Motorola: New chip will bring GPS to all

arn · Sep 24, 2002, 01:36 AM

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-959085.html?tag=fd_top

Motorola is unveiling a global positioning system chip it says is the first GPS satellite sensor small enough and cheap enough for practical use in consumer-electronics devices such as cell phones and notebook computers.

SilvorX · Sep 24, 2002, 02:03 AM

hmm if your stuck in the middle of nowhere and u dont know where u are, it'dd be a great tool...unless your ibook or whatever goes dead lol...
but hopefully it wont be used for the US gov to track your every move

Soma_Addict · Sep 24, 2002, 02:20 AM

a GPS chip doesnt broadcast your location. a GPS device triangulates your position using satilites broadcasts. the devices themselves dont transmit, they only receive.

and furthermore, GPS on your cellphone would be pretty cool. check out www.geocaching.com to see one of the cool recreational uses for GPS.

irmongoose · Sep 24, 2002, 05:43 AM

GPS phones have been out here in Japan for a long time...

by April over 1 million users of the AU phones had GPS... Press Release 1

and in July of this year, more features were added to the GPS service... Press Release 2

Just thought you guys would like to know...

irmongoose

idkew · Sep 24, 2002, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by irmongoose
GPS phones have been out here in Japan for a long time...

You guys always get the cool gadgets first! Damn you!

Gelfin · Sep 24, 2002, 02:22 PM

My new Sprint PCS phone contains a tiny GPS receiver. Qualcomm makes it. It uses an interesting (but obvious) technique where the phone receives the GPS signals, but also uses signals from the cell sites to refine the measurement similarly to the way Differential GPS works. The towers are at fixed, well-established geographic locations, so the chip can use signals from the towers to refine its calculation of your position.

Unfortunately, there are currently no apps I can use to access this GPS data myself on the phone. It's just used to tell 911 where I am should I ever have to call them.

Mr. Anderson · Sep 24, 2002, 03:00 PM

I have a hand held GPS that I take with me on trips, whether its camping or not. Its great to have but mostly just a toy in the city.

But one thing this article doesn't mention is the friggin antenna! Its still receiving data from satellites, so it has to see them - which means outdoors. Having a GPS card on your computer is fine, but doesn't really serve much purpose unless you use if for accurate time keeping...

D

dongmin · Sep 24, 2002, 03:23 PM

Did you guys read the last bit about how Motorola is outsourcing the production to IBM? Dang, why didn't they do that for the G4??? We'd be at 2 ghz by now, at least.

Sep 24, 2002, 01:36 AM	#1
arn macrumors god Join Date: Apr 2001	Motorola: New chip will bring GPS to all http://news.com.com/2100-1040-959085.html?tag=fd_top Motorola is unveiling a global positioning system chip it says is the first GPS satellite sensor small enough and cheap enough for practical use in consumer-electronics devices such as cell phones and notebook computers.

Sep 24, 2002, 02:03 AM	#2
SilvorX macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2002 Location: 'Toba, Canada	hmm if your stuck in the middle of nowhere and u dont know where u are, it'dd be a great tool...unless your ibook or whatever goes dead lol... but hopefully it wont be used for the US gov to track your every move __________________ 800Mhz iBook G3, White iPhone 3G, Canon SD1000 Digital Camera and a 24 of beer! It's better to burn out than fade away

Sep 24, 2002, 02:20 AM	#3
Soma_Addict macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2002	GPS cant track you a GPS chip doesnt broadcast your location. a GPS device triangulates your position using satilites broadcasts. the devices themselves dont transmit, they only receive. and furthermore, GPS on your cellphone would be pretty cool. check out www.geocaching.com to see one of the cool recreational uses for GPS.

Sep 24, 2002, 05:43 AM	#4
irmongoose macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sometimes Tokyo, sometimes California	GPS phones have been out here in Japan for a long time... by April over 1 million users of the AU phones had GPS... Press Release 1 and in July of this year, more features were added to the GPS service... Press Release 2 Just thought you guys would like to know... irmongoose __________________ A Film and Artwork Portfolio

Sep 24, 2002, 02:22 PM	#6
Gelfin macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: San Francisco, CA	My new Sprint PCS phone contains a tiny GPS receiver. Qualcomm makes it. It uses an interesting (but obvious) technique where the phone receives the GPS signals, but also uses signals from the cell sites to refine the measurement similarly to the way Differential GPS works. The towers are at fixed, well-established geographic locations, so the chip can use signals from the towers to refine its calculation of your position. Unfortunately, there are currently no apps I can use to access this GPS data myself on the phone. It's just used to tell 911 where I am should I ever have to call them. __________________ Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. --Philip K. Dick

Sep 24, 2002, 03:00 PM	#7
Mr. Anderson Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Back in VA	I have a hand held GPS that I take with me on trips, whether its camping or not. Its great to have but mostly just a toy in the city. But one thing this article doesn't mention is the friggin antenna! Its still receiving data from satellites, so it has to see them - which means outdoors. Having a GPS card on your computer is fine, but doesn't really serve much purpose unless you use if for accurate time keeping... D __________________ "Klaatu varada nikto!"

Sep 24, 2002, 03:23 PM	#8
dongmin macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2002	Did you guys read the last bit about how Motorola is outsourcing the production to IBM? Dang, why didn't they do that for the G4??? We'd be at 2 ghz by now, at least.

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