Review: Freedom Keychain GPS 2000

Mapping software has been available for cell phones, laptops, and pdas for years. When Rand McNally, DeLorme and other mapping companies first introduced these software packages, GPS compatibility was inevitable. While phones such every bit the Samsung BlackJack 2 take begun to comprise GPS into the telephone itself, many rely on external GPS receivers either connected through an expansion port, cable or Bluetooth.

As engineering advances, these receivers seem to get smaller and faster. The best illustration equally to how modest and fast these devices take become may be the Freedom Keychain GPS 2000 ($89.95).

WMExperts reviewed the original Freedom Keychain back in December and found it a surprisingly skilful bluetooth GPS unit. What do you exercise when you have a surprisingly proficient Bluetooth GPS Unit? Bit it and supplant it with a amend one!

Read on for the full review!

Out of the Box

The GPS 2000 is about the same size of an automobile keyless entry control. Measuring 1.8 x 1.26 x .58 inches, the receiver is a feather light .77 ounces. A spring hook is fastened to the top of the device and then the receiver can be carried on a key concatenation.

The power switch and USB/charger port are the simply external parts. Colored LEDs run under the matte black finish to indicate charging status, GPS betoken, Bluetooth Indicate and battery status.

The receiver is finished in a black matte paint that is a trivial susceptible to finger prints and I tin see information technology wearing off subsequently being carried effectually with a bunch of keys. During the testing of the receiver, I could brainstorm to see low-cal wear on the finish. I am not sure if due to an antenna/reception upshot the company couldn't have used a more durable coating on the device or not. I dubiousness a worn stop will affect the functioning and is mainly a corrective issue.

I was impressed with the receiver's small course factor merely had to heighten an eyebrow questioning the unit of measurement's operation. I am glad no wagers were identify on this device because I would have had to eat crow.

Performance

When you pull the owner's transmission out of the box, information technology'southward impressively thick. In one case you brainstorm to read information technology, you lot realize the thickness is due to the transmission beingness written in ten languages. The actual instruction for employ is only 2 pages.

In reading the brief owner's transmission, Liberty reports that satellite acquisition fourth dimension ranged from 36 seconds for a cold beginning and 1 second for a hot outset. As I understand it, a cold kickoff is when the receiver has been off for a while and has lost all memory of the satellite signals. Hot start is when the receiver has only been turned of for a cursory period of time and the signal with the satellites hasn't faded from retention.

The get-go times reported are exceptionally good and more than common for larger, stand alone devices than receivers the size of a matchbox and again my eyebrow raised in doubtfulness as I began to use the receiver.

Pairing is like shooting fish in a barrel. Turn on your phone's Bluetooth, turn on the GPS 2000 and once the device is discovered, you enter the summit-hole-and-corner manufactory lawmaking. I then went to Google Maps, selected "Utilise GPS" and to my surprise the signal was already caused and my position located. While I didn't have a stopwatch running it couldn't have taken more than that ii minutes from the time I turned on the phone'south Bluetooth to seeing the footling map dot pinpointing my location (I could feel my countenance lowering).

I turned off the GPS in Google Maps, turned off the GPS 2000 and grabbed a stop watch. Afterwards waiting five minutes, I turned everything dorsum on and 34 seconds later on, I had my position plotted. I also tried the GPS 2000 with Live View and the results were equally as impressive.

Concerned the peradventure the congenital-in GPS of the BlackJackII may be inadvertently boosting the GPS 2000; I tried information technology with my laptop. Using the receiver indoors, sitting on a table next to a window, it took one.5 minutes for Microsoft'southward Streets and Trips to learn a location from a common cold start.

I have a TomTom XL sitting on the nuance of my machine. To give you a comparison, from a common cold start it takes the TomTom just overr 1.5 minutes to kick up and acquire a bespeak. It takes my Garmin handheld GPS near 3 minutes to acquire a signal from a common cold start. I was very impressed with the GPS 2000's acquisition times.

The speed of the acquisition is attributed to the GPS 2000's chipset. The GPS 2000 uses a MTK chipset and a built in ARM7EJ-South processor. Later a brief teaching on GPS chipsets, apparently the MTK chipset is slowly replacing the SiRF Three chipsets. The MTK has lower power consumption, an active antenna, tin can track more than satellites, has more accurate positioning and virtually a 6 second advantage on common cold start acquisitions.

While commencement up time was off the wall, reception was equally cool. Liberty claims in the GPS 2000 even works while in your pocket. My start thought was "utter hogwash". An overcast day kills the bespeak on most GPS receivers and I'yard to believe this tiny receiver will work while in my pocket?

Yet another instance where I'g glad no wager was placed on the performance of the GPS 2000. After sliding the receiver in my pants pocket, I full expected a "signal lost" or "GPS unavailable" to pop up on the BlackJack's screen. I watched, waited and nothing happened. So I decided to drive down the road a fleck and to my surprise, my location began to adjust with my movement. This tiny little receiver works in your pocket!

Every bit mentioned, it will option up signals indoors every bit far a window is close by. It volition besides choice up signals on an overcast night. While the reception is every bit impressive as the acquisition time, the receiver does take limitations in that it will not pick up a signal while in a concrete, windowless basement.

I had no issues with pairing the Freedom GPS 2000 with my laptop or BlackJack Two. The only difficulties I had while using the GPS 2000 was with the programs utilizing the receiver and not the receiver itself. While some of the software applications weren't user friendly, the Liberty GPS was extremely user friendly.

Freedom reports battery life to be approximately 10 hours. Based on my three solar day review, this written report is accurate. The only performance drawback that I could find is the options available to recharge the receiver. The GPS 2000 comes packaged with a USB/Charging cable to permit you lot to charge the unit through your figurer and a car charger. I could not find any information to believe a wall charger is available for the receiver.

Overall Impression

Afterwards using the GPS 2000, all I can say is "WOW"! Competitively priced with other Bluetooth GPS receivers, the GPS 2000 is a dependable receiver and its compact size makes it convenient to take bachelor.

Information technology would be dainty if the GPS 2000 had a wall charger and the matte blackness pigment could exist more durable. However, these two deficiencies practice not backbite from the unit's performance.

If y'all are looking for a GPS solution for your phone, laptop or pda the Freedom Keychain GPS 2000 ($89.95) should be high on your curt listing.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/review-freedom-keychain-gps-2000

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