In this post were taking a look at the Samsung Omnia i8910 HD’s built in GPS receiver. With the standard Samsung firmware that comes with the i8910 HD, it has a GPS+ application which downloads GPS satellite data to help provide a quicker lock on time to the satellites. This is very useful. And for who knows why Orange removed this feature… So another reason to debrand your Orange phone.
Locked on to 9-10 Satellites and indoors!
Our i8910 gets GPS lock in about 5 seconds, which is pretty impressive. Getting a solid 4-5 bars of GPS satellite signal indoors and under two stories! That’s around 7-8 satellites. Something I’ve not seen before on a phone. So it shows you just how good the GPS chipset and receiver Samsung used in the i8910 is.
GPS+ application helps for faster GPS lock-on times.
i8910 HD GPS gives us full GPS signal indoors!
We used Garmin XT on our i8910. So far there are a few options for GPS Navigation. GMaps (Free but no real navigation), Route 66 and Garmin XT. With the AMOLED LCD and how fast the phone is, the experience is very good and smooth. Keying in street addresses with the full screen Samsung qwerty keyboard is easy. Route calculation is good – normally around 10 seconds or more depending on just how far your travelling.
Garmin XT is very smooth on the i8910 and clear even in daylight
Using the GPS in the car the screen is very clear and visible in direct sunlight. The audio through the loudspeakers is loud, yet clear and easy to understand. The only issues we faced was the fact the socket for the charger is on the right side and that posed as a problem with our car phone holder. I guess we need to wait someone to release a car holder for the i8910 HD.
Oh and the signal was always 4-5 bars on our trip using Garmin XT. So overall the GPS navigation / Sat Nav experience is very good on this phone.
