A long delay in obtaining the very first fix is NORMAL. All GPS units need to have an up-to-date ephemeris table of each of the satellites it can see, in order to understand where the sats are. The ephemeris table contains the data about when and where the sat will be visible. Downloading that takes some time. Garmin says it can take up to 15 minutes, depending on how many sats your unit can 'see', when it first comes up. The table is good for some days and for a general location area, so if you leave the unit off for 2 weeks, or move it 500 klicks, it must re-fresh the tables. It must also do this the very first time it is turned on. That is why it is taking so long.

There are a variety of levels of start. A 'cold-start' is thought of as the first level, but in a cold start, the unit already has an ephemeris table. Think of 'first power-up' as more like a 'reset' start.
Analogizing to a browser, 'warm-start' is 're-load from Ram' (like 'Back'), 'cold-start' is 're-load from disk cache' and 'first-start' is 'load from the remote server'. It takes a while.

How would explain unit getting lock on within 1 minute placed in southern facing window twice one night but next morning in same window not seeing anything for 5 minutes?

I find the GPS on the N810 rather too good. It can be distracting in the wonderful detail it presents while driving. So I have had nothing but enjoyment. While much of the discussion here relates to indoor use, I know where my bathroom is, and so I have never had to use it indoors in a hurry. Hence I can offer no useful comment on this aspect. Just wanted some readers to know that it is a really handy device outdoors.

GPS Satellites move.

True, I'm trying this from inside as well (I live in Montreal--not gonna trek around right now).

In trying to get the first fix, which happened rather fast in NYC where I bought the device, I'm getting different results with the following three methods:
- Maemo Mapper
- Wayfinder
- "get location" from the GPS' settings in the control panel

In trying to get a fix indoors, Maemo gives up after less than a minute for some reason. Wayfinder finds at least 5 sats but never responds to my "go to location" command; I don't know if it actually found my location at all. Trying to get a fix from the GPS settings in the control panel continues searching forever but doesn't get anything.

I'm just wondering--because if I'm going to try this outside I'd like to know first--what the proper or most reliable way of getting the first fix is, since the three available methods produce different results.

When I closed Wayfinder (because it wasn't showing me my location) after it found five sats, I thought the GPS would stay active for when I opened Mapper. Not the case. Then, does anyone have any idea why Mapper gives up after such a short amount of time (under a minute or so)?

you need to understand that the speed of the fix depends on the location of the satellites and the geometry of their constellation. you need a diverse spread of birds at low angles of elevation to get a quick 3d fix. this is highly variable and goes some way to explaining the variation you experience.

My whole point to this thread was to advice in my opinion that GPS is weak in this device. If you are looking for True GPS buy a good stand alone unit.
My Garmin Nuvi 350 will find location indoors or outdoors at any location within 60-90 seconds.
I can say with certainty N810 can not do this.
I wanted a second GPS alternative to Nuvi in case I decided to give it to Wife or daughter.
N810 is not alternative at this point.
Maybe future unit will be along with better mapping software.
You must admit that software could use improvement.

I'm using the GPS as a secondary function. I suppose I'm probably more forgiving because it's not the primary reason I bought the device. I have no doubt that if there are these issues, they'll be fixed with new software releases as time goes on, and I can afford to wait, because the device works "good enough" for me, right now.

You get used to having to wait for the features you like to be fleshed out when you've committed to being an early adopter.

So, how are people getting their fix generally? From Mapper (which for some reason gives up after <1 min for me), Wayfinder or from within the control panel?

I understand that, but it doesn't explain the variation I experienced. The differences I described between the three ways (Wayfinder, Mapper and the control panel) are consistent. Wayfinder finds satellites in a couple minutes, Mapper always gives up after the same amount of time (~1 min) and from within the Control Panel it just searches endlessly with no result.

This is all from indoors, but the three methods still differ consistently, leading me back to my initial question: what is the preferred or most reliable way for those who ARE getting a fix?

Nokia is taking you all for a ride. I'm glad a few of you have returned and have realize that its pathetic. If you did any of your research you would have know that before it was released Thoughtfix had to wait 10-15mins for a lock. Nokia obviously did not give it to them to find bugs or else they would have fixed this or gone back to the drawing board. I had a feeling Nokia wasn't going to give a crap about those problems with the pre-release devices and I bet you that those pre-release devices were the final release anyway - Like they were going to put money into changing the poor keypad design or fix the gps problem - yeah right - they want money just like any other company, unfortunately they don't bother fixing problems with the so called "pre-release" devices. I've had a SIRF III in my ppc phone for 2 years now and been to 3 countries around the world and the GPS fix "cold" so you'd like to call it, no more than 30secs, in a completely different country for the first time. Nokia is having a laugh - You've all just been punk'd.

maybe if it was a hidden feature like the FM Tuner in the n800, no one could really complain. This is Nokia in the CEO room "Ummmm, well we see this is a problem with the pre-release/final release but we can't afford to loose any money, we are here to gain as much as possible, so lets just go ahead and release it anyway, even though the gps is crap, its still present, so all they can do is complain thats is not working properly, but we still get the money from them...o, and they'll understand because we told them its only step 3 of 5 so we can mess up a few things still."