Dell laptops w/built in GPS

Does anyone have one of the new Dell laptops with the built in GPS? If so can you please comment on how well it works...

thanks
David

 

From what I've researched, the 'built-in GPS' is derived from the WWAN wireless card that one may order their laptop with. For instance, the Dell 5720 provides EVDO (CDMA) data functionality, *and* includes a GPS receiver, as does its GSM equivilant.

If you have a laptop that has a spare miniPCI-E port (ie: pretty much every Dell laptop with Santa Rosa), then you can add the GPS functionality simply by purchasing one of these cards.

For instance, you could probably add such a card to your Dell, and you can buy 'em for $50 on eBay.

 

Thanks for the ebay tip, do you know if this is a regular GPS receiver that works anywhere, even places that don't have cell phone coverage? Since this is bundled with the wireless broadband I thought that it may not use cell tower triangulation, and not real GPS. The cell tower triangulation is not as useful...

 

Yeah its real GPS, not just some trick with cell towers.

 

You can also buy a 'GPS Puck' which uses Bluetooth if you have Bluetooth with your notebook.

 

Yeah but those 'pucks' don't work as well because they don't have access to the big antennaes that are built into laptops internally that support WWAN.

Installing an EVDO miniPCI-E card with GPS internally is the way to go if you can find one cheap.

 

Can you access the GPS support without having to use the cell service?

 

Yes... Its a true GPS that uses the GPS sattelites. Not related to the cell 'system' at all.

Here's a link to the registry mods that you *might* have to make if the driver doesn't give you the GPS functionality:

http://www.sarcasm.com/it/index.php...-on-the-dell-5720-sprint-evdo-broadband-card/

 

More or less I was asking can you use the GPS antenna without having a WWAN service subscription? If not then going with a GPS puck would be the only real option.

 

The answer is *yes*.

No EVDO or HSDPA service is required to use the GPS on those cards.

 

That sounds perfect. I'm defiitely going to get one from ebay and put it in my M4400 once I get it

 

I got one last week, it's not really too impressive and the novelty wears off after a day... Onwards and upwards.

 

As far as I can tell the 5520 3G card does not have GPS. The Dell software doesn't install the GPS support software, and according to Dell, it will only install it if the card supports GPS.

 

So what is the model number of the card that supports AT&T and has the GPS?

 

According to the spec. sheet, the 5530 has GPS, and since it is a HSDPA card, it should support AT&T.