iPod touch ok...figure this one out.

[BJB Productions]

I'll make this short. I pre-loaded my walking directions on the maps app on my iPod Touch before going downtown Chicago. When I got downtown, I turned it on, and (like normal) it saved what I had pre-loaded at home. (That is normal)

Then I pressed "Start" and I noticed that as I walked, it tracked me! This happened for about two or three blocks. It was pretty accurate too! How the heck is this possible? It shouldn't of been picking up wifi because it won't join any networks unless I tell it to. Yet, it was tracking me as I walked just like an iPhone would.

Explanation?

 

[Intell]

It may have had the local network names cached along with the route. Other then that, it joining a WiFi network is the only other explanation.

 

[BJB Productions]

Weird. Because I had never been downtown at all with my iPod before today.

 

[Warbitrary]

It shouldn't of been picking up wifi because it won't join any networks unless I tell it to.

I'm think the iPod touch has a wifi location database. It's not actually connecting to wifi networks, just detecting their presence and updating your position.

More info: http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/wps.php

 

[wordoflife]

Gps?

 

[BJB Productions]

I'm think the iPod touch has a wifi location database. It's not actually connecting to wifi networks, just detecting their presence and updating your position.

More info: http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/wps.php

Ahhhhhhh that might be it! Because I was indeed walking by stores, coffee shops, etc. I did not connect to them because I had never allowed my iPod to join them, but yet it could of been still picking them up just for Skyhook.

 

[Night Spring]

I assume that it had the map cached into its memory, so it didn't need to be connected to wifi in order to display the map. I also assume that you had wifi turned on, so it could "sense" nearby wifi hot spots, even though it didn't actually connect to any of them. I believe that's all it needs in order to triangulate your location -- just to sense known wifi hotspots.

 

[Intell]

I'm think the iPod touch has a wifi location database. It's not actually connecting to wifi networks, just detecting their presence and updating your position.

More info: http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/wps.php

I don't think it has the whole database on it. My guess is caches the needed parts, ie along the route. iOS 3.2 and onward don't use Skyhook, they use Apple's version of it.