The GPS is utterly broken!!!

[73CortinaV8]

I flew into NYC yesterday for work. Walking around the lower east side last night, I turned on the GPS.

Well, it thought I was still in PA !!!.

And the blue dot start crawling eastward. It's in nevada now. Like it is SLOWLY heading towards my position.


nobody tested this I see. POS.

 

[crazyitalian198]

The very fact that you call your phone (which can only be a few weeks old) a "Piece of ****" means that you hate it. Therefore, why don't you return it?

I use the GPS all the time and it work flawlessly. Yes, there isn't proper GPS software on there yet, but it still works.

Try turning location services off then on again from the general settings tab.

Just because it isn't working for you doesn't mean that its an "Untested Piece of ****".

And who says "utterly". It makes me want to smack you with a cow...maybe then your GPS will work.

I flew into NYC yesterday for work. Walking around the lower east side last night, I turned on the GPS.

Well, it thought I was still in PA !!!.

And the blue dot start crawling eastward. It's in nevada now. Like it is SLOWLY heading towards my position.


nobody tested this I see. POS.

 

[maddan]

I flew into NYC yesterday for work. Walking around the lower east side last night, I turned on the GPS.

Well, it thought I was still in PA !!!.

And the blue dot start crawling eastward. It's in nevada now. Like it is SLOWLY heading towards my position.


nobody tested this I see. POS.

Did you touch the relocate button? Try doing that.

 

[Ntombi]

I flew into NYC yesterday for work. Walking around the lower east side last night, I turned on the GPS.

Well, it thought I was still in PA !!!.

And the blue dot start crawling eastward. It's in nevada now. Like it is SLOWLY heading towards my position.


nobody tested this I see. POS.

Well, considering Nevada is considerably west of both PA and NYC, I'd say both you and the GPS are confused. Luckily, one of you is fixable.

Try a soft reset, and tell it to locate you again. My GPS can tell in which part of my home I'm sitting. Yes, it's that accurate from indoors.

Have a great time in NY.

 

[bluenoise]

Well, considering Nevada is considerably west of both PA and NYC, I'd say both you and the GPS are confused. Luckily, one of you is fixable.

Try a soft reset, and tell it to locate you again. My GPS can tell in which part of my home I'm sitting. Yes, it's that accurate from indoors.

Have a great time in NY.

I thought that, too, but I think he meant "PA" as in "Palo Alto, CA."

My GPS works fine, too, so it probably just needs another attempt. Maybe you're near some tall buildings that are affecting the GPS signals.

 

[WillJS]

Maybe you're near some tall buildings that are affecting the GPS signals.

or Maybe he's been abducted by aliens and set in a totally different place then he thinks he is?

 

[Ntombi]

I thought that, too, but I think he meant "PA" as in "Palo Alto, CA."

Ahhh, I stand corrected.

 

[kdarling]

And the blue dot start crawling eastward. It's in nevada now. Like it is SLOWLY heading towards my position.

Curious: is the device date/time correct? (You might have to do a reset to get the local time.)

Also, have you tried the usual turn-off-3G and see if it gets your position then?

nobody tested this I see. POS.

Agreed, the locating code is clearly not ready for primetime. The problem with so much secrecy is that it doesn't get much of a work out before launch.

 

[viggen61]

I dunno, my iPhone 3G located me with pinpoint accuracy nearly every time I'm outside. Heck, I even got the pin inside my house, where a "regular" GPS would take 10 minutes to tell me it couldn't get a lock...

Parking for the van to work: 15 seconds to a lock on my position...

Traveling on a highway, iPhone in the dash cupholder, it locked on and tracked me for several miles. (this surprised me most, as it didn't have a terribly clear view of the sky).

Of course, I live in the vast open spaces of New Jersey so, I guess that helps me a lot.

I keep telling folks that "outdoors" in NYC isn't the same as "outdoors" in Arizona or New Jersey... Those big (and small) buildings block GPS signals with extreme efficiency.

If you have to tilt your head up to see sky most of the way around you, GPS isn't going to help you very well.

 

[kdarling]

Hey viggen,

Questions, please: did you have to get your GPS going by turning off 3G the first time? Or did it work right off the bat? (Or do you just not have 3G where you first used it?)

And how long did it take to find you first time? Did it show you somewhere else?

Did you set the local time before using GPS the first time?

Trying to figure out where/when things are working.

Thanks! - Kev

 

[73CortinaV8]

Did you touch the relocate button? Try doing that.

yes, of course I did.

 

[73CortinaV8]

The very fact that you call your phone (which can only be a few weeks old) a "Piece of ****" means that you hate it. Therefore, why don't you return it?

I use the GPS all the time and it work flawlessly. Yes, there isn't proper GPS software on there yet, but it still works.

Try turning location services off then on again from the general settings tab.

Just because it isn't working for you doesn't mean that its an "Untested Piece of ****".

And who says "utterly". It makes me want to smack you with a cow...maybe then your GPS will work.

Resetting the location when the phone has been moved 3000 miles has clearly not been tested.

The GPS code is total dreck.

 

[73CortinaV8]

I dunno, my iPhone 3G located me with pinpoint accuracy nearly every time I'm outside. Heck, I even got the pin inside my house, where a "regular" GPS would take 10 minutes to tell me it couldn't get a lock...

have you tried moving the phone 3000 miles and then hitting relocate?

 

[SilentLoner]

Resetting the location when the phone has been moved 3000 miles has clearly not been tested.

The GPS code is total dreck.

That comment makes no sense, if the gps module can spot you in one location then the amount of miles away from the first one isn't going to mean dick to it. imo

 

[chinl]

GPS suffers from the "urban canyon" and "signal drift" phenomena. If you are in downtown NYC chances are you can only view a small slice of sky -- not enough for a proper GPS lock. If it gets a partial signal it can get confused and drift waaaay off position. The device software should fix it, but many GPS units have trouble (the iPhone might be one of them).

 

[MBHockey]

I flew into NYC yesterday for work. Walking around the lower east side last night, I turned on the GPS.

Well, it thought I was still in PA !!!.

And the blue dot start crawling eastward. It's in nevada now. Like it is SLOWLY heading towards my position.


nobody tested this I see. POS.

I was on the lower east side the last three days and GPS was working wonderfully. Not that I need it to get around, but I wanted to test it out as I just got my iPhone. Pinpointed my location within 15 seconds after I got out by canal st. and tracked me until i got to my favorite bodega.

 

[kdarling]

That comment makes no sense, if the gps module can spot you in one location then the amount of miles away from the first one isn't going to mean dick to it. imo

Relocating 3000 miles does makes sense as a problem, since it's a GPS cold start situation, unlike where you stay in one area or keep the GPS going.

GPS is not magic. It requires knowing what satellites are visible above a certain angle above the horizon, which ones are working, what their orbits are during the current several hour span, and depending on the code, perhaps the local time.

Depending on location and orbits, it can take a fairly long while (10+ minutes) to get that information from the satellites themselves, especially if assistance isn't available. Or it can take forever in this case, since the iPhone seems to have a GPS intitalizing bug if 3G is on at the same time.

 

[whooleytoo]

I've found it to be accurate to within about 10m if I'm standing by a window, otherwise it's way off. I haven't tried it outdoors.

On occasion it can't get a signal and just shows me at my last checked location.

 

[iPhone3G]

I don't mean to try to standout or put those whose GPS doesn't work well down, but mine has worked flawlessly since launch day.

I have used it with various settings enabled (including the dreaded 3G and GPS combo), indoors, outdoors, in-car, in the middle of the city (I'm from Chicago), and I really haven't had any problems as of yet. I'm most impressed by its in-car ability as I can travel 70 mph down the highway, and it is typically tracking me nearly dead on, showing me passing particular intersections or landmarks only seconds or less after it actually happens. For me, using the directions function in maps and pinpointing my position, in conjunction with a car charger, is a perfectly acceptable replacement for voiced turn-by-turn GPS.

The worst thing to happen to my GPS is an occasional delay where it can only find the large blue circle indicating my general area, and it may take a couple minutes for it to pinpoint. Otherwise, it is typically flawless, instant, and quite precise.

Also, I have travelled to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Los Angeles for work since I bought my 3G, and the GPS has worked and helped me greatly in all locations.

Overall, my point is I love my GPS on my 3G, and not all 3Gs have faulty or buggy GPS functionality. Good luck to those of you having troubles, maybe 2.1 will enhance the overall GPS functionality for you guys?

 

[viggen61]

Hey viggen,

Questions, please: did you have to get your GPS going by turning off 3G the first time? Or did it work right off the bat? (Or do you just not have 3G where you first used it?)

Worked first time I tried it. Full bars of 3G at the time.

And how long did it take to find you first time? Did it show you somewhere else?

It took 10-15 seconds to locate me the first time. Hasn't yet shown me where I'm not (once it's acquired the signals, that is)

Did you set the local time before using GPS the first time?

Um, I suppose I did, though not on purpose. Synced it to my Mac & Mobile Me, and it took all my preferences, INCLUDING the fact that I like it to show time in 24-hour format.

Thanks! - Kev

You're welcome!

 

[viggen61]

have you tried moving the phone 3000 miles and then hitting relocate?

No, I have not, but EVERY SINGLE GPS UNIT OUT THERE will take more time to lock in if it's been shut off in one place, then switched on more than a few miles away.

It takes time for the processor to make sense of the satellites and what they're telling it, and to make sense of the cell tower information, if it's using the "A" in A-GPS.

What is "more time"? That depends on how much time has elapsed between shut down and start up, and the distance moved. And how old the unit is. Newer GPS units take lots less time to re-lock in. When I use my handheld Aviation GPS in a plane (with it's powered external antenna stuck to the window), it usually takes seconds to lock in, but if it's been a long time, or I started it up in a different airport than when I shut it off, it'll take more time for a lock.

 

[viggen61]

I've found it to be accurate to within about 10m if I'm standing by a window, otherwise it's way off. I haven't tried it outdoors.

On occasion it can't get a signal and just shows me at my last checked location.

No GPS works well indoors. You would get similar results with almost any other device using true GPS (and no cell or other augmentation).

The GPS satellites can be almost anyplace above the horizon. You need a certain number of them to get a good lock in two dimensions, and some more to get a 3-D lock.

Even at a window you're losing a lot of the sky view. All it takes is for one to be out of sight, and you won't get a lock. Same thing happens in urban canyons.

Sometimes, though, you my get lucky, and the particular configuration of sats in your partial sky view "works" and the unit locks in your position.

Outdoors, with a clear sky view will always be best for GPS reception.

 

[hexonxonx]

I love my iPhone. If you bought the iPhone for the GPS you better return it now. They make real GPS such as Garmin that are extremely accurate. Please don't rely on a phones assisted GPS to be very accurate. It's only meant to be a general idea to find where you are and what is around you.

 

[MadGoat]

I love my iPhone. If you bought the iPhone for the GPS you better return it now. They make real GPS such as Garmin that are extremely accurate. Please don't rely on a phones assisted GPS to be very accurate. It's only meant to be a general idea to find where you are and what is around you.

I bought mine for the GPS.

FYI. The iPhone has real GPS and it's very accurate indeed... to within 5 feet. I do geocaching with it, so it needs to be accurate.

Of course it's only as accurate as your view of the sky and sattellites.

Assisted GPS does just that. It assists the GPS to get a quicker lock of your general area, then the Real GPS kicks in and locks into your exact location.

 

[hexonxonx]

I bought mine for the GPS.

FYI. The iPhone has real GPS and it's very accurate indeed... to within 5 feet. I do geocaching with it, so it needs to be accurate.

Of course it's only as accurate as your view of the sky and sattellites.

Assisted GPS does just that. It assists the GPS to get a quicker lock of your general area, then the Real GPS kicks in and locks into your exact location.

I would not call the GPS accurate at all. I was driving in the center of Denver one day and it showed me as driving through lake a good 400 ft off to the left of me. It also frequently shows me as driving through peoples back yards. I think you meant to say it's accurate within 400 feet.

My Garmin GPS is what I call 100% accurate wiithin 5 feet or so,