Thinkpads Forum

A T400 I am looking at has Verizon WWAN. I don't care about the WWAN, because I will never use it and don't want to pay for a data plan, but I read that by putting in ANY sim card the GPS can be enabled. Does this mean I can just throw in an old sim card from an old phone? I have an old tracfone that I havent even turned on in ages, but it has a sim card. Would this work? And also, I am obviously not in the Verizon service area, being as I'm in the UK and all.

You don't need any sim card or service with this particular wwan card. GPS works perfectly as it comes without having to do anything else. I've used the Garmin and MS software with it before. Works very well.

Thanks, that's even better than I thought.

and which WWAN card would that be? one of the following?

- Ericsson F3507g
- Qualcomm HS-USB
- Qualcomm Gobi 2000 HS-USB

pros/cons of each? Does the T400 come equipped with all the hardware required for GPS navigation?

It's the Gobi 1000 which I believe is the second one in your list. You don't need anything else other than navigation software. If your software needs an internet connection for its maps, you'll also need mobile broadband. I just use MS Streets and Trips as it doesn't need internet and includes basic maps of the US, but there is probably a better alternative.

Without a phone connection, it will work like a stand-alone GPS, not like a GPS-equipped phone. It needs line-of-sight to at least 4 satellites and will not work indoors. A gps-equipped phone gets extra info from the cell tower(s).