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Is your 3G's GPS always accurate?
- Thread starter Whimsicool
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kdarling
Contributor
I don't know if that app did or not. Always possible. There were many public attempts to compile a cell id database (and provide code to use it) before Google did so. Ditto for WiFi hotspots. It's just that Google and Skyhook went commercial with the ideas.
Google says their method doesn't triangulate. Read here. I believe it.
It's usually very inaccurate to use signal strength from any distance to triangulate position. (I did extensive direction finding in the military.) That's why carriers use time-difference calculations instead.
(Jobs said "triangulate" at the first debut, but he was excited and thinking about WiFi, and using the word as civilians do. )
Irecently took a road trip from Miami to Gainesville
As far as exact adresses are, there off by 50 feet.
on the Highway they where accurate but my blue dot would jump and the moving wouldnt be smooth
On cities its of by 10 or 20 feet.
But im still impressed.
As far as exact adresses are, there off by 50 feet.
on the Highway they where accurate but my blue dot would jump and the moving wouldnt be smooth
On cities its of by 10 or 20 feet.
But im still impressed.
mlemonds
macrumors 65816
McGiord
macrumors 601
for me it almost always fails
Today I just returned from Mexico to the USA, and landed in Houston, Texas.
Then took my flight to Detroit, after leaving the Detroit airport, when I was on the highway, I asked my iPhone 3G to locate me, then it shows that "I'm near Plano, Texas".
And with other apps that use the Locate Me feature (like urbanspoon), it frequently thinks that I'm in Seattle, when I'm actually in Detroit.
Very bad...😡
________
Chrysler Drifter
Today I just returned from Mexico to the USA, and landed in Houston, Texas.
Then took my flight to Detroit, after leaving the Detroit airport, when I was on the highway, I asked my iPhone 3G to locate me, then it shows that "I'm near Plano, Texas".
And with other apps that use the Locate Me feature (like urbanspoon), it frequently thinks that I'm in Seattle, when I'm actually in Detroit.
Very bad...😡
________
Chrysler Drifter
Last edited:
I live in central London and even in the middle of Hyde park in a clear part, so no trees or tall buildings around, I can never get my position! Its got worse since getting the phone, as i used to get my position, but now i never can get it even if i leave my phone for 20mins looking for my location on maps. Im thinking there must be something wrong with some part of my phone if in central London with loads of phone masts, full signal etc it can't even place me roughly let alone the 'blue dot' locator!
Have booked a genius appointment and will see what they've got to say as i really could do with having some form of GPS!
Have booked a genius appointment and will see what they've got to say as i really could do with having some form of GPS!
It's always worked ok for the most part for me though sometimes it would show me as traveling through backyards or through lakes 500 feet or more to my left.
Though I had a Garmin GPS about 6 months before I ever bough the first iPhone, I still wanted to give the iPhone GPS a try and realized that it is ok for what it is meant to do but fails if you really do try to use it in the way of a real GPS. In it's current state, it's not meant to be a GPS in the sense of a Garmin of Tom Tom. It's meant to assist you in locating where you may be on a map in relation to what you may be looking for and to assist you in getting there a bit easier and for geotagging photos.
I went out last week and bought Garmins latest and greatest GPS, the one that understands voice commands.
Once Tom Tom and Garmin are allowed to sell a GPS app in the store, the iPhone GPS may atually be able to be a real GPS and I may try it. Then again, when I can tell my Garmin by simply talking to do any function it is capable of doing without touching the screen, even to dial a number on my iPhone, I really don't need anything else.
Though I had a Garmin GPS about 6 months before I ever bough the first iPhone, I still wanted to give the iPhone GPS a try and realized that it is ok for what it is meant to do but fails if you really do try to use it in the way of a real GPS. In it's current state, it's not meant to be a GPS in the sense of a Garmin of Tom Tom. It's meant to assist you in locating where you may be on a map in relation to what you may be looking for and to assist you in getting there a bit easier and for geotagging photos.
I went out last week and bought Garmins latest and greatest GPS, the one that understands voice commands.
Once Tom Tom and Garmin are allowed to sell a GPS app in the store, the iPhone GPS may atually be able to be a real GPS and I may try it. Then again, when I can tell my Garmin by simply talking to do any function it is capable of doing without touching the screen, even to dial a number on my iPhone, I really don't need anything else.
