There isn't any "magic" registration requirement for it to work. You don't have to register it at all (you might to get any software updates). You don't even need maps.

People's comments are correct about needing a while to set-up the GPS (it's downloading data from the satellites, which is slow).

That has to be done if it's off for a long while or if you move it long distances with it being turned off. This is a standard GPS thing.

Smart phones can cheat because they can download the information from the internet. Smart phones can also determine rough location using cell-towers and wifi (no GPS is required). That helps to start up the GPS quicker. GPS is provides much more accurate possitioning but it can take a while to start up (once it's started up, it's very fast).