally just web browsing for now and forever) are somewhat low and somewhat infrequent, making this seem to be a pretty bad useage of money. Also with devices offering 'Up to 5 hours of battery life'; well lets just that's not going to last me long enough to be useful.
Finally, I can grab a 3G USB stick and duck tape it to the device. It's the right stuff for my requirements, but it seems kinda non-trivial to hook up a USB device to the undocked tablet and certainly it seems totally unrealistic to wander around holding the tablet with usb adapter, then modem dongle sticking six inches out of the bottom. At worst it'll fall out, at best I'll break it. In the dock this looks great, assuming it'll work in the standard USB port, but outside it just seems silly.
My hope really was that I'd be able to find a cable that'd go from the propitiatory connector (Bad Asus!) to female usb so I could potentially stick the dongle flat against the back of the tablet without noticeably increasing it's footprint, but that seems unlikely. I've seen a guy on youtube who can make such a cable, but it takes soldering and that's somewhat outside my abilities.
So what kind of approach had you guys taken and what experiences have you had using this kind of ghetto-interweb solution? The key is to find the right add on that will let me still use my phone properly, that will give me long endurance but also minimal hassle... A bit of a reach really, but maybe I'm not thinking of all the options.
Apologies if anyone thinks this is in the wrong place, my XDA-fu is a little rusty but I'm pretty sure I'm in the right place. I've googled around and while I can find plenty of stuff telling me all the ways to hook the internet up, no-one seems to be answering what way I should approach making it all happen.
Best choice for me has been a mifi. Look up a Huawei 585 or 589 and plug in a sim and away you go. You can get some very cheap rolling monthly contracts these days for data only plans.
How have you found the battery life to be in practice? Can I leave the thing switched on and get some reasonable proportion of a day out of it? My hope really is that the battery estimates they give are 'x hours of actual internetting' instead of 'x hours of being switched on'. If it'll just quietly sit and stay connected for most of a day then that'll probably be fine, but if I have to finesse the thing on and off all day long just to get past lunch time that sounds pretty bad for my situation.