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iPhone 3G: My Experience.
- Thread starter PhightinPhils26
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Sorry for not quoting, a little easier this way...
- e.g does the gps work when no phone signal
No, need signal to download map data
- Does it track your position well
Yes, better than expected.
- What are the GPS settings - can you change if the GPS is on all the time/off/turning iteself on & off constantly
You can turn positioning to On or Off
- Time to first fix how long does it take to get a lock on position?
Less than 5 seconds
- e.g does the gps work when no phone signal
No, need signal to download map data
- Does it track your position well
Yes, better than expected.
- What are the GPS settings - can you change if the GPS is on all the time/off/turning iteself on & off constantly
You can turn positioning to On or Off
- Time to first fix how long does it take to get a lock on position?
Less than 5 seconds
Thank you for sharing such detailed information, you have clarified quite alot.
BUT, You say that the screen is better e.g more responsive/snappier, so does this debunk the rumors of it supposedly having the ipod touch screen. Thats one of the main reasons why I'm not going to get one, If of course it has a better/good screen I will be willing to upgrade.
Thanks again, having played with it 4 days in advance, Apple must be peeved off with you...
BUT, You say that the screen is better e.g more responsive/snappier, so does this debunk the rumors of it supposedly having the ipod touch screen. Thats one of the main reasons why I'm not going to get one, If of course it has a better/good screen I will be willing to upgrade.
Thanks again, having played with it 4 days in advance, Apple must be peeved off with you...
You're welcome.
I can't though I don't know the specifics of the screen differences (as I am not familiar with the touch) all I can tell you is that it looks better than the original.
I am going to be playing again today so maybe I can get a better answer for you.
It's not my device, my friend works at an AT&T store and he is letting me play.
If its just a demo phone, it will get all scratched up anyway, so just do a little sctratch test for us.
Hi Phil, I am sorry if this has already been answered, but I wonder if the map data will be downloaded over Edge or 3G? Or will the map data go over the free line? In denmark we dont have free data (and no option to choose so), so if the GPS map requires Edge or 3G data, we are going to be ****ed.
Thanks in advance.
_________ ALSO, does anyone know if one will be able to for instance, to download the complete country map locally?
I didn't get to take it overnight so I am not sure about those results...
However I noticed that the GPS does KILL the battery. You can turn both 3g and GPS off and on
Keep in mind that the GPS is NOT just the Map... You can write code to turn on the GPS and get the location information (Lat/Long/Altitude) without the map... I'm actually working on an app right now that does that so I can use the location information from the GPS. No map involved (which means it doesn't matter if you have network capability or the network turned on...)
can you let me play with it?
That's what she said.
That's sweet as hell.
Can WebAps access GPS? They can access addresses and stuff like that, right?
Webapps, as in you go to a website and it runs some Web2.0 AJAX type stuff? I don't see how... In order to turn on and read the GPS data, something has to be written and running on the phone itself. In the case of the Maps application (or the address book linking to the maps app, etc.) the Maps app itself turns on the GPS and asks it for the location info and then uses that to determine what map data to ask Google Maps for. Typically with web apps, their code is restricted to only what limited Javascript can run within the browser, and most of the "heavy lifting" type processing is done on the server side.
In my app's case, I'm using the location information to help you determine the direction you're facing and create a compass heading from that. The rest of my app uses that compass heading to do things. No map involved...
GPS just sends time information from the sats. The GPS chip looks for those signals from multiple sats and uses triangulation to determine your Lat/Long/Alt. That's all it can do. Anything involving mapping or directions or anything like that is a product of software that is written to make use of the GPS lat/long/alt information...
Phil,
So if you turn off the 3G, does it default back to EDGE? Or does it totally turn off the Cellular service altogether? And does turning it off only turn off data, or phone access as well?
Just curious...
So if you turn off the 3G, does it default back to EDGE? Or does it totally turn off the Cellular service altogether? And does turning it off only turn off data, or phone access as well?
Just curious...
Thanks for doing this. I have to say, its really nice having someone on the ground with the device that can take the general public's questions and provide some insight. The review from the WSJ and NYT are nice, but they are usually pretty vague and miss out on some points. Thanks again.
Quick follow up question - can you get Google Maps to cache the map data like on other phones, from a previous use of Google Maps?
I'm wondering if you could precache a route, so you wouldn't need the data, just the gps to work.
I was wondering about this - pre-cache before going abroad so can find my way around with out paying crazy roaming data fees
I am with the phone again.
Yes, it defaults to EDGE. It just disables 3G... So it basicly becomes the first iPhone with GPS... Make sense?
I can't answer this because this is a demo and it was preloaded with music and stuff.
No Problem! Just glad to help.
It seems as if it does... I moved around an area around, closed maps, re opened and it was okay, however, with the 3G service on here... It won't be bad if it doesn't because it does load A LOT faster
EDIT: Sorry, I missed the ABROAD portion of the one message... Eh, I am not sure if it will cache ENOUGH.
Yes, it defaults to EDGE. It just disables 3G... So it basicly becomes the first iPhone with GPS... Make sense?
I can't answer this because this is a demo and it was preloaded with music and stuff.
No Problem! Just glad to help.
It seems as if it does... I moved around an area around, closed maps, re opened and it was okay, however, with the 3G service on here... It won't be bad if it doesn't because it does load A LOT faster
EDIT: Sorry, I missed the ABROAD portion of the one message... Eh, I am not sure if it will cache ENOUGH.
How is the battery? I know you probably can't be with it all day to see how it does, but in general do you see the battery life as being worse than the original iPhone?
HUGE. Just like demoed at WWDC
Eh... Like I said before it's tough to say... If you leave the GPS on, Its a HUGE difference... 3G not sure. From playing with it, if you turn GPS off... at least a day with normal usage.