Globalsat BT-359 - GPS receiver module
By: GlobalSat Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 23
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 On: 2008-06-26
My cell provider decided to charge for using the GPS that is internal to my phone. So, I bought this receiver and downloaded free directional software at Nav4all and now have a more accurate and up to date GPS than most. The receiver holds a charge well and Ive had no issues with it working in several U.S. states and in Canada. Ive been impressed with its ability to continue tracking even sitting in a center console between rental car seats. Its extremely small for travel and, if you have your cell phone anyway, is a great option for the road warriors out there.
 On: 2008-06-02
This receiver works well for both driving and walking. We have it paired with a Palm TX loaded with Earth Comber and Street Atlas 2008. Communication with the Palm is nice and stable and reception is good.
On: 2008-05-12
This is a nice GPS puck thats easy to carry, links quickly and has great battery life. I use it with a Verizon Blackberry (Verizon disables the internal GPS). Great in the car for navigation with Google Maps. It works better and saves the $7/mo fee for Verizons VZ Navigator.
One complaint: On walks or biking using battery it shuts off every 5 minutes. Documentation says there is switch in the battery compartment to keep it turned on but the switch is missing.
On: 2008-04-28
Works pretty well. Battery life is amazing. I only use the device with my blackberry to get a lock on where I am, and then get directions from that waypoint. I dont keep it on for long periods of time because my phones battery life would suffer otherwise. That being said, I havent charged the BT-359 in about three weeks now and its still going strong.
One thing to note is that it doesnt work flawlessly with Google Maps. It seemed like the bt-359 would stop communicating with the phone after a minute or two and the location point would stick. I have found that this is a problem with google maps, and NOT the device, because Ive also used it with a laptop and navigation software and it worked flawlessly for several hours.
Overall Im very happy with it, and would recommend it to anybody looking for a nice GPS solution.
On: 2008-04-25
Though no claims are made that this device will run under Linux, for those comfortable with Linux on the Asus EEEPC, this device works well once you configure it. It did take a few hours of tinkering to work out a script to get it to run gpsdrive car navigation, for example. However, the results were extremely impressive and well worth the effort. The device is fast at finding satellites and position. With it, the EEEPC offers highly portable computing with basic navigation in the same unit.
On: 2008-02-26
This worked just as I had hoped it would, and the battery last a lot longer than I ever dreamed it would I use it with Google maps on my blackberry pearl ! It works without any problem and i am a truck driver and use it everyday !
On: 2008-01-24
really great! quick acquisition of signal. very accurate. Covalently small. Good battery life. Good wall and car chargers. Configures easily. Two small problems. Design was different than pictured, simple black but I actually preferred what they sent. Second you can not connect to the unit with the USB cable you must use Bluetooth. Summery exhalent product, now that I have played with it I would say it is worth $150.
On: 2008-01-02
Works great with my BlackBerry Curve 8300 running Google Maps or TeleNav software. No complaints here.
On: 2007-12-27
This bluetooth GPS works pretty well. Its expected that it drops out in tunnels but apart from that its great!
On: 2007-12-26
This bluetooth GPS works pretty well. Its expected that it drops out in tunnels but apart from that its great!
On: 2007-12-15
This device worked fine and up to specifications. It seems to me it may be a bit ahead of its time as I find few things to use this with. Charge this receiver is very easy and it is set to go to sleep if not being used.
Globalsat BT-359 - GPS receiver module
On: 2007-11-15
I tested this unit on the field, using it inside a Dry Pak. It connected to my iPaq in an average time of 1-2 minute in cold boot. In warm boot it was only 10 to 20 seconds. It worked fine in my pants pocket or in the glove box of my car. In a word: great!
On: 2007-09-27
This is a great little device at a great price. I have it paired with a Blacjkberry 8703e. Had to purchase it because the evil marketing geniuses at VZ Wireless decided to disable the internal GPS "to protect their customers privacy"
Anyway, this is a great affordable way around the issue. Now I just need to find some BB GPS Driving SW that will match this devices performance.
It is great, you should get one, expecially if you have an 8703e with the GPS disabled.
 On: 2007-09-03
I dontknow what to expect from the type in general, but the device proved to be generally useless: paired with Blackberry/GoogleMaps, it want able to deliver the location information about 90% of the time. Initial acquisition would take anywhere between 10 minutes and never. Again. I dont know if this is an issue with this brand/model, my own particular specimen or this class of devices in general- but I am not interested anymore. I switched to Mio GPS unit, which has its share of mostly hilarious problems, but at least performs the core function well enough. Whatever I paid for BT359 I consider a writeoff...
On: 2007-08-31
I paired this up with my AT&T 8525(AT&T 8525 PDA Phone (AT&T)) using OnCourses new GPS software (OnCourse Navigator 6 North America Premium Edition* (2GB & 12.5 million POIs))(basically iGo with the new North American Maps). My first real test was a drive from Indianapolis to Milwaukee, via Chicago. The system kept its signal the entire way with no problems.
Usage is pretty simple. Theres only one button after all. The only trouble I had using it with my Cell Phone and PDA was making sure I was using the correct port on both devices to talk to the GPS unit. I normally place it in a little slot in my Focus above the ashtray or leave it in my pocket. Regardless of where I have it, I can always get a good, solid signal from the orbiting satellites. The device is rated to last about 11 hrs on one charge. Indianapolis to Milwaukee is only about 4.5 hrs but the unit still seemed to have a good charge when I arrived. That is, it didnt take very long to recharge it while I was doing other stuff.
Construction feels very solid. The unit is tiny, about the size of a box of matches. It has a mini-USB port on the side, so I can use my existing cable to recharge it from my laptop. The fewer cables I have to deal with when traveling the better :)
Delivery from Amazon was great and the contents of the box matched the description on Amazon.
*Note: Amazon only sells the mini-SD card version of the software. I needed the micro-SD version (+$20) for my cellphone which I got from them directly.
On: 2007-07-30
I bought the device a while ago but last weekend I had the chance to take it for a long ride. It was continuously plugged in my cars cigarette lighter, so I cannot tell anything about the battery life.
The accuracy was really good and I have nothing else to complain other that during those two days it just turned off twice, relatively at short intervals one from the other. At the time it was connected to my PDA and it was showing my location. Just that suddenly the software told me that the connection with the receiver is lost and when I looked at it all the lights were off. I had to power it on, re-pair it with my PDA and everything was fine.
On: 2007-07-26
I received the gps receiver in just a few days. I never read the instuctions, just turned it on and started driving. I never lost signal for an entire 5 hour drive. This gps is great. 5 stars
On: 2007-07-19
Works perfect since day one. Put this thing in your shirt pocket and you never get lost.
On: 2007-05-28
I purchased the BT-359 to use along with a Palm Tungsten E2 for use out in the woods for ecological research. I havent yet taken it out in the field, but I have been successful in linking the two devices. Though, Ill admit that it took me a while. The problem came down to finding a freeware software program that would allow the Palm to operate with the GPS. I finally did come across Cetus GPS, which looks to be a great find! I only give the BT-359 4 stars because the user guide could be a bit clearer. I havent yet decided if the size of the device will be a blessing or a curse! It would be great if they sold a fluorescent sleeve that fit the receiver.
On: 2007-03-03
Received my BT-359, charged it, followed the install directions, and it worked like a charm. It includes a utility to verify serial input from the device on your Bluetooth enabled device (PocketPC, Windows, et al).
Compact, easy to use, sensitive, long battery life.
I paired it with my Dell Axim X51v running Pocket PC Windows Mobile 5 (WM5). The directions for config of WM5 for Bluetooth pairing with the BT-359 was a synch. Setting up WM5 to use the GPS serial device took a few too many steps (blame this on WM5) and a little bit of tinkering. The documentation provided was a little confusing about settomg input and output serial devices (again, blame WM5). There are instructions on the packaging and a few more docs on the distribution CD. After reviewing them all, the directions were pretty thorough.
That done, it boots and connects with my Axim every time within 5-10 seconds and is sending data within approx 15-20 sec.
It has managed 8 to 12 satellites, inside my house and car. As a test, once the Sats were located, I went into a two story building. It continued tracking 8 Sats for at least 30 mins (til I got bored waiting for a change and turned it off).
Have been using the BT-359 with iGuidance 3.0. Has worked very well. No complaints so far. Turning GPS or Axim on in either order (even with iGuidance already running) has been flawless.
Very happy with this device!
On: 2007-02-20
I got this item about a week ago, and am quite pleased with it.
I am using it in conjunction with TomTom Navigator 6 installed on a Treo 700W phone, running Windows Mobile 5. Ive also used it with Google Map, and have found no real problems.
Bluetooth: pairing the receiver with the phone is a breeze. Just follow the instructions provided on the accmopanying CD. There are a couple of settings for WM5 thats only available on the CD. Setup can be a pain if you dont read the instructions first and set up the correct outgoing port.
GPS Signal: quite good. Ive placed the receiver on the car dashboard, and have made one 500 mile round-trip with it, and on average have reception from 5+ satellites. The boot-up time of the receiver is 30-60 seconds, and the TomTom software validates the signal about 5 seconds after that.
Battery life: good. The fully charged battery lasted the entire 500 mile trip with no problem. It comes with a car charger and a wall charger.
Side note: the only issue I had was not with the receiver, but with the software. TomTom software made one mistake thinking two roads are connected when they are not.
On: 2007-01-13
The only way to contact customer support is over email. They have no contact number. Now, were all integrating this device with various other PDAs and Laptops through a variety of different software programs. The idea of even attempting to troubleshoot your device over email is indicative of their commitment to their consumers.
On: 2007-01-12
The only way to contact customer support is over email. They have no contact number. Now, were all integrating this device with various other PDAs and Laptops through a variety of different software programs. The idea of even attempting to troubleshoot your device over email is indicative of their commitment to their consumers.
On: 2006-12-28
This device works great for both my Windows Mobile phone with Tomtom and my Blackberry Pearl which has its own Maps software. It was very simple to pair it up with both phones. The Bluetooth range is very good, I can go the back of my full size van while the GPS is on the front dash. Although I live in the suburbs and not an urban canyon, Ive not lost satellite contact yet. It must have a good antenna, but there is nothing to flip up or align, just push the button to turn it on and youre golden.
On: 2006-09-20
This is the most accurate GPS I have ever used. It states accuracy within 3 meters 95% of the time, and I can vouce for that! This unit works inside my house, ANYWHERE in my car, including my glovebox, and in my pocket.
This unit far exceeds expectations, it is work $399, so at this price it is a steal.
If you are looking for a PDA/Laptop gps unit, dont even consider anything else, look no further! This is the one!
The SIRFstarIII is an incredible chipset.
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