I am an iPod Touch 2G user which doesn't have built-in GPS chip. I purchased iGPS360 module from OrangeGadgets as well as TomTom's Malaysia/Singapore maps from iTunes.

Thus far, I'm satisfied with the external GPS performance since it is a dedicated (external) chip. It takes only seconds to get a location lock-in. Inside my office, signal is weak or doesn't exist (as expected). Under partial roof area, signals are detected which is good when driving inside the car cabin.

Just now I've installed Sygic for Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand (190MB) and have to say it is equal, if not better, than TomTom.

Will continue to play around between Sygic and TomTom.

Interesting feature on Sygic found thus far:
- it has an option to enter longitude and latitude numbers (couldn't find this in TomTom), which is good since some smaller roads within my housing area is not captured in the map

Interesting feature on TomTom found thus far:
- it allows route simulation in real-time, meaning after you have set your origin and destination but haven't departed yet, you can run a second-by-second simulation of the proposed route complete with all relevant POIs & intersections that you will see throughout the journey, which is pretty nice if you want to get used to the route before starting the actual journey

@ryan_giggs
Yes, the GPS function will only work with telephone. Turning on the Airplane Mode will turn off the GPS as well (I wish Apple could separate these two though)

I'm using TomTom v1.0 map (Singapore/Malaysia) currently. If anyone scroll back a few pages, you will notice my previous reviews of TomTom (MY/SG) vs Sygic (MY/SG/TH). Also had a 3-day driving experience with TomTom Thailand a few weeks ago.

One thing I notice with my current phone. Turning on Location Service and launching my TomTom apps will result in "Waiting for GPS signal" indefinitely. My workaround: I launch Google's map and touch the round circle to pin point my current location. After that I relaunch TomTom and the signal is now locked.

Like I mentioned previously, to debug the GPS functionality, I will open Google Map app, touch the blue circle button to see whether your GPS can lock your position. After the tiny blue dot becomes smaller and more precise, quit the map and launch your 3rd party apps (papago, TomTom).

If your apps still indicate 'searching for GPS signal' then it's not the GPS chip that have issues. It's the apps.

Hello guys, wow, this thread has grown pretty large since last time :-)

A-GPS vs GPS:
I recall a colleague saying "I wanted to buy this phone but it only has A-GPS" which he thought will cost him data charges. I quickly corrected him. iPhone's A-GPS uses the cell signal (yes, cell, NOT data) to lock your position. Case study: I brought my Celcom prepaid sim card to Thailand, turn off all data (o, E, 3G) and managed to lock position. The prepaid balance remains the same. Any external GPS module such as iGPS360 is definitely pure GPS since more often than not it is used for iPod Touch which is NOT a phone.

TomTom vs PPG:
I've installed PPG for a while, the POIs are amazing even for rural areas. Nonetheless, I cannot live with the UIs, haha, so I'm staying put with TomTom. I admit TomTom's POIs are quite stinky but as a workaround, I use Google map to determine little-known places like community hall or school. From there, I estimate the point-on-map on TomTom. Google map does have the best POIs out there but we all know what are the constraints here.

GPS position lock:
I have to admit, there are plenty of good & bad experiences on getting the iPhone to lock my position. I know how it feels like to launch TomTom or PPG and getting the error "no GPS fix". What I normally practice is that to use Google map to see if my position can be locked. Yes, you may turn off the data since you only want to get the blue dot and not to download the map. Once I get the blue dot, then I will launch the GPS app. If your Google map is unable to lock any position, what are the chances your TomTom or PPG will? Haha, right?