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Setup
 I tested the TeleNav GPS Navigator with AT&T/Cingular service and a Palm Treo 750 with a Windows Mobile operating system. Besides AT&T/Cingular, the TeleNav GPS Navigator works with Alltel, Nextel, Qwest, Sprint, SouthernLINC, T-Mobile and Verizon mobile phone services. A full list of compatible smartphones is listed at TeleNav.com.
The setup process is time consuming, but only needs to be done once. I was already signed up for the TeleNav GPS Navigator service ahead of time, but you will have to sign up at TeleNav.com for service. Next, you'll have to find your compatible mobile phone software. I downloaded the appropriate software with my Palm Treo 750's Internet Explorer browser. On the Treo, I followed prompts to install the software. Once completed, I launched the software from the smartphone's Windows Mobile start menu.
The first time I used the software, it prompted me to enter my 10 digit phone number and provided 4-digit pin. Login takes 30 to 60 seconds. The software then asked me to configure my Bluetooth GPS Navigator receiver.
The GPS location information is provided by the TeleNav GPS Navigator, thus I had to link the GPS receiver to my smartphone using Bluetooth technology before I could access the mapping data. On the Palm Treo 750, I had to power on the TeleNav Bluetooth GPS Navigator, and press "yes" when prompted to configure the receiver. The TeleNav GPS Navigator appeared as an available device. I highlighted the device and pressed OK to continue.
Connectivity
I tried to find my location about 10 feet from the TeleNav GPS Navigator, and it worked within 15 seconds. I performed this test to determine that the Bluetooth signal is strong enough to keep the device connected to a smartphone regardless of where it is in a vehicle.
When in my car, I had no trouble connecting with the GPS system or with my smartphone. I used the TeleNav GPS Navigator to get from the Boston suburb where I live to downtown Boston and to another suburb 25 miles outside the city where I work. The device did not disconnect from my smartphone during normal use.
The device stayed connected when I missed a turn. Within 5 to 7 seconds, the TeleNav system rerouted me. With a new set of directions, it led me from an otherwise incorrect route to my destination.
The TeleNav GPS Navigator only lost connection in two instances: After a week of use, the device's battery ran out of juice and the device turned off. When I went into a tunnel under Boston, the device lost connection with the satellite signal. While the software stopped guiding me in both instances, it had already mapped my route from start to finish on my smartphone. A separate feature in the software delivered MapQuest-like directions that guided me to my destination.
One disappointment in using the device with the Palm Treo 750 was that I could not use two Bluetooth devices at once. That means, with the TeleNav GPS Navigator connected and working, I could not also use a Bluetooth headset to listen to the TeleNav directions. To hear the TeleNav software guiding me along my trip, I had to instead use wired headphones. This also meant that I could not use a Bluetooth headset to answer calls while also using the TeleNav software. I am not certain whether this issue is related to the Palm Treo 750 and its Windows Mobile software or the TeleNav system itself. Regardless, I found it to be an inconvenience.
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