There are a number of factors that will effect the amount of time it takes for the GPS to get a lock.. If the window you are next to has any kind of metallic film embedded in it, you can forget it.. and while your window may have a nice view of a section of sky, you may still not be able to 'see' any GPS satellites.. The best thing to do is to go outside....

I own a Garmin Nuvi 660, the N810, and the N95-1 and -3...

(I also own the N800 and a pile of other misc. devices too numerous to mention... I MAY have a problem.... :-) )

The Garmin gets a lock nearly as soon as it is turned on.. It IS a purpose built device and its' circuitry has better 'location' options built into it..

My N810 gets a lock in my car in about 2 minutes from the time I start the Maps application.. It DOES help that I own a convertible and even when the top is 'Up' it is radio-transparent...

The N95s take a bit longer, but will get a lock in about 2-3 minutes...

The Initial N810 GPS lock took about 15 - 25 minutes outside.. I had the thing turned on in my office next to a window for hours with no luck... but once outside it worked well... subsequent 'locks' now occur in about 1 -2 minutes.. If I take the thing across the country, I would expect that I would have to wait for 10 -20 minutes to get a lock in the new location..

I've taken the N810 on a couple of 10-15 minute "walks" outside today, and it hasn't locked on then either. I'll keep at it and report any (hopefully) success.

Some times of the day are also 'better' than others.. These vary depending upon where you are on the planet...

I will talk to our GPS 'guy' and see if I can get him to elaborate a bit on that. The Company I work for does a lot with GPS Controlled Heavy Earth Moving equipment...

Finally got a lock by leaving the Map program running while driving around with the N810 in one of the cupholders.

I've noticed different performance with different OS builds.

Better in latest builds?

I hope that's what that means. It would be great news if newer firmware / software builds perform better.

Right now, the biggest thing standing in my way of purchasing an N810 is the GPS performance (and the routing upgrade cost).

For Sh*ts and Grins, I reloaded the latest firmware on my N810 this morning. Then took the unit outside to see how long the initial lock would take..

After starting the Maps application and answering the first few questions, I had a lock and the map showing my location in about 2 minutes...