Yes, you are right GPXViews compass doesn't work if you are standing still. This is a basic problem with any GPS as a GPS only knowns which direction you are moving. If you stop moving the direction stops working. You can touch the compass in GPXView and it locks in place. If you have a small cheap magnetic compass with you, you should use that together with GPXView in locked mode. Perhaps you should have a look at the iPhone. The latest version includes an electronic magnetic compass. Most advanced GPS units supposed to be used at low speeds (e.g. by pedestrians) include a magnetic compass. Unfortunately Maemo devices don't have this. They are thus only suited for fast moving navigation.

Two advices for a beginner:

- Search you first cache with someone who's experienced. An experienced geocacher knows how typical stashes look like.

- Take lots of time and patience. It's pretty normal to search for an hour or two. That's part of the fun. A geocache usually isn't supposed to be grab'n go