GlobalSat BT-368i Bluetooth GPS Receiver

I bought this GPS receiver to add GPS capability to my Surface Pro 2 running Win 8.1 Pro. I love the very small size which makes it very convenient to locate it nearby my SP2 without being intrusive. Does it work with Win 8.1? Yes, but you have to be aware of a few things. Other reviews have noted success with Delorme Street Atlas and MS Street and Trips. But these are legacy desktop apps and I didn't have these. But does it work with Metro apps such as Here Maps, which can use offloaded maps and is free? Bottom line: Yes, but there's one gotcha. Here's the VERY simplified explanation as I understand it: Here Maps is a location aware app. It uses the Sensor and Location API of Win 7/8 to determine the app's location. The BT-368 communicates with the laptop using the serial port. The problem is how to connect the GPS data from the serial port to the app's location aware programming. I found a driver by GPSDirect which makes the connection between the 2. You have to install GPSDirect by specifying a Com port and baud rate. Com4 and 9600 baud worked for me. Although GPSDirect says the exe is no longer needed after installation, I have found I have to start GPSDirect each time I want to use Here Maps. GPSDirect is pinned to the task bar in the desktop so starting GPSDirect is a quickie. All of this "special handling" does not detract from the overall goodness of the BT-368 device as the BT-368 does exactly what it says it will do. My review here merely describes a way to expand the use of the device to a Win 8 Metro app use case. I've used the BT-368 in this scenario for about a month and haven't found any other issues. There may be an issue with waking the app or the device from sleep or hibernation, but I need more testing to determining the limits. Still, in summary, I'm giving this device 5 stars because it's got a great little form factor, awesome battery life, and fantastic performance. Sure, I don't like the mini USB connector, and would prefer micro USB, but that's a minor peeve not worthy of a full star deduction. And even though having to start GPSDirect is a bit clumsy, you get the bonus of a live open window that displays all your satellite connections and GPS statistics coming from the BT-368.UPDATE 10/24/2014: After a lot of additional testing, I made a big mistake above. I have found I do NOT have to start GPSDirect when I want to use Here Maps. Just run it once to install it. Then, after that, I just turn on the BT-368 and it will find Here Maps. In addition, there is NO issue when the Surface Pro 2 wakes up from either sleep or hibernation. Since the BT-368 will turn itself off in 10 mins. if it doesn't make a Bluetooth connection to a device, it will most likely be off. So turn on the BT-368, wake up the SP2, and the BT-368 will reconnect automatically with Here Maps. So, in summary, my prior review was 5 stars with a minor gripe or 2. Now, it's a total 5 stars without reservations! BTW, with Here Maps offloaded maps, you can use the Explore feature to find restaurants, shopping, hotels, etc. without an internet connection.

I wanted to use this for dual purposes. I have a phone converted to unlocked that I only use in WiFi networks, so I needed a GPS for it. E.g., for use with Google Maps on the Droid. It took it a bit of moving around to get it to send a data stream back to the recommended utility that I downloaded from the poorly named Play store. Odd, not sure why that would matter -- especially since it was without any trees or buildings around.It worked fine with Google Maps and Scout, which is I think TomTom's maps.Then I wanted to use it for my laptop, e.g., with Microsoft Streets. This was a failure for me. It paired fine, but that's as far as it would go. If you try this yourself, you'll want an app from TurboIRC which links this up with the Windows GPS "sensor." Similarly, it will monitor the data stream from the device. The short version is that the device pairs OK, but never succeeded in sending a stream to Windows. For troubleshooting, look at the Windows event log. Chances are, you're not getting a good stream, if any, from the GPS Receiver.It definitely will not exceed the 30 ft limitation, and may not perform well at that distance.Battery life isn't bad. I had an earlier model from this manufacturer and it depleted the battery more rapidly.The online FAQs are not very good.I don't care for the status displays. They're too small and rely on color codes that not everyone (including me) can read and interpret with confidence. It's better to use text along with it, even if abbreviated.The Windows experience seems to be a Windows problem. The device says it registers, but Windows is throwing an error in the event log that says that the device fails to register. You won't see an error message unless you look in the event log. Considering the amount of time I spent trying to get this to work, I would have been happier just buying a Garmin and giving up on a Windows compatible solution. (Some of the Garmins claim to talk back to Windows.)I'm hoping that a USB version sold by this manufacturer will work better.

Well worth the price. I'm currently using this unit with my Asus Infinity TF700 Android tablet. The Infinity is a tablet which as much as I enjoy - gets my worst reviews as far as stand alone GPS reception is concerned, those 'Current position unavailable' messages got to be extremely annoying. The GS BT unit is pretty sensitive (to a somewhat lesser degree in an around tall buildings - but that is to be expected.I use this GPS receiver in conjuction with the Android "Bluetooth GPS" app by GG MOBLAB - it works flawlessly.Pros:Sensitive to faint sat signals - locks in quickly.Small and unobtrusiveEasy to setup and pair - 3 lights: yellow (charging) green (sats) blue (bt)Cons:usb - older and larger USB port type - also difficult to connect w/o damaging rubber port cover.The front scratches easily.

Alright, here's a simple message from my experience. If your mobile device does not have a built-in gps, buy an actual gps. These things just don't work. I tried on so many phones including Nokia E51, Samsung, Sony Ericcson but just couldn't get it to work. The connection establishes fine and it shows a list of gps signals but the map in the device does not correlate to the actual gps location. Finally, I threw this up in my box-of-useless-electronics and bought Blackberry and a Garmin GPS. I am happy and satisfied now.