- Directly plugs into the Apple 30-pin connector port
- Fast lock times 33 seconds or less in normal operating conditions
- Accurate to 2.5m (9 ft) up to 1000 MPH and 60,000 ft
- 66 channel WAAS/SBAS/EGNOS/MSAS chipset
- Lightweight and compact with micro-USB power pass through port
This product works great, exactly as described. You simply plug the unit into the iPad/iPhone/iTouch and it adds native GPS support to every app. I can't emphasize that enough, the apps you already own work great with it, they don't need to be updated at all to work.
The bad elf gps collects and keeps an atlas of the GPS satellites on board the unit, so even from a cold start it finds it's position very quickly. This is a high performance GPS too, it works at altitude in a jet aircraft just fine, even at 35,000' at 500 mph, when the native iPhone 4 GPS couldn't even find it's position. (Refer to any airline's policies on portable electronic equipment before operating any iDevice inflight, but I'm sure you knew that.)
Of course this GPS draws it's power from the iPad/iPhone/iTouch, so it does drain the battery some. My experience using an iPhone 4, using a program called Skycharts Pro, with a constant screen full bright updates (worse case) was that it drained 15% of the battery life an hour. Since the iPad has a much bigger battery, I expect excellent battery life using this unit with the iPad's glorious 10" screen.
If you have access to a power source, you don't even need to be concerned about battery life, it has a USB type plug and cord included that you can use to power/charge/sync the iDevice while using the GPS. The only small downside is that my car charger uses a docking plug, I have to buy a new car charger that I can plug a USB cable into instead, an input 30 pin connector would have been better in my opinion.
I am recommending this product to anyone who wants to add GPS to their apple devices, or those who change devices every year, as this device can transfer as newer iPads & iPod touches enter the market.
Buy Bad Elf 1000 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad GPS Receiver Now
I live in a rural area where AT&T doesn't bother to have coverage so I have an iPod Touch and an iPad WiFi. I'm fine only having data access through WiFi, but I really wanted to have GPS to use location aware apps. I was happy to find out about the Dual GPS and the new Bad Elf GPS add-ons for an iPod Touch. I decided to go with the Bad Elf since it would also work with the iPad.So far, I'm pretty happy. I was worried about battery life on the iPod Touch since mine is an old 1G and the battery is getting on in years. I haven't had a chance to run it down entirely yet, but I'm not noticing any drastic impact on battery life. (The iPad has *plenty* of battery so that is not an issue). I did get a New Trent IMP500 external battery with the Bad Elf which seems to work well with the Touch+Bad Elf. So, if I need really long battery life I'll have that as an option as well.
I tested the Bad Elf vs. a couple Garmins that I have. The Bad Elf has a new MTK chipset, one of my Garmins has a slightly older MTK chipset, and the other Garmin has a SirfStar chipset. Both the MTKs outperform the SirfStar. I did find that the older MTK Garmin slightly outperforms the Bad Elf in both satellite acquisition time and accuracy (I'm theorizing that the Garmin MTK has a larger antenna than the very compact Bad Elf??). Still, I'm pretty happy with the performance of the Bad Elf.
One benefit to the Garmin over the Bad Elf + Touch is that the Garmin's screen is much easier to see in sunlight than the Touch. The screen on the iPod is just too reflective in sunlight to be pleasant to use.
The Bad Elf itself seems to work quite well, but the real benefit over a dedicated GPS like a Garmin is having access to a wide variety of location aware apps. The interface on these apps is often many times better than the Garmin interface...although not always as there is a lot of variation in the App Store. So far I've found MotionX and Gaia to work well.
Read Best Reviews of Bad Elf 1000 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad GPS Receiver Here
I recently got a Bad Elf GPS for my iPad 3G and use it with ForeFlight, WingX and other aviation Apps. Fantastic! Finally, I can maintain lock while I am flying and it outperforms the built-in GPS in the iPad 3G model. Initial lock takes about 30 seconds and is accomplished while I am doing my run-up and pre-takoff checklist. It maintains lock and this morning I tested it to 12,000 feet where the iPad 3G built-in GPS would often lose lock. I use my iPad with a kneeboard made for it and the Bad Elf does not get in the way. No problems with having the Bad Elf maintain lock with it being located on the iPad kneeboard (flying a high wing aircraft). Terrific device and a great addition to the iPad for aviation purposes.Want Bad Elf 1000 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad GPS Receiver Discount?
FORM:The unit feels rather flimsy and cheap--looks like one of those aftermarket gadgets made in China. The LED indicator protrudes from the case like a nipple from the bottom of the base subject to breakage. The light is also very difficult to see in daylight. Unless you cover the device with your hands or look at the device from the bottom, it's nearly impossible to tell if the device has a GPS signal or still searching. Just a thought, but a flat/flush LED in front of the device may be better. Some of us do tend to start driving/riding while our GPS locks, and can't afford to use our hands or view the light from the bottom. I don't mind the (oddly placed) lanyard, but maybe a protective cap to go with it (?).
> Small, compact
> Apple approved (no jailbreak req'd)
> Powered by Apple device (no need to charge another device)
> Convenient micro USB cable
> WAAS enabled
> Customer support
FUNCTION:
Early problems--Sometimes when I plug the device into my brand new (white) iPhone4 (shipped with iOS 4.3.2), I get an error 'This accessory is not supported by iPhone'. I tried updating the firmware using their app, but it was already the latest. I also noted 'This Accessory is Not Optimized for this iPhone..." error. This has been happening daily. Updated the iOS to 4.3.3 with same results. I contacted customer service and they sent me a replacement unit right away with a pre-paid return envelope so I can return the defective device. Even the replacement was causing errors, so then I returned my iPhone suspecting it was a faulty dock pin. It turns out that there are some software bugs with Apple's latest iOS for iPhone (4.3.2 and 4.3.3). However, it works perfectly fine on my wifi iPad2. The error usually occurs with the native Maps app which doesn't keep the phone from entering power save mode. Unlike native Maps, MotionX apps keep the phone on constantly and works well. If the GPS initializes correctly. I've noticed that when I plug in the device, the LED blinks once, then I turn on a Nav app which causes the light to blink while it searches for a GPS signal. At times, when I plug the device in, the light won't turn off whcih indicates something is wrong and I'll inevitably get the error messages.
I should note that I do not get this error on my WIFI only iPad2 (iOS 4.3.2 and 4.3.3).
In field testing, it works well (when it does work) with an observed accuracy range of about 20-25 feet (radius) on my iPhone4 with 3G. I should note that Bing maps provide a little better accuracy (~5-8 ft) than the native Google Maps application. Location seems to wander around time to time. This occurs less on my wifi iPad2.
iPad2 wifi on: accuracy ~200 ft radius
iPad2 wifi off + Bad-Elf: accuracy ~25 ft radius
iPhone4 3G + aGPS: accuracy ~90 ft radius
iPhone4 3G + Bad-Elf: accuracy ~25 ft radius
CONCLUSION:
For all intents and purposes, this device is great for motorized vehicle navigation. The granularity just isn't there for foot/bike navigation. Yes, there are other devices that do a better job, but it's the convenience and versatility of using an iOS device which drew me to the Bad-Elf. The only other Apple approved GPS receiver (at the time of review) is a Bluetooth device, which makes it more versatile, but I personally didn't feel compelled to use it for anything other than my iOS devices which I use daily. I've also read ALOT of users of this 'other' device are having problems powering the device off. This would be a HUGE problem considering that it runs from its own power source (battery). That's a deal breaker. All other comparable devices required jailbreaking which I'm not quite yet prepared to do, so the decision was pretty easy. Let's hope the bugs get worked out soon.
Verdict: I love my Bad-Elf, retarded nipple light and all.
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I use the Bad Elf GPS Receiver with the ForeFlight iPad app for in flight geo reference mapping. It works great in jet aircraft with a 1 meter 30 pin extension cable and small suction cup for side window attachment.With the latest firmware update (version 1.2.2) it maintains a solid lock at all altitudes from ground to flight levels.
Highly recommended.
