I recently received a Fredom Keychain GPS 2000 from Freedom Input and thought I would share my thoughts with the forum on Freedom’s update to their first generation Freedom Keycahin GPS (FKG) The thread for that unit is located here.

Since I now have both units, I’m going to focus most of my comments on the differences between the two so let’s first get the technical stuff out of the way. The 2000 uses the MTK GPS chipset (51 satellites) compared to the SiRF StarIII chip for the FKG (20 satellites). Both units are rated for 10 hours of battery life and from my initial testing of the 2000, I don’t see any reason to dispute that claim. The 2000 measures 46 x 32 x 14.5 mm. (1.81 x 1.26 x 0.58 ins.) while the FKG is 49 x 32 x 19 mm. (2 x 1.25 x 0.75 ins) meaning the 2000 is roughly 28% smaller than the FKG. Here is a sizeasy comparison of the units plus the Mogul (although I couldn’t get the 3D view to work but maybe that’s just my browser). Since I have a rather large keychain that I sometimes hassle with to get completely out of my pocket, the 2000's smaller size is a welcomed addition (errr...subtraction) and since replacing the FKG with the 2000 on my keychain, I've noticed my entire keychain now comes out of my pocket with definitely more ease than before. In the package, you'll find the 2000 ships with a mini-USB cable for charging, a mini-USB car charger, an instruction manual, and a nicer key ring that includes a lever making it easier to add or remove it from your keychain. The side of the 2000 has a single (power) switch just like the FKG but its easier to slide than the one on the FKG (while still stiff enough to prevent accidentally turning it on) and has ridges on the switch to give you a better grip when moving the switch. To the right of the switch is the mini-USB port for charging, which is protected by a rubber cover similar to the original FKG except the 2000’s mini-USB port cover is hinged on the side of the port rather than the bottom of the port like on the FKG. Both units have a similar rubbery coating that feels good in your hand (similar to the coating on the Mogul’s keyboard but better IMO). The 2000 is also completely black compared to the grayish color of the FKG. The rubbery paint coating on my FKG has definitely started to wear off on the edges and corners since I got it (no big deal to me) so it will be interesting to see how the 2000 endures in terms of its paint job.

Pairing the unit with your phone (I’m using a 6800) is fairly straight forward. Simply turn the unit on and then initiate the pairing procedure from the 6800 (shows up as “Keychain GPS 2000” with a serial port as the available service). I then created a COM port for the 2000 (I chose COM5, the FKG is using COM4), instructed my GPS software to look for the GPS on that COM port, and that was it (I didn’t have to touch any of the setting in the “external GPS” Windows Mobile application).

Now I live in a highrise building and need to stand near the edge of my balcony in order to get a GPS signal using any GPS receiver and the 2000 is no different. From a cold start and using either TomTom, Windows Live, or Google Maps, the 2000 consistently got a signal lock in 90-95 seconds with the FKG typically acquiring a signal in 70-75 seconds (so yes, the original FKG is slightly faster from a cold start). However, I was surprised to see that when I moved from the balcony to the inside of my apartment, the 2000 was still able to keep its signal from 3-5 satellites whereas the FKG lost its GPS signal (as all other BT GPS units I have used do as well). Furthermore, when driving, the GPS signal meter in the TomTom software showed a strong signal of 4-5 bars at all times with the 2000 while the FKG fluctuated between 2-3 bars (sometimes hitting 4 bars for a second or two). I found both units equally as accurate.

Compared to the FGK which has only 1 LED that flashed various colors at varying intervals depending on the status of the unit (and could be a little confusing at time if you didn’t know exactly what each LED color meant), the 2000 has 4 separate LEDs so its easier to tell exactly whats going on. The top blue LED will stay solid when the device is ready for connection and then blink 1 time/sec when transmitting data to the phone. The orange (GPS) LED stays solid when searching for a satellite signal and then blinks 1 time/sec once it has received the signal. The red battery LED will briefly illuminate when you turn the unit on and then disappear and will only re-illuminate when the unit needs charging. Finally, the green LED will turn on when you plugin the mini-USB cable for charging and then turn off once the unit is fully charged.

So while the original FKG does appear to acquire a signal slightly the faster than the 2000, I would say the smaller size of the 2000 along with, in my experience, its higher signal strength/ability to hold onto a weak a GPS signal are nice upgrades to the original FKG. For owners of the original FKG, I wouldn’t say you absolutely need to upgrade to the 2000 (especially if you are happy with your FKG), but if you have a little bit of money to spare, I think you will find the 2000 is a nice update and will enjoy it and its smaller size very much (especially if you like your electronics as small as possible). If you don’t own either unit, I would recommend going with the 2000, especially since they are both the same price ($99 + shipping). I’ve attached a few pictures for you. Sorry about the quality, my hands were just a little too shaky this morning (will try to post some better ones later tonight but wanted to put them up now so you could get an idea of the size difference). Any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them.

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nice review marty mar. i received mine and have been playing with it all weekend.

i enjoy the smaller size and the layout of the display as opposed to the older display is a great addition. i have had great sat coverage here in Atlanta and have been hanging the unit over the rearview mirror and the devices never seem to lose a beat.

i would recommend the newer version solely on the smaller size and the display being a better read.

again, great review marty mar...

Very cool. I'm sticking with my original but like that the technology is still getting smaller. Now when the next version comes out, I'll be all over it.

Thanks Marty

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Continuing on the success of the Freedom Keychain GPS receiver we have now launched our second Bluetooth keychain GPS receiver (above), the Freedom Keychain GPS 2000 using the MTK chipset.

Since we had such a high interest in the original offer we ran previously in this forum for the Freedom Keychain GPS, and since the members here are still asking for this on a daily basis, we have decided to do an introductory Christmas offer on this latest puck just for forum members.

The offer is:
The Freedom Keychain GPS 2000 Receiver for $89.99 with no shipping charges.

If you would like to take this offer up, please email Chris at chris@freedominput.com with your email address. You can PM me or Chris and post here too but Chris will need your email address if you want to buy the Freedom Keychain GPS 2000 Receiver.

In case you are worried, I we need your email address to send you a paypal button for the reduced payment of $89.99 per piece. You don't need to have a paypal account with the button. When you click the button, it will take you to a secure payment website where you can pay with your credit card.

We will be shipping from the end of November and this offer will run until Christmas eve.

Everyone that has PM'ed/Emailed today should have now had a reply. If you haven't got one please double check your spam/junk mail in case it has been filtered.

Woo! Looks great, I'm ready to jump in. (Just sent an email.)

I got mine on Tuesday and I have to say i am very happy with it also. I was using a Globalsat BT-359 and was already thinking about using it as a keychain until I came across the Freedom 2000.

So far, I'm glad I got it. Chris was also very helpful. She answered all my questions, let me me know when it was shipped, and even gave me the tracking number (Thanks Chris).

Any upgrade or trade-in offers? I would love to upgrade from first generation, but I don't need two freedom GPS

I am happy with the receiver I am using but I do like the keychain idea. I use ALK's Copilot and they use the SiRF Star III and warn that they require the protocols GGA, GSA, GSV, and RMC. The Freedom 2000 provides NMEA 0183/GGA, GSA, GSV. It is missing RMC. This omission will stop me from considering this purchase and everyone should check their software to find out what protocols they require before purchasing any receiver.

Does anyone know the messages each protocol sends to the software?

Good spot! I have just doubled checked and the unit does support RMC but this was missing from the product description on the website (now fixed). The only protocols that the new units doesnt support which the old one does are VTG and GLL (which pretty much nothing uses anyway).

Does this work with the Verizon VX6800? i know it works with the verizon i760 but i just wanted to make sure.

the unit works thru BT so the verizon model will work...

Thank you.

Marc/Marty, was there a reason you decided to order the 2000? Was it just because you wanted something new, or was it based on a specific feature? Afterall, the first model just came out a few months ago.

Unless someone is willing to purchase my FKG on Ebay, or I can think of a gadget geek that wants my old (so to speak) FKG for Christmas, I can't justify spending another 90 bones on a GPS unit.

so freedoms website says sprint is a retailer of their products, think they stock these locally?

8,
i got it because its a disease of mine.. .gadget junkie. i dont even use GPS on the phone since i have it on the laptop and in the cars... but.. just had to have it because im a gadget freak. so right now i have the first version and the second version inna pocket in my backpack just collecting dust...

sprint probably does not h ave the second version out. freedom probably wont get them to their suppliers until firsts of next year perhaps, but just ask paul or chris directly.. they are on this thread...

Anyone know what type of battery the FKG2K uses and how easy/hard is it to replace? Sure couple years down the line, the internal rechargable battery won't hold as much of a charge compared to a new unit.

by then there would be a newer version (they already have an new version out over the old one and its been only a few months) so why even worry about replacing? for 90 bux i think in two years' time you would have gotten your moneys worth no?

LOL... if we were in the same city, I think we could both pioneer a 12 step gadgeteer meeting. Imagine what that would look like!

True, but I like to try to keep the same stuff as long as it's useful, because this kind of stuff is deadly in a landfill. Even places that claim to recycle e-waste often just ship it to China or some 3rd world country where they dump it in local rivers etc that people use to drink or swim. I think we're going to regret this disposable technology mentality down the road...