[Touch 3G General] ronp76:
1. Preparation and turn-on of the GPS chip

You might have wondered why Preparation and turn-on of the GPS chip was listed as the first step of the game plan for installing iGO8. Believe it or not, GPS not found is the number one error message usually displayed by iGO8 when it is first installed. This can lead to a very frustrating search for how to get iGO8 to find your GPS. While iGO8 has a feature to AutoDetect the GPS, it cannot do this if the GPS is not turned on.

While most Personal Navigation Assistants (PNAs) will automatically turn-on the GPS chip by a line in their shell.ini file, most smartphones do not turn on the GPS automatically. The reason for this is that the GPS chip will consume energy and on some systems is a major power drain. While not being turned-on automatically might be a good thing, most smartphones do not have a utility for turning on their GPS chip.

My iGO8 game plan knows the importance of a turned-on GPS to iGO8 - without a functional GPS, iGO8 will not work. This is why prepping your Jade Clone to have its GPS chip turned-on comes before all other steps in the game plan. It is the very first thing I do whenever I turn on a new PDA, PNA or smartphone for the first time.

There are two steps needed for the Preparation and turn-on of the GPS chip:

1. Having your Jade Clone manage the GPS chip.

2. Installing an app to turn on the GPS chip.

1. Having your Jade Clone manage the GPS chip

With WM 5 and beyond, Microsoft has recommended that WM manage the GPS for all programs in order to deconflict them. WM 6.5 came with a program under Settings/System/External GPS to Manage GPS. In the first tab, the user will see what the system dictates where the GPS chip is found. In the second tab, the user will set a virtual Port that all the Clone's programs will use to get their GPS data from. This virtual Port can not be set to the actual Port setting. Since Port 9 is sometimes used by TMC programs, I recommend setting the virtual Port to Port 8.

In the event that your version of WM does not have the Settings tabs to manage the GPS, there is a cab file called Microsoft_Smartphone_GPSID_Settings attached to this message. Install this cab file to your Clone's main memory. Under the Programs tab, you will find it listed as GPSID_Settings. Use this program to set up the virtual GPS Port as listed above.

2. Installing an app to turn on the GPS chip.

A little known app as GPSToggle is a Today homescreen plug-in that can turn-on a Jade Clone's GPS chip.

Download GPSToggle CAB from this link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7VRBH5RS .

GPSToggle works best when installed to main memory.

Once installed, you will need to add it to your Today screen. From your Today screen go to Settings, then choose Today settings. Go to the Items tab and you should see BAF GPS Toggle at the bottom of the list. Click the box to have it added to your Today Screen. Close the Settings screen and go back to your Today screen.

Now, a little bit of info about your GPS. It will work best when it has an unobstructed view of the sky overhead. It should stationery (not moving) and uninterrupted from the time you turn on the application.

Some people can get satellite signals inside a building. I can because I live in a one-story condo. If you can sit outside with your phone for about 30 minutes, GPSToggle should do the trick.

On your Today screen you will now see an item called GPS with the word OFF next to it. Click the word GPS and the word next to it will change to On indicating that the app has turned on your GPS.

Now sit back, be patient and wait. If you're lucky and outside, the SIRF III chip in your phone should lock on within as little as 42 seconds and as long as five minutes.

Attached to this message are four screens showing what your screen will look like:

GPSToggle 01 - Initial turn on. GPS is in search mode (no satellites detected).

GPSToggle 02 - GPS on. Communication beginning. 12 satellites possible.

GPSToggle 03 - GPS on. Four satellite bars displayed. Satnav not possible yet.

GPSToggle 04 - GPS on. Four satellites locked on. 3D satnav possible.

Note 1: I had not turned on my GPS today which meant it took about 2.5 minutes to lock on. This is not bad considering I am sitting in my front room. Normally, it takes about 60 seconds when I have turned on the GPS previously in the day and eperemis data which is satellite position and timing information is available from a previous session.

Note 2: According to most SIRF manufacturers, it takes three satellites for 2D satnav to occur. Most GPS programs can operate with that mode. Four satellites provide 3D satnav which is preferred.

See if this works for you. If it does, whenever you need to use your GPS, go to the Today screen and use GPSToggle to turn on the GPS for you which will quote warm it up for your GPS program. Once you see four green bars, you can turn on your GPS program and navigate like a champ!

You can read further about GPSToggle at this URL and thank the developer: http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-gps-toggle.html

Tomorrow, we will cover step two of the game plan!