GlobalSat BT-359 Bluetooth GPS Receiver

In anticipation of my move to a big, unknown city (NYC), I figured that I could finally justify splurging on a GPS toy. This is something I’ve wanted for quite some time, but really got the craving for after a friend showed off his GPS-equipped Blackberry 8800.

Ever since I read Paul’s review of Mobile GPS, I was aware that even the GPS-lacking models are able to be connected via Bluetooth.

After a couple frustrating calls to (my carrier) T-Mobile’s “accessories department,” who had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, I walked into an at&t store and picked up the GlobatSat BT-359 for the low price of $99 bucks. Note that Amazon currently has this available for $85.95 + shipping.

Right out of the box, the device is a steal. Since the BT-359 is powered via my favorite mini-USB port, it comes with a USB cable, a generic wall plug, AND a car charger. With about 25 bucks in freebie accessories, I was very please with my purchase. I also found out that it was fully charged and ready to go.

New toy in hand, I quickly paired it with my Blackberry Pearl, fired up Google Maps (which comes with built-in GPS functionality) and waited for satellite lock. This took longer than I expected because my location (Lexington and 57th St) is surrounded by awfully large buildings. Finally, Google Maps prompted me to “hit 0 to zoom to my location” and there I was on the little map, represented by a blinking arrow. As I began to walk West on 57th, it kept right up. Pretty damn cool!

While the real-time tracking leaves a little to be desired, sometimes saying I was headed East, then west, then east, then west then…. you get the idea, the real killer is never having to wonder where your starting point is while in search of directions.

Case in point: I took the subway into an unknown part of midtown to meet someone for lunch, and realized that I needed to cash a check in order to pay for the food. Now, New York is the land of a million Bank of America’s, the trouble lies in finding the closest one to you. Had I had this gizmo, I could have simply typed in the query, and Google would have triangulated my position, decided the closest one, and then given me block by block instructions. Essentially, with a clear view of the sky and a couple bars of GPRS (preferably EDGE), I will never be lost again.

Since at&t was the only carrier competent enough to figure out what I was looking for (when I said that I wanted a Bluetooth powered GPS receiver for my Pearl to t-mobile, the “accessories expert/imbecile” on the other line paused for a second and then said… “headset?” No, bluetooth G-P-S. “headset?” *CLICK*) here is a link to their accessories page: BT-359 . Among other things, the device touts compatibility with the Blackberry Pearl, 8700c, and the Curve, as well as select Motorola, Palm, Samsung and Ericcson models.

Tech Specs:

• Rechargeable Li-Ion battery
• 11 hours of operation time
• Auto shut-off if no BT signal is detected within 10 minutes
• sleek, palm-of-your-hand design

Although signal can be difficult to reach in the city, I highly recommend this device for anyone that finds themselves in new cities frequently, a fan of Google maps, or just about anyone who needs directions periodically and doesn’t have the time to get misinformation from locals.

There are also many other software packages that will take advantage of the GPS receiver including Telenav, Wisepilot, and Mobile Tracker which will output your GPS coordinates in KML for use in Google Earth or other Geolocation products.