Gps Mobile Phones

[Jared]

Does anyone know what phones are available in Thailand and have GPS. I was thinking of getting GPS for the car but as I need to upgrade the mobile I can kill 2 birds with one stone, any suggestions?

Jed

[mgjackson69]

Almost every mobile phone in existence is available in Thailand...go shopping

[Jared]

Thanks for the usefull feedback. Like you said I could go shopping and spend a day talking to all the thai female sales staff who dont know anything about there products or I could ask about gps phones in this forum and see if anyone who has one could recommend one.

[aidenai]

Does anyone know what phones are available in Thailand and have GPS. I was thinking of getting GPS for the car but as I need to upgrade the mobile I can kill 2 birds with one stone, any suggestions?

Jed

Jed, several types of Nokia have built-in GPS. At this site you can find several types. It's partly in Thai, though. http://www.tohome.com/catalog.aspx?catalog_id=543

In general, mobile phone with GPS does not come near dedicated car navigators regarding capabilties. You have to consider what you want the mobile phone with built-in GPS for. I bought two months ago the Nokia 6500 slide, black edition (10,700 THB) because I wanted a built-in 3.2 MP camera. I always wanted to have a GPS. Was thinking about a Garmin Nuvi 200. It costs 12,700 THB. Buy the Garmin tomorrow?

I made up my mind. Today I ordered a Nokia E71. It has GPS, a qwerty keyboard, productivity programs, WLAN, a 3.2 MP camera and ......................you can also call with it . This phone suits my needs for both work and leisure.

Good luck in making a choice.

Aidenai

Edited September 3, 2008 by aidenai

[mgjackson69]

Once you buy a GPS-capable phone, you may or may not have to buy a GPS application also.

I have the HTC TyTNII. It is GPS-capable but does not currently have a "standalone" GPS app loaded. I have the Google Maps app loaded. It uses the GPRS/EDGE connection to get the maps for the area that you are in. Your rough location is calculated by the cell sites you are in contact with (here in Chok Chai, within 1800 meters). You can also activate the GPS portion and get your location down to a few meters, near as I can tell.

I did notice that as I got further north, the location fix without GPS was not functional.

This phone is Windows Mobile based...I think TomTom and others make some mobile GPS apps. For my needs right now Google Maps is sufficient. For more precise work, where I need lat/long and more capabilities, I have my trusty Garmin 12XL...it is a dinosaur by the standards of today's GPS receivers, no maps or automatic routing, but it does what I need.

[mgjackson69]

Thanks for the usefull feedback. Like you said I could go shopping and spend a day talking to all the thai female sales staff who dont know anything about there products or I could ask about gps phones in this forum and see if anyone who has one could recommend one.

Well, your first question was "...what phones are available in Thailand and have GPS."

By "go shopping" I did not necessarily mean "spend a day talking to all the thai female sales staff who dont know anything". As much as I like the Thai ladies, that would be enough to make anyone crazy. All of the info that you need is on the internet.

A lot really depends upon what your GPS needs are. If you are going to get into some heavy-duty usage such as hiking, etc...you might want to go ahead and get a standalone GPS unit. One thing to keep in mind, with a GPS-capable phone...when the GPS unit is active you will have more drain on the battery, plus if you are actively using the GPS the LCD backlight will be on more as well.

For my phone, I consider the GPS capability a nice bonus. I was really after the connectivity options (Bluetooth, WiFi, GPRS/EDGE, quad-band phone), the large display, and the QWERTY keyboard. Also the fact that the OS is Windows-based is a plus for me...having "Office Lite" apps such as Word and Excel is handy.

My phone is the HTC TyTNII...expensive here though, I have seen it in the shops for around 34000 THB. I got mine in USA through AT&T for about 250 USD or so after the discount etc...I am a current customer with AT&T, had to extend 2 years.

[CDNinKS]

Hi Jared,

I was in exactly the same situation as you.....check this link for my comments:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Nokia-6210-N...or-t209785.html

[Digitalbanana]

I wanted a phone with GPS and last year bought an O2 Flame. It doesn't actually have a GPS but connects effortlessly to my bluetooth GPS which gives added versatility on antenna positioning, connectivity to other devices and battery power. The O2 has a 3.6inch VGA screen which is as good a resolution as I have seen and I need it for maps. The Windows o/s albeit flakey at times offers the best choice of softwares for mapping to choose from that can be found almost anywhere on net for northing.

Of course the O2 is obsolete now and if it breaks I am clueless as to what I might want with such reconfigurability and high res large screen size in a phone. None of the HTC phones come close.

[canopy]

Are any or all GPS phones suitable for navigating while driving in Thailand? Are there any features to look for or problems that make them impractical? Are they practical for a long trip that lasts a day into the boonies or threading through Bangkok? It seems a large, dash mounted unit would be the ideal for that purpose but wondering if these phones can get the job done.

[Gary A]

I have refrained from criticizing GPS phones because I really don't want to irritate those who have them and like them. To answer your question, yes they are usable BUT they have way too many disadvantages. The first problem is that the satellite antenna does not do a very good job of locking on the satellites and when it finally does, it is quite slow. The next thing is the small screen. If you ever use a dedicated dash mounted GPS, you will never be happy with the screen on a phone. Finally entering information with the keypad is impossible while driving and a phone call will kill the satellite signal, normally at the exact moment you need the GPS. I'd advise you to buy a new 999 baht Nokia 1200 and invest in a dedicated GPS. The newer SIRF satellite antenna is excellent and much faster and more sensitive than the older GPS units. I have both. I wouldn't buy another GPS if it did not have the new style antenna.

[CDNinKS]

No offence taken Gary A

Gary is absolutly right, if you are planning on using a GPS everyday for commuting around Bangkok (or any city) then a dedicated GPS is the way to go.

If however you only need a GPS for the occasional road trip and to avoid the inevitable going in circles in Trang, then my Nokia 6210 is fine. It has voice commands, so screen size is not that critical and with a car charger battery life is not an issue.

[LivinLOS]

If your using windows mobile, or nokia / symbian, or a PDA system..

Be aware you can add Garmin XT and the ERSI maps to it, making it the same mapping solution as the garmin dedicated units. So if your finding the GPS functions built in not so great, then this is a substantial upgrade.

[aidenai]

If your using windows mobile, or nokia / symbian, or a PDA system..

Be aware you can add Garmin XT and the ERSI maps to it, making it the same mapping solution as the garmin dedicated units. So if your finding the GPS functions built in not so great, then this is a substantial upgrade.

Thanks for this info, sir. Did not know that Garmin XT would run on Symbian.

[aidenai]

If your using windows mobile, or nokia / symbian, or a PDA system..

Be aware you can add Garmin XT and the ERSI maps to it, making it the same mapping solution as the garmin dedicated units. So if your finding the GPS functions built in not so great, then this is a substantial upgrade.

Nokia Maps worked very well on my E71. Unfortunately navigation (routing and voice) will work, after signing up, for only 90 days. After that period navigation does not work anymore and you have to purchase a license to continue the use of navigation. The prices for the diverse licenses are between 69-130 Euro per year.

I loaded my E71, with Garmin Mobile XT and the ESRI Thailand Streetmaps V8.0. It is much more detailed, it has much more features and after the initial costs, there are no extra subscription costs.

LivinLOS, thanks again for the tip.

Cheers, Aidenai

[Jared]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Today i went to the Nokia shop in MBK and had a look at the phones, I had been recommended the E71 by quite a few people and I also like the look of the N96. After waiting 10 minutes for the sales assistant to get off the phone to her friend, I then had a 20 minute clueless conversation about both mobiles. My wife was dieing from the flu and waiting to go home I also had my 2 year old son running round the store driving my wife crazy, very stressful times. So after being told by the wife to get buy one or there leaving with out me, i choose the E71 to which I got the reply, this one sold out. Ok ill have the other one, sorry this one sold out as well. So why the hel_l have I spent the last 30 minutes in your shop having you help me decide which one suits my needs. At this point I just had to leave as I could of strangled her to death.

Anyway Im back in Korat now so I have to buy something locally here, probably cost me a bit more but at least they'll have it in stock. A couple of things I wanted to know about the E71 that a few of you guys who have the phone may know. Does the GPS have a voice? and also can i receive my emails as soon as my hotmail account receives them? I thought this was a new feature on this phone that u got your emails instant but the lady in the shop told me, you have to log onto the internet or if you are in a wifi zone you can receive them?

[aidenai]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Today i went to the Nokia shop in MBK and had a look at the phones, I had been recommended the E71 by quite a few people and I also like the look of the N96. After waiting 10 minutes for the sales assistant to get off the phone to her friend, I then had a 20 minute clueless conversation about both mobiles. My wife was dieing from the flu and waiting to go home I also had my 2 year old son running round the store driving my wife crazy, very stressful times. So after being told by the wife to get buy one or there leaving with out me, i choose the E71 to which I got the reply, this one sold out. Ok ill have the other one, sorry this one sold out as well. So why the hel_l have I spent the last 30 minutes in your shop having you help me decide which one suits my needs. At this point I just had to leave as I could of strangled her to death.

Anyway Im back in Korat now so I have to buy something locally here, probably cost me a bit more but at least they'll have it in stock. A couple of things I wanted to know about the E71 that a few of you guys who have the phone may know. Does the GPS have a voice? and also can i receive my emails as soon as my hotmail account receives them? I thought this was a new feature on this phone that u got your emails instant but the lady in the shop told me, you have to log onto the internet or if you are in a wifi zone you can receive them?

Hi Jared,

The Nokia E71 is a great phone with very good reviews. Here is one. Follow the link: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e71-review-266.php

It's out of stock because a lot of people want it. Last week on Wednesday I went to famous telephone shop chain because they had it on stock. The wanted THB 19,990. I said f@#$%^ you. Went to the another shop and they ordered it for me but it would arrive on Saturday. Okay with me. I paid THB 15,990. I have it now since last Saturday.

All Nokia GPS Navigators come with Nokia Maps 2.0. They have the maps, direction arrows and voice but ...............it's functional for 90 days only. After that period you have to buy a license to continue having all the features or you could load Garmin Mobile XT and Thailand Streetmaps V8.0 as I did. No subscription.

The Nokia E71 is a phone with many features and to be honest I am stil playing around. What I found out until now is that I have set my email to yahoo. One push on a button and it asks what network to connect to, and the messages are on my phone.

aidenai

[CDNinKS]

Unless you really want or need the WiFi function, the Nokia 6210 does GPS very well and it comes with 6 months free of voice guidance and it is cheaper than the E71.

I have not tried it, but here is a link for what looks like a free download of Garmin XT software:

http://www.nokiasymbianthemes.com/free-mob...gation-download

[aidenai]

I thought this was a new feature on this phone that u got your emails instant but the lady in the shop told me, you have to log onto the internet or if you are in a wifi zone you can receive them?

The lady has it partly right. When you let the email settings connect to WLAN only, you always have to connect first. When you use your operator's internet (GPRS, etc.), it will connect automatically, where ever you are. You can set the interval of checking, the days, the period of the day, etc to save costs.

Edited September 13, 2008 by aidenai

[Jared]

Brought the E71, very nice phone but the manual was in Thai, Ive downloaded the English version but I still need some help.

Do you know how I can set up a hotmail account?

also windows live messenger would be helpfull aswell?

[paveet]

I've had the E71 for nearly 2 months now, bought since it first hit the shelves in Bangkok at 16,200 in MBK. The only complaint about it is that it scratches too easily and I can't find a clear plastic case or any slim pouch for it yet (the Nokia supplied pouch in the box is OK, but I don't really like it).

The GPS fix in the E71 is very quick compared to conventional GPS if you enable it to use the mobile network. This is because it will connect through GPRS/EDGE to get satellite hints (i.e. what sattellites are above you right now, depending on approximate cell location and time). I've had a cold start in 15 seconds whereas a cold start would be at least a minute and a half on my Garmin Mobile 10x Bluetooth GPS receiver.

I installed Garmin Mobile XT for Symbian on the E71 along with the South Eastern Asia 2008NT (3.0) on the phone. I have chosen not to use the ESRI versions of the map (Thailand Street Map 8.0 & 8.1) because of their mediocre spellings of the point of interests. The Teleatlas map in South Eastern Asia 2008NT serves me just fine.

I love my E71. Does everything I need, even Exchange Push Mail.

[paveet]

For conventional driving I use an old pocket PC (from 2004) along with the Garmin Mobile 10x bluetooth GPS receiver, because the screen is bigger and iGo8 only exists for Pocket PC and not symbian.

[Ciaphas]

The quickest way to set up email account is to

Menu>Help>Welcome>e-mail setup

or

Menu>Help>Welcome>sett. wizard

the phone will guide you from there. I found it amazingly easy to set up my accounts (my old phone took me hours of head scratching!)

I haven't used it myself but on the UK phone windows live comes on the 2GB card provided, IM is also in

Menu>Communic>IM

For GPRS I find google maps to be far quicker and responsive than Nokia maps and it's free to download and you don't have to pay a license fee for the routes!

[paveet]

Nokia maps is also free if you just want it to do what Google Maps offers you (minus a few details). It is the turn-by-turn directions that Nokia charges for, and Google Maps does not offer this functionality either.

[Ciaphas]

Yes it does. If you go into the options you can set up the route you want to take, very similar to how it works on the google website. Given it's not as complex as Nokia maps but great if you want simple directions.

[Jared]

Ok so this is what happens when I try to set up and email account. Enter email address- Enter password, Done. It then comes up with enter username but already has the email address in that box, so I click OK. I then get Unable to define account and it goes to another option where I can click on either a pop3/imap or mail for Exch.

pop3/imap4, choose Pop3 and have to enter incoming mail server?

Choose Imap4 and have to enter Incoming mail server

Mail for Exch, enter domain, ok www.hotmail.com, then enter Mail for exchange server, no idea.

I spent all of yesterday looking on phone forums and still havent worked out how to get a hotmail account working on this phone.

Is it because Hotmail is using the HTTP protocol for connecting you to your mailbox and not pops like Gmail or yahoo?

[Jared]

Its the same for Windows Live messenger (msn) it asks me to add user name and password and then can never connect to the service.

[aidenai]

Ok so this is what happens when I try to set up and email account. Enter email address- Enter password, Done. It then comes up with enter username but already has the email address in that box, so I click OK. I then get Unable to define account and it goes to another option where I can click on either a pop3/imap or mail for Exch.

pop3/imap4, choose Pop3 and have to enter incoming mail server?

Choose Imap4 and have to enter Incoming mail server

Mail for Exch, enter domain, ok www.hotmail.com, then enter Mail for exchange server, no idea.

I spent all of yesterday looking on phone forums and still havent worked out how to get a hotmail account working on this phone.

Is it because Hotmail is using the HTTP protocol for connecting you to your mailbox and not pops like Gmail or yahoo?

To help you out, I deleted my Yahoo account and tried to set up my Hotmail account. I can't set up the Hotmail account. The E71 just doesn't take it. It reverts the account to the Web browser. Yahoo works perfectly. Notifications and automated retrievals.

I'm sorry.

Edited September 16, 2008 by aidenai

[Jared]

Very strange, maybe I will have to open a Gmail account and see if that works.

I did however get windows messenger to work, it was already installed on the phone in the installation menu, so no need to set that up.

[Ciaphas]

You would have thought nokia would have hotmail sorted out for a phone designed for emailing

I have a gmail account and it was up and running with in seconds. if that's any help.

[tomgreag]

Hi friend,

I have no idea about gps avilable or not in thailand,but i will give you the information whrere you got information about mobile gps available or not in thailand.

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Gps Navigation

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