Intrigued by Garmin's Geko 201 Personal Navigator®? It's smaller than an eTrex and dwarfed by many standard GPS units. But is the Geko a real GPS or just a toy?pFirst, the Geko 201 is a serious GPS receiver. It features WAAS differential correction; memory for 500 waypoints, twenty routes, a whopping 10,000 track points and ten saved tracks; and it connects to external power or to your PC for data transfer with an optional cable. It floats. The array of five buttons is easy to use. The screen is tiny, but it's not that hard to read. Menu choices allow configuration of the data screens to your liking. The back is rubberized, so you can lay it on your dashboard (where it works quite well) and not have it slide around. Using only two AAA batteries, the unit is light as well as small enough to fit in a shirt pocket (but the limited power supply may be an issue for some as explained below). The Geko also has four built-in arcade games, a novelty to emphasize that GPS can be fun. pThe Geko doesn't show base maps but is adept at recording points and lines (keeping track of where you've been, locations you want to remember and where you'd like to go). If you want a GPS unit to use primarily for hiking or recording locations, the absence of base maps isn't that significant. Fact is that the base maps in many GPS units don't provide enough detail to be of much use at a close-in scale unless you can download more features from a CD. If you need map detail, a Geko easily connects to a PDA or laptop computer to display your location in navigation programs or even projected on aerial photos.pThe Geko utilizes a built-in "patch" antenna (a square plate inside the unit, located under the lizard logo). I found the antenna remarkably sensitive when the unit is held correctly. It works best in a horizontal orientation, the top edge of the unit pointed to the horizon. That way the antenna can look up to the sky. Hang it around your neck on a lanyard, though, and the reception will drop. (Note: Unlike receivers with a patch antenna, GPS units like the Garmin 72 and 76 series using a quadrifilar helix antenna should be operated with the top edge pointed skyward.) pAs an experiment, I took both a big Garmin GPSMAP 76S and the Geko 201 on a hike through a forest area. I wanted to see if the Geko could perform as well and hold a track in a wooded situation. After the hike I downloaded the data with a freeware mapping program (USAPhotoMaps) to overlay the GPS tracks on a TerraServer aerial photo. That's the best way to visualize where you've been. To my surprise the tracks and waypoints recorded by the two units were nearly identical. The Geko had no problem holding a signal in the test, even while I walked through a crowded pine plantation. pOn the downside, Geko's rather feeble power supply - two AAA batteries - disappoints me. Garmin claims that two AAA alkaline batteries can last up to twelve hours (on battery saver mode). For economy, however, I use NiMH rechargeable batteries. I know that NiMH power cells don't last as long as alkaline, but the duration was far shorter than I expected - only 40 minutes set on standard mode in 32° F March weather. At 60° F (~16° C) the Geko ran just two hours on fresh NiMH batteries. It operated five and a half hours in battery saver mode with NiMH batteries on the warm dashboard of my car. It's also peculiar that the Geko manual extols lithium batteries for cold weather use and long life when nobody manufactures AAA lithium batteries. Only AA-cell batteries from Energizer are available in a lithium formulation. They can operate to -40°F and last four times longer than alkaline batteries, but sadly do not fit a Geko.pAlthough you may rely on a more complex GPS for serious tasks, having a miniature Geko tucked in your pocket or bag could be handy. If you toss the Geko to your kids in the back seat to play arcade games en route to your destination, however, the batteries could be dead by the time you arrive. You might prefer a recreational GPS unit using AA batteries for extended outdoor activities, but a Geko is a good buy for educational, casual or backup use.

Let's start with the downsides:-p1. Battery life is about 6 hours, so make sure you bring a few spares on long hauls.p2. Doesn't float. Not a nig negative for me, but may be for you.p3. That's it. Yes, it has no maps, but it doesn't need them - this ain't aimed at those users. You may as well say it has no marine or flight addons.....same thing - it's aimed at hikers/runners/cyclists/hobbyists.pUpsides? Lots!p1. Size - It is TINY. It's smaller and lighter than my mobile phone.p2. Waterproof. Tested it, true, it is. Water got into the batter compartment, and it didn't affect operation. Weird.p3. Trackpoints - 10000. Yes, Ten thousand.p4. Although its a budget model, it doesn't scrimp on other basic features - 20 route or 125 legs, 10 saved tracks, 500 waypoints, its plenty for anyone.p5. WAAS. Not used in the UK yet, but next year.p6. PC Connectivity - allows me to use my Ozi Explorer to upload/download pretty much everything.p7. Ease of use.... I was up and running in literally no time.p8. Speed - acquired satellites pretty damned quickly.p9. Feel - Feels damned good in the hand - buttons/screen well placed, feel good. Some have mentioned an on button problem, I don't see it myself.p10. Trip Computer - nice for runners/cyclists. Lots of configuration available to the user too.p11. Colour - you ain't gonna lose this gadget in a hurry....p12. Price - At £120 including VAT (UK) it's pretty amazing value.pSummary - for a hiker etc, it does the job extremely well, especially if you use it with a PC. As far as I'm concerned, there are no decent competitors on the market - all others fall short in some way.p10/10. Easily.

This little GPS, while not having any removeable memory nor a large bank of memory, does VERY well with what it does have. It easily stored a 6 hour hike in it's memory, with less than half the memory used. For street mapping, it has a connection for a computer -- And coupled with Delorme Street Atlas USA, is a high-end solution for in car navigation. (Requires the cables and a serial/USB converter, which are reasonably priced and excellently assembled at the pfranc project.) The eTrex cable/converter is the same for this Geko. pThe battery life isn't really a negative -- ten to twelve hours of operation is just fine, and you can replace low batteries without losing information, so nothing is hurting there. Overall, the price for this unit makes this unit an excellent purchase. Only complaint is that the color is a bit ugly -- And the stretch holster offered by Garmin doesn't do anything for its appearance either.

At first glance, the Gecko 201 seems to be an excellent choice for a back packer's navigation system. The super compact size and light weight were among the primary reasons I chose it. It's very easy to use and it seems to be a good value based on price and features. pIt should be noted that it's low cost comes at the expense of even the most rudimentary accessory. It has nary a belt clip and the manuals are the only accessories it comes with. pAs much as I like the unit however, it may have a fatal flaw. The power on button is not protected and is very easily activated. Someone tossing it in a day pack or back pack pocket may find the batteries drained when they next get it out. pIf I were Garmin, I would design a mechanism to disable accidental powering on of the unit. Absent this oversite, I would have rated it 5 stars as a back packer's GPS in this price range.

I bought the Geko 201 as a replacement for my very old Magellen Blazer 12. The difference is night and day.Although both had parallel processing, the Geko picks up signals much faster. From a cold, fresh-out-of-the-box start, it took the Geko less than a minute to figure out where it was. The Blazer 12 took about 10 minutes even when given hints.The screens are simple and extremely useful. Even with my very bad eyesight, the display was very readable. The buttons make sense, no manual necessary.A few people have mentioned a "flaw" with the power button. I have carried this Geko around for almost two months, keeping it in my pocket almost every day. The unit has NEVER come on by accident. The power button is recessed and takes a good push to get it going.As a hiker and backpacker, my power usage might be less demanding than others. I find that the battery lasts about 8-9 hours on battery save mode. This mode even works well in forests. The only time the Geko is kept powered on is if I'm mapping a trail. Otherwise, it is used for waypoints and position checks only.The lack of displayed maps is irrelevent as I have yet to see a GPS with enough detail to be worth it. I have linked the Geko to DeLorme's Topo 5 with excellent results. Routes, tracks, waypoints can all be moved freely back and forth. This is great for mapping new trails or discovering hard-to-find trailheads. The memory is more than enough, I've never gotten past 12% full after a weekend jaunt.Of course, the size is amazing. The color is also nice as I can actually find it! This is an excellent buy and a great choice for those who want GPS served up straight, stripped of all the annoying "features" of other units. I just purchased a second 201 for my hiking friend, she loves hers as much as I do!

This is my second GPS unit, as I also own a Magellan Meridian. The size of this unit is superb. It dwarfs the Magellan, and makes it seem like a brick. It will be very easy to toss this in a pack and take it along. Unfortunately, however, its dimunativeness extends to the screen, making it a challenge to read from more than a few inches away for my aging eyes. I have found the accuracy to be in line with the Magellan, though it takes the Geko much longer to acquire satellites, and it doesn't work as well under cover of trees and such. The one other area in which the Geko excells is in ease of use. It manages to accomplish the same tasks with five buttons as opposed to the Magellan's nine. Waypoints can be entered with a single button. The Geko's internal memory is very small and it has no expandability, making it a poor choice for use as a multi-city navigational aid. The Geko is more suited to hiking. Its ease of use makes it a great starter unit or for someone looking for an inexpensive GPS to back up their traditional map and compass. It is also a great unit for geocaching. My one question is why in the world did Garmin clothe this unit in such a hideous color and feel the need to include "geogames"? Must every electronic device these days come with entertainment? Small, light and simple, the Geko is worth consideration.

I have been using my 201 for several months. Compared to the only other GPS I have used, a $10k Trimble, it is a bargain.
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br /On its Website Garmin claims, "A WAAS-capable receiver can give you a position accuracy of better than three meters 95 percent of the time." I have yet to see that accuracy. I get 5-6m accuracy 95% of the time. New buyers should be aware that you must use the menu system to put the 201 into WAAS mode for the first time.
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br /In my work, the lack of pan capability in waypoints is a serious limitation.
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br /A reviewer complained about short names for waypoints. Be aware that you enter names by scrolling through the alphabet for each letter: I make do with short names.
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br /I have had no problems with the on/off switch.

Many years ago when I lived in Utah I used a Garmin 12XL for exploring the desert areas. I sold that when I moved to Illinois as what little public land space there is has well marked trails.
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br /A few months ago however, I decided to purchase a Geko 201 to work as trip odometer for my main exercise which is walking around our small town or on country roads. I was very surprised to see how well this GPS worked in comparision to the 12XL. It seems much faster at acquiring satellites and is more accurate. It does as well, if not better, under trees. The trip odo feature is easy to use and all the info you need to check your workout; such as distance, avg speed, and time moving is on one screen.
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br /I also tried it on a business trip to find my way back to my motel from a location across a good-sized town. Instead of backtracking the indirect route I used following freeways to get to the location, I wanted the GPS to show me the shortest way back on city streets. It has no map feature but just using the arrow to judge which way to turn got my right to the front door with no problems at all. I also found it even worked sitting on the console of my car!
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br /Two small downsides: The track feature that shows a breadcrumb trail of where you have been is so small it is pretty much useless. However, that is a trade off I will take for the small size of the GPS. If there is a way to manually plug in coordinates for a place you want the GPS to guide you to I have not found it.
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br /I highly recommend this GPS, as for its intended use, it is close to perfect.

I just bought a Geko 201 after using one that my friend let me borrow for a few weeks. My friend's unit had a protruding power button that admittedly was easy to push by accident. I decided to purchase one anyway for it's size, price, and convenience. I figgured that I would just be careful and remove the batteries when there was a chance that the button would get pressed. When mine arrived I was surprised to find that the 201 has been redesigned. The power button has been recessed and there is now a small ridge around it to protect against the accidents that have been outlined in many other reviews. I would highly recommend this GPS

I have owned this GPS for about a year now, I love it for it's size and detail it provides on the track log or "breadcrumbs", it can remember ten thousand points, which is great for downloading your last trip. It pulls in signals very well. I se this to find my car in the parking lot at the shopping center or after a sporting event. There is just one flaw I found and I wish garmin would issue a fix via software update. If you put in a jean pocket or in tight quarters. I have on several occasions had my batteries go dead cause the unit powered on, it takes just a very quick touch of the power button to turn it on and a longer hold to shut it off. I recommend this night and day over the Garmin 101, this unit adds WAAS and computer interface. Use the interface its great with Expert GPS to view your data or easily add waypoints.

The Geko 201 is a great GPS. I've had it for almost a year and never had any complaints. Sure, it doesn't come with mapping features, altimeter, etc. But if you are only going to use it for light hiking and geocaching, this is the best in the market. It's lightweight and compact and can take quite a few knocks! I've dropped it on rocks and into the water a few times and it still managed to survive with just a few scratches. Like other GPS units, it doesn't work very well if you are walking in an area closed in by trees or buildings.

I am giving the Geko 201 four stars since it is a little pricey. You may want to give the Geko 101 some considerations since it is substantially cheaper. The following are a series of observations I made after about 6 hours with the device.p1. My Energizer NIMH batteries 750mAh lasted about 5 hours in Normal mode. Note that the manufacturer's claim of 12 hours battery life for alkaline batteries is for the device in Battery Save mode.br2. The springs that hold the batteries seem a little flimsy, so does the cover of the battery compartment. This can be an issue since the battery lives are so short, hence creating a need for constant battery changes.br3. It actually worked indoors. It was able to track the satellites on the second floor of a 2 stories house, but not the ground floor.br4. The WAAS feature was not turned on by default. When it was turned on, it was questionable whether it made a significant difference. Without it I was able to get 18ft accuracy and with it 16ft. Note that the accuracy values fluctuated with time.br5. The ability to save routes and tracks is nice, but since the number of routes and tracks that can be saved is small, you will need the serial cable and software (both not included) to make it truly useful.br6. It makes a great speedometer for your bike but you need to buy the handlerbar mounting bracket to make it safe.br7. It is small enough to hold comfortably when you run, but I don't see myself doing this too often. After using the Geko to meaure the route, all I need to pace myself is my heart rate monitor. Of course, knowing how far you have run seems very useful. Incidentally, I was able to get almost the same accuracy with a pedometer that counted the number of steps I took while walking my jogging route.

Very good, lightweight GPS system, ideal for hiking/mountain etc.brHowever 3 cheap improvements would be advisable:br1. The accidental ON/OFF is a real issue. My own trick is to install one of the batteries the wrong way in order to give zero voltage and protect against accidental switching on. The designer could easily have set up a system like on mobile phones. Already got twice out of power because of accidental switch on!br2. Real autonomy with alkaline is 6 hours - far too short for my use. Current AAA NiMH rechargeables are 800mAh while one can find AA rechargeables at 2000mAh. AA Alkalines can be found in nearly any village in any country, not AAA. I would fancy an accessory allowing external power supply with bigger batteries (ideally 4 AA size) or connection to a solar panel for long expeditions.br3. Would be nice if it had a loop for a carrying strap (like on any camera).brIf nothing is available soon I will make an external battery power supply myself.brJean

I bought a class set of these for a teacher workshop mostly because they were inexpensive. But I stepped up from the basic Geko 101 which does not include PC data exchange. The Geko series is the smallest and lightest GPS receiver I have seen that has a display (i.e. is not a bluetooth GPS). Its smaller than many cell phones. As well as being lightweight, its waterproof and rugged so its great for mtn biking and trail running. I also connect it to my laptop with MS Streets and Trips for car navigation. My favorite thing to do is record a track of my running and bike routes and overlay it on Google Earth. The only thing it lacks which is common in other receivers is the ability to upload maps to the device. But the devices that have this feature (like the eTrex series) are twice the size. One strange thing happened with these... when a group of five of us were walking with them in a lightly forested area, some people would lose sattelites or have different estimated accuracies. I thought they might be the same... but that may be common to all receivers. Using my own Geko 201, I've not had too much difficulty finding sattellites.

I've had my Gekko for about 8 months now and have had a chance to try it out in various situations. pIt works very well on a bike. The handlebar attachment is good but it is difficult to release the unit quickly.pI used it in a car. It works well on the dashboard but you have to stop it moving around so the dash mount would be worth considering.pI've managed to check the speed of a train by holding it near the window. {The Venice to Trieste express runs at 130 KPH.} It doesn't work in a commercial jet though, perhaps the windows were too thick!pWhen using Duracell alkaline batteries, the Gekko does last for the whole day. The battery compartment is supposed to be opened using a coin or similar instrument. In reality you will easily mark the plastic this way. Mine now has several dents, even when doing this gently.pI've rinsed the screen under water and it had no negative effects. The screen seems to withstand a bit of abrasion well. I can't see any obvious scratches.pThe accesory 'cover' for it is not very good. It doesn't cover the screen and I had the impression it might affect the sensitivity of the aerial. I wouldn't feel safe just throwing it in a bag ...pIn narrow streets such as Venice where you can see clear sky, but are surrounded by buildings, the Gekko is useless. Buy one with a compass (Gekko 301) for street work. That way you can get a direction and use the compass to continue in the same direction when the signal goes.pWhen the set found a signal it then gave an incorrect initial direction point until I walked around a bit. Seems you have to give it something to calculate before it settles down.pThe WAAS was a bit wayward. Sometimes giving 20M accuracy in europe and then surprisingly in South Africa it gave me a 6M reading!pThe length of waypoint names is limited. I often had to abbreviate these.pAll in all it is great fun and a cheap introduction to GPS. The receiver is light and cheerful and I will probably never get lost again.

This small, very green, GPS device works quite well for the casual user. I use mine for Geotagging photo's and for safety purposes on hikes and near shore kayak trips.
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br /The unit is easy to use with a fairly self explanatory user interface. The short manual explains the features quickly so you can start to use the device right away, no intensive reading required for basic functions.
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br /I currently live in Japan and get great satellite coverage in open conditions (accurate to ~48 feet normally). However when hiking under tree cover I don't get stellar coverage, so I wouldn't recommend this to someone who normally hikes under thick cover and relies heavily on GPS. But for casual users I think the device works well.
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br /The Geko definitely can handle getting wet too. While I haven't directly dropped the unit in the water, it has certainly gotten quite wet. I would recommend once you get home to dry the unit face down (so the water drips out of the button seals) and to open up the rubber flap protecting the computer access port (to prevent corrosion).
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br /Some people complain about the battery life but for me thats not a problem. I just carry an extra set with me if I can going to be using the device for more than 9 hours with out turning the unit off (though I have on occasion used the device for 12 hours on one set of batteries). To save battery life (for things like geotagging photo's) I shut the unit off in between uses. However it can take a few minutes for the Geko to relink with satellites each time you turn it on, so weigh the issues of battery life with how you plan to use the Geko. Again for the casual user, I think it works just fine.
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br /All in all its just a great little handy GPS unit for the casual to perhaps moderate user with a very affordable price tag (I bought mine refurbished for ~$70.00)

Are VORs a pain for you?
br /Do you hate the lag of your VSI?
br /Would you like to know your true heading and ground speed?
br /Does your G1000 have issues?
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br /Pilots...this is a must have! It's always nice to have a backup for your instruments, and this $100 unit has saved me and my aircraft more than once. Sure, it's not FAA approved, but you can hide it in your pocket, so problem solved. It's easy to use, surprisingly accurate, has great reception inside GA aircraft, and fast.

I purchased the garmin geko 201 to use with my Nikon for geopositioning photos. It works nicely for this, but i feel that some of the features aren't intuitive. It is very simple and no frills. So, for basic information it's excellent.
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br /I look forward to trying some geocaching with it in the future!

This is a remarkable unit - the way that it reads through the trees in the woods - pretty impressive, but it is complicated (to me) to make it do all the things it's capable of. I got it for the enhanced reception and use just the "breadcrumb" trail, but it can do a whole lot more. So for those of you out there that need a unit that reads through forest cover on your weekend walks at the local state park, this is the one. You'll never get lost again. I like to go off-trail and haven't gotten lost since I got it.

I replaced a bigger, older, heavier Garmin GPS with this one for hiking - works great, and it's easy to carry and use.
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br /I would add only one caveat - the serial port is covered by a thin rubber protector - and the second time I was pulling the separately-purchased adapter cable off, I tore the rubber in half. It was a non-Garmin cable, so maybe it was tighter than a real one would have been - and it was my fault - but just be careful in using the serial port.
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br /Also, be aware that it does not some with any PC software, so you will either need to buy Mapsource - the cheapest version is sufficient since the GPS does not support maps - or find some other software. I could not get Google Earth to read it directly - but that could be because I had to use a USB to serial converter - no serial port on my laptop. But I was able to read the data with mapsource, and transfer it to Google Earth - very cool!
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br /I guess the only other thing I don't like is that the trip computer screen has lots of data available - but you can only display four fields at a time.
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br /Plus - my Geko does not have that cute little green Gecko on the front!

I ordered the Garmin Geko a month ago for my family, hoping to get them involved in Geocaching. I chose the Geko because it also has games that involve running around a field, like a video game involving exercise and the outdoors!
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br /The family did get into Geocaching. We've found 11 caches so the device is working. I have nothing to compare it to but we were able to get started rather easily. There are a lot of features we have yet to use, including the games! Right now we are so focused on the hunt, that we're just adding single waypoints and haven't ever marked our starting point. I have hopes of reading the whole manual and taking advantage of the features in the future. My son is excited about the games but has been too busy to read the instructions.
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Here's my recommendation in case you don't want to read the whole review: If you don't want or need extra functions, this is a capable basic GPS unit. And it is small enough there is no excuse to not bring it. Just remember to store you car's location *before* you start your hike...
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br /Here's what it can do:
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br /It gets positions quickly and in moderate tree cover. I can get a lock easily through a wood asphalt composite roof, even WAAS information most of the time. Naturally, in trees where you cannot see landmarks is where you want a GPS unit to work, so I give this some weight. I have an older GPS that only works in situations where I don't really need it. The Gecko gets better reception that my Garmin Vista.
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br /You can store and use waypoints, and tracks. I can easily tell one side of a 2 lane street from the other when looking at a track. The user interface for looking for waypoints (and the interface in general) seems pretty easy to use. Although the names of the way points have to be short.
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br /It is small enough, fast enough, and accurate enough that I have considered (but not yet tried) to use it to store my car's location when at a shopping mall. My typical hiking use is to store my car's location when I start my hike. Then I use the unit to get distances and bearings from the car for navigation, since most paper park maps I get have the parking lot marked on them prominately. (Use the "goto" funtion to get the info.)
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br /Battery life seems to be most of a day with non-rechargable batteries (2 AAA's). Carrying spares while hiking is light enough that I would do it just so I don't have to throw out partially good batteries to have a fresh set when I start. And I can change batteries during a hike since the memory is maintained during a battery change. Re-acquiring a lock is fast enough that it is fesible to leave the unit off when you're not using it.
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br /I have a computer with a serial port and have been using the Garmin mapping software with it. Although you cannot load maps to it, you can load routes (of the point to point type, no road following here) and way points. It can be moderately useful in driving if used to remind you where, and in what direction to turn. But with no map it cannot help if you get lost other then to tell you where you need to be. You can also download waypoints and tracks to the computer to store them. But the software to do this costs about as much as the Gecko, so I give this little weight in my review.

Using Rechargeable AAA batteries, with the Battery Saver feature turned on, about two hours. Sometimes I get more using alkalines, but not much more. Honestly, this unit is worthless, because I can't trust the batteries.
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br /Order a Garmin Etrex Legend instead. It isn't much more expensive, larger or heavier, and it includes a base map of roads, towns, and shorelines. The Legend comes with a cable to transfer data from your computer. The Legend's screen is a bit larger, but shows much more detail. And - the batteries last hours and hours.

This thing takes FOR EVER TO LOAD!!! (5-20 min)
br /It also has no maps so dont count on trying to find trails or what route to take! The screen also has no back light so it in hard to use at night! The plus side is that it is very small and light and is good for starters.

compact,accurate and fun. i reccomend to anyone thinking they might want or need a gps unit. i've also dicovered geocaching. this is most likely what i will use it for. it also measures speed and distance that i may use to check customers cars when they question the accuracy of their speedometers.(got a ticket)

This would be a good GPS for geocaching except that it has a fatal design/firmware problem with the power switch.pIf you carry this in your coat or pants pocket, its a sure thing that the unit will power up all by itself, drain the batteries, and leave you high and dry.pI suggested to Garmin that they change the firmware so that if the unit powers itself up and the power button isn't still depressed after 2 seconds, then it powers itself back down. That would at least keep the unit from powering up from a single jostle of the power button like it does right now.pI would not buy this unit until Garmin makes changes to the firmware to fix the power button problem. You will get very frustrated by it as it is right now.