Nokia C3 and Bluetooth GPS | Phone/Device Issues and Features | Consumer forum

I recently took up running with a friend and was a little envious of the cool GPS running apps she has on her iPhone. Apart from buying a new phone or an expensive standalone GPS, I decided to see what other options I might have using my Nokia C3. The solution? An external Bluetooth GPS unit.

CanadaGPS has several – I opted for the cheapest @ $44.95 plus S/H (the Canmore GT-750F). The unit ships with USB charger, car adapter, cable, and a software CD. And it works great with my C3.

http://www.canadagps.com/bluet.....thgps.html

In saying that it works great, I have to point out that the more difficult part was finding an app that the C3 liked. Nokia seems to have a lot of restrictions in place for third-party apps and some work a lot better than others. I have spent the past week testing numerous Java GPS apps and by far the one with the greatest stability and range of options is a tiny app called Mobile Trail Explorer.

http://www.substanceofcode.com.....l-explorer

I should point out that the only version I have tried is the Beta release. Easiest way to install is by installing Nokia's Ovi Suite to your PC, link your phone to it by USB or Bluetooth, and then download the jar file to your PC and doubleclick to install. Once installed, run the program from your phone's apps folder (will be in either Extras or Games) and then access the program settings to pair your phone to it via Bluetooth. Once paired you will never have to select it again. As long as the GPS is turned on when you start the app it will automatically connect and within seconds show your current position.

The app is perfect for a range of uses – you can record tracks of any walks, hikes, or drives you do and you can save the track file for later internet upload. Waypoints can be saved and distances calculated between your current location and any address you type in – it uses Google to calculate (via your UMB connection). Since it displays coordinates, geocaching can be done.

Some other cool options in this program: the option "Calculate Time" lets you enter any desired distance – ie. a run of 5K – and then once you start recording the Information Screen shows you everything you need to know – Lat/Long, Altitude, Heading, Speed, Distance, Time, Est. Time Remaining, Distance Remaining. This is perfect for any runners/walkers out there trying to track their performance. The other screens have a variety of data as well – such as satellite data and a large screen showing speed / distance (see screenshots on the webpage).

Another cool option is under display settings – you can choose to display onscreen maps that track your progress in realtime on a map (similar to Google Maps). A dataplan is required but with UMB I've had no problem having maps download quickly as I drive or hike, provided one ok's the various prompts about data access that may appear.

In saying that, I've found that under application options granting access to "Always Allowed" or "Ask First Time" for as many as possible options limits the annoying prompts your C3 will hit you with while using the program.

Something not obvious that took me a little trial and error to discover is how to switch between the different screens in the program. The main button on the C3 (the one in between the navigation buttons) accesses the options within the program (including settings). Important: use the spacebar to move between the different information screens when running the program – this took FOREVER to find. You can use the navigation buttons up/down to page up and down in the Information Screen.

If Mobile Trail Explorer doesn't suit your needs, this page has a lot of other Java GPS apps you can try – but with most I had limited success.

http://www.maps-gps-info.com/f......html#Java

Anyways, thought I'd share some of my experience with getting a cheap GPS solution to work on the C3. Happy tracking!