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 Hardware OK, Software is 30 day trial. Aug 31, 2004
Hardware works fine. The software is 30 day trial. It is not "full version" as the write-up indicates. So far Amazon has not responded to two e-mails for help.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Very Good Jul 23, 2004
Its been 3 weeks since I bought this CF GPS receiver for my HP Ipaq 2210.
Setting up the Software, and the hardware was easy. The initial fix (for the very first time, while being indoors in Manhattan with an antenna) took me almost 10 min. That scared me. However since then, I have not faced any problems. The average cold start takes me anywhere between 1-3 minutes.
Last week I drove up to Toronto from NYC and back (500 miles each way) and had the opportunity to fully test the GPS. The receiver worked much better than I imagined. There was no problems with satelites fixes, and it lost fix only once for few minutes. During my entire trip, I never had to use the external antenna, which was a pleasant surprise as I was under the impression that I NEEDED to use the external antenna while driving.
PocketMap Navigator software comes with this GPS. I am not sure if its a trail version, as it is no where mentioned as such. I also have downloaded Mapopolis trail software to compare these two. I like both of them. I find there is more map detail in Mapopolis. Creating a route in PMN is easier, as it downloads relevant maps on its own unlike in Mapopolis, you need to know which maps you need. I found the interface in PMN much better. However, there is no Canadian content in PMN. I look forward to the day when they have it.
In short, I am very happy with Ambicom CF GPS receiver. It is very slim and small. Its very economically priced, and based on my experience, a very good buy.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Ambicon GPS pro Mar 06, 2004
I purchased this product for use treking. The gps unit using the built in antenna will not pickup more than 1 satellite . This does not give a fix. The unit is not usable using the built in antenna. If I connect the external with the 8 foot cord the unit works good (tracks 5 or more satellites and gives a very good fix. (22 feet cep) I can use the device if I velcro the antenna to the top of my hat but then I have an 8 foot cord dangling. Ambicom tech support suggests laying the Pocket-pc with the gps unit on the ground and waiting 2 minutes. Results no better.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Very nice, so far so good (3 weeks) Feb 27, 2004
Bought this w. an iPAQ 2215, installation was very straightforward using the Quick Installation Guides. I had to change the COM port (as described in the guide), and after several attempts, COM 7 worked. It seems to switch COM ports from time to time, I don't know why.I need the external antennae indoors, and especially to initially acquire the satellites, but within my car, it appears to be just sensitive enough without (tried on a clear day). I still mostly use the external antennae in the car, I'm hoping the extra sensitivity will perhaps reduce the power drain. Although the antennae has a magnet on the back, there's usually nothing in the car to stick it to, so I just wrap it around the rear view mirror. I think the difference between this product and Ambicom's non "Pro" version, is this version's navigation software isn't a 30-day trial version, its Space Machine's Pocketmap Navigator V2 (last years). I went to Space Machine's website to download a slightly newer version, and newer maps, all for free. I will probably pay the $30 for the latest V3 software upgrade. The current version very occasionally seems to hang, requiring a soft-reset of the iPAQ. Also, for some reason it had problems downloading maps, I had to manually remove partially downloaded "San Francsico" to get it to re-install correctly. The mapping mostly works great, but there were a few problems, in Santa Monica it tried to direct me off a cliff, because it erroneously thought there was a connector road from Arizona street to the coast highway (there isn't). Also, it couldn't find Studio City, CA at all, I believe because its part of North Hollywood. It also refused to believe that certain address ranges exist on certain streets, but I suppose this is to be expected since numbering can be very idiosyncratic. Lastly, it misses an occasional better route in San Francisco (e.g. through Golden Gate Park), probably because those roads are closed to traffic on Sundays. Fair enough, it can't be expected to handle that situation. Also, it's voice prompting usually mis-pronounces the various Spanish names in California. I don't know if the V3 software with the V3 maps, will help. Still, overall, the software works well, most of the time. Doesn't seem to drain power too fast (compared to say an 802.11b CF card). With everything at max power (the PDA's backlight, sound, etc., and no auto-turn-off), its probably good for a couple hours. My only complaints with the Ambicom GPS Pro/iPAQ 2215 combo, mostly have to do with the iPAQ, but I'm writing it here because the problems really relate to its use w. GPS: 1. the speaker in the 2215 is too soft (at max volume) to hear the driving directions, given the background ambient noise in the car. Perhaps this isn't the 2215 's fault (other sounds, and voice notes are loud enough), but having the speaker on the back of the 2215 makes the problem worse. Using earbuds with the iPAQ to improve the volume, would be a bad idea, obviously. 2. The 2215 screen is too dark (at max brightness), given the relative daylight brightness in the car. 3. To store any useful amount of map data, you're going to need to add an SDIO memory card. I tried to store 3 SF Bay area counties (SF, San Mateo, Alameda) plus LA county, and it exceeds the available on-board memory in the 2215 (32 Mb). I added a 256 Mb SD card ..., and I can hold 2/3 of California, perhaps more, but that's all I needed. Make sure your PDA has an SDIO slot or more on-board memory. 4. Probably to be really useful in the car, it needs a "car kit" (mounting bracket, DC power supply, powered speakers, perhaps a way to mount the external antennae). Still, its a very nice and inexpensive way to get GPS/Navigation.
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based on 4 reviews
