I've had my Freedom mini GPS receiver for some time now and have been quite pleased with it, using Google Maps and Live Search to lookup info based on my current location, see moving maps, etc. However, I recently tried using it for an application that requires it to update the location data when walking (specifically while hiking and geocaching).

In this case, I tried a couple different programs (CacheMate and Beeline GPS) that read in the NMEA data stream from the GPS to tell you the bearing and distance to a waypoint, and in every case, the location would only update when I was moving faster than about 2.5-3.0 miles per hour (tested in my car in a parking lot at various speeds and monitoring the output).

My understanding was that this GPS used a modern chipset that would provide fast hot/cold acquisition times and provide continuous location updates. While it is definitely fast to acquire a location lock, the location does not update unless you are in a moving vehicle, which eliminates its usefulness for some applications, e.g., tracking your location while walking/hiking/geocaching.

Is there a way to change how the receiver updates its current location so that you can get a finer level of updates? All other GPS units I've ever owned provided continuous location updates, so I'm wondering why this one doesn't...

On another note, my only other complaint about this unit is that it is far too easy to accidentally turn on. Given that it is intended to be put on a keychain, once in my pocket, the switch is easily moved, turning the unit on and draining the battery until some time later when I finally notice the flashing lights indicating it is up and running.