Holux GPSlim240 GPS Receiver Review (a perfect add-on for the E61)

Holux GPSlim240 GPS Receiver Review by Shaun

There is a current trend in bundling GPS receivers into the latest PDAs and Smart Phones. The Loox T830 and Mio A701 are just two examples out of many models out there. The thought of integrated GPS appeals to me and in a device like the Mio it appears to work well and not overly bulk up the device. The question is could devices like the T830 and others be made smaller if they did not have a GPS receiver built in? I use GPS for long trips and thus only once every two weeks or so and so prefer to have a separate GPS receiver.

There are some disadvantages to separate GPS receivers such as having to carry two devices and keep these two items charged up but with the right charging equipment in the car the latter should not be an issue. When you are walking in for example a city like London GPS can be very useful to get you to your destination and a converged GPS device is ideal for this.

So what to do if you have a Smart Phone or PDA without GPS built in?

Clove showed me the Holux GPSlim240 last week and I initially thought it was a USB memory stick. It is so tiny compared to other devices on the market and will slip into your pocket without being noticeable. There is also a small space for a lanyard to fit so you could carry it on your key ring if you wish and it would feel no different to having a USB stick with your keys. I’m not sure whether it is the shape or the size or a combination of both that lifts it so high in my opinion but as I look at it now I am still impressed that so much can be squeezed into a 64 x 22 x 15 mm form. It is also only 35g in weight. Here’s what Holux have managed to get in to the 240 (remember those dimensions)-

SiRF Star III chipset / 20 - channel GPS Receiver for fast acquisition and reacquisition 200,000 effective correlators for fast Time To First Fix (TTFF), even at poor satellite signal / Built-in WAAS/EGNOS Demodulator Compatible with Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (SPP) completely / Built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery for at least 8 hours operation. Built-in rechargeable battery for memory for RTC backup and fast Time To First Fix. (TTFF Support NMEA0183 v2.2 data protocol or SiRF binary code.  

Those specs are about as good as it gets at the moment and most impressive to me is the 8 hours battery life- the device itself is smaller than most batteries on the market!

In the box you get just about everything you need to get you started-

GPSlim240 Receiver / USB Sync Cable / Vehicle Power Adaptor Tool CD / Quick Guide Warranty Card 

The Holux is charged via miniUSB so chances are you will already have wall socket chargers but if not just use the included USB or vehicle charges.

I used the Holux on a trip from Gatwick to Brighton to Heathrow and back to Gatwick and it performed admirably. I switched on the Bluetooth on my E61 and upon loading up TomTom Navigator 5.0 the first lock was achieved in less than 2 seconds. Throughout the journey the signal held 100% of the time and even through the long underground tunnels at Heathrow Airport it kept a good signal. I would say it is slightly quicker than the new TomTom receiver at acquiring a signal and equally as good at holding a signal.

The simple slider switch on the side is nice because I personally hate buttons that you have to hold down to turn on and off- always a pain when driving. There are three light-up indicators on the top for battery, Bluetooth and signal and for once these are clear and obvious. A lot of Bluetooth GPS receivers give little indication of what is happening on them of which the TomTom receiver is a classic example.

Finally there are a few other features which are worth noting-

It communicates with other electronic utilities via Bluetooth, USB-compliant interface, and has a built-in rechargeable battery to save such satellite data as the status of satellite signal, the last location, and date and time of previous use. With low power consumption, GPSlim240 tracks up to 20 satellites at a time, re-acquires the satellite signal every tenth of a second and updates positional data once a second. The power saving mode (Trickle-Power) allows the unit to operate a fraction of the time. It also provides a time and position fix function (Push-to-Fix) that will switch on the unit at a designated time, even when the receiver stays off.

Conclusion: What can I say except that there is nothing wrong with this product. At under £70 it is good value and works extremely well. The size is the main feature and I can recommend this product to anyone who requires good quality GPS for their PDA or Smart Phone without the compromise of carrying a large extra device.I own the TomTom receiver and also an older receiver which both work perfectly well but I really do not want to send the Holux back- it is cute, functions perfectly and is easily the best receiver I have used to date.

Available from the 247 Clove Hardware Store for £58 + VAT.