[Galaxy S I9000 General] betoNL:
First of all let me state that my experience with gps car navigation started many years ago, long before I bought my first smartphone (nokia 5800)

There are different types of "assist", I mean A-gps:

Full a-gps (SUPL) and other types of assist that you can get from programs like gps status, trackerbooster, gps booster etc.

Like it was mentioned before, ON THEORY, a-gps is meant to speed up the first satellite fix during a cold start...BUT :

After performing many tests running GARMIN XT Mobile on Nokia devices running the SYMBIAN Os, I could conclude that after disabling a-gps DURING navigation, the same becomes immediatly unstable and then unusable..it was like the gps receiver was so weak, that every start was a cold one even DURING navigation, after losing the gps signal due whatever reason...

That never happened with all my standalone gps devices like the Clarion Map and MioMap (equipped with the good and old sifstarIII chipset)

Let me point out that the Symbian S60 os have proper connectivity control and unlike Android, you can clearly specify location method, disable/enable a-gps, networking method etc etc.

And to keep using FULL a-gps I needed to be online also during navigation and that was actually not an option for me(no data plan)

It is very logical: Why a device equiped with a sirfstar chipset (or equivalent) doesnt need any assist whatsoever to a get that first fix during a cold start in reasonable time and in all kind off conditions as long as it is outdoors?

If a chipset is capable enough, it wont need ANY assist or A-gps not even if it is only to improve startup performance (a function according to general knowledge)

OR to help lesser chipsets to hold that lock (according to me, and actually according to many other ex or actual Nokia smartphone users...yep Google phone users or Google fans, that's a whole new ball game)

Because Garmin itself had a function that allows using an external bluetooth gps device via Symbian , I decided then to buy a external gps bluetooth receiver and that worked like a charm.

Going back to the SGS- When I decided to make and post some videos (first video using a external gps device), I decided also to give it a try and run navigon using only the internal gps and, for my surprise it did the job! ( second video)

But programs like iGo or Navigon or Tomtom or Garmin etc. ,eventhough (in my opinion) are more reliable than Google Maps, won't do any magic and if the internal gps starts to struggle, signal gets weaker , and even Motonav will do crazy things:

I saw it today, I took the sgs out off the car holder on the windshield DURING navigation, and started to place it gradually further away from the window and for my surprise instead of the usual warning "gps signal lost" , for the first time it got all confused and the car started to dance on the map...

It is a hardware issue but not so bad as in other devices I tested

The bottom line is: there 2 types of navigation offline and online.

Offline navigation will always be more reliable IF you got the right software, the required up-to-date map and a reliable gps receiver.

Is the internal gps receiver of the sgs reliable? Not quite BUT so far so good; as long as I optimize the conditions ( placing it next to the windshield on a steady holder, and using all aid I can get like the "car mode" feature of the "turbo gps" app for instance..etc

Offline navigation is the best option really. Even when Google Maps works properly, once you are abroad those roaming costs will be relevant; And what happens if the 3g network is down or defective? In some countries its not even available...

Please dont compare your situation with mine: I am offline ALL the time (I go online only when I want via wifi) wireless networks is off ALL the time and APN field is blank..and I NEVER use Google Maps or |Google navigation.

The programs I used with succes using the internal and /or external gps are:

iGo Motonav 480x800, Navigon Mobile Navigator 2.6.1, Sygic Mobile Maps10, CoPilot, all with the latest european maps

Important: I dont live in a big city....if you do live in a place where gps signal conditions deteriorate, for example in a city, where signals may suffer multipath propagation where signals bounce off buildings, or be weakened by passing through atmospheric conditions, walls or tree cover etc., the sgs gps receiver will struggle much more than mine, but that's a theory. Gonna test it on Rio just on next summer...

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