... and no matter which I use on my cell phone, they all pick right up every time.
It's the device.
I think you trying to compare aGPS with non-assisted GPS.. Apples and Oranges..
I hope aGPS is implemented soon on the PB, but until then you should keep your expectations reasonable.
And if anyone reading this isn't familiar with the difference between plain old GPS and network-assisted GPS (aGPS), then do a quick search on Wikipedia. They have lots of good info on it.
If you have unlimited internet,
you can use samsung galaxy tab GPS:
YouTube - ‪Galaxy Tab in-Car Demo. Navigation, Audio, Speakers.‬‏
Can you use BP the same way?
Yes, it certainly can if you have a decent network connection and the right software. I recently took a road trip and used it for navigation. It worked well!
I was traveling with my AT&T Mifi device in my car and I was using the Magellan Compass software. It worked like a champ, tracking my progress constantly as I traveled down the highway. I could search for directions in the app and follow the line on the roads like I often do with Google Maps on my phone.