GPS On the iPhone 2: Do Not Want

[Kaido]

http://gizmodo.com/394406/gps-...e-iphone-2-do-not-want

Interesting perspective...the signal lock argument actually makes sense, since it does take awhile to get all of the satellites online vs. getting your position triangulated. But I'd still like to have it...I was on a 20+ mile bike ride the other day, ended up getting a bit lost and had to give my ride directions via my iPhone, and the triangulation only worked to within a mile or so in the area I was in...it would have been much nicer to precisely nail down what street I was on (it was a small highway in the middle of nowhere) and would have saved me some time. That's obviously not a common occurrence, but you get the idea of why having a built-in GPS would be nice, especially if it had a software on/off switch. He also makes a very good point about using it in the car. I have a Garmin GPS and the iPhone in NO WAY compares to it. But you can't beat the data features on the iPhone!

The drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

a) The location tech in the current iPhone is much quicker. No matter what chip, even SiRFstar chips in full-blooded GPSes take a while to lock on. When using the very capable N95, I'd often drive across town or walk halfway to my destination before I'd get signal lock.
b) I'd never use an iPhone as a car GPS. Not even with updated software. The amount of work and expertise that goes into a high-end, 5+ generation Garmin is some serious stuff. The logic is all proprietary. It's not easy to do. And GPS antennas need to be somewhat pointed. If it's on your dash, it needs to be on the back. If it's for walking, it needs to be on the front. Which is it?
c) Battery life gets screwed when you keep the GPS on with constant updates.
d) These chips aren't exactly small, although they have been known to fit in things like Suunto watches. That going to make this thing thicker?

No thanks. Don't need it. I'm fine with the current location technology. It works for walking and that's all I need it for.

 

[aphex]

I saw that giz post as well and disagree with his points;

a) Yes it may be slower, but GPS is significantly more accurate. I've had the triangulation sometimes get it fairly zeroed in, other times within a mile or two.
b) My old Nokia E61 did a superb job using a bluetooth GPS and it was far from a dedicated Garmin. Why not partner with a GPS company to license the software? or just use a modified google maps thats already on the phone? Google Maps already has turn by turn directions, i would think it should work fine.
c) Duh, but you don't need it on all the time do you? Just turn it on as needed.
d) Unknown, GPS chips have gotten very very small but who knows what they might have in store for the iPhone.

Sounds like he's just complaining to complain.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: aphex
I saw that giz post as well and disagree with his points;

a) Yes it may be slower, but GPS is significantly more accurate. I've had the triangulation sometimes get it fairly zeroed in, other times within a mile or two.
b) My old Nokia E61 did a superb job using a bluetooth GPS and it was far from a dedicated Garmin. Why not partner with a GPS company to license the software? or just use a modified google maps thats already on the phone? Google Maps already has turn by turn directions, i would think it should work fine.
c) Duh, but you don't need it on all the time do you? Just turn it on as needed.
d) Unknown, GPS chips have gotten very very small but who knows what they might have in store for the iPhone.

Sounds like he's just complaining to complain.

It's Giz, what do you expect?

Despite the drawbacks, I definitely think it would be a worthy addition to the iPhone. Even if it didn't add full-on GPS capabilities, having (1) pinpoint accuracy and (2) automatic turn-by-turn instead of user-driven turn-by-turn directions would be wonderful for times when I don't have my Garmin with me.

 

[Kmax82]

Yea.. I would want GPS in the iPhone, but I would want the software that uses it to be able to automatically turn it on and off when it needs it. I don't want to have to go into the Settings menu just to turn on GPS. When I start GoogleMaps, it turns on the GPS, when I exit out, it turns it off. Simple.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Kmax82
Yea.. I would want GPS in the iPhone, but I would want the software that uses it to be able to automatically turn it on and off when it needs it. I don't want to have to go into the Settings menu just to turn on GPS. When I start GoogleMaps, it turns on the GPS, when I exit out, it turns it off. Simple.

See that's the problem that the Giz guy is talking about...it takes awhile, sometimes a couple minutes, to acquire a signal. If you're sitting there expecting it to "just work" it won't - I think the fastest I've ever acquired a signal is maybe 30-60 seconds, which is a long time when you're just sitting there waiting for the map to load.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Kaido

It's Giz, what do you expect?

Yea, i still have giz bookmarked but a few of their staff writers have really pissed me off lately, to the point i rarely visit. It can be a great site at times, but when Jesus Diaz starts posting "documentary" porn with video clips as a news item, they've gone too far. Kids read the site, its not needed there.

 

[ultimatebob]

If Gizmodo editors knew what the hell they were talking about, they would be designing new gadgets instead of blogging about them.

You would have thought that they would have learned their lesson about pointlessly speculating about pre-released products by now.

 

[Parasitic]

Well every gadget needs to be able to act as GPS, play MP4's, and receive email, so yea I think the iPhone is just on track lol.

 

[rikadik]

The point about the time to lock on a signal is irrelevant to the task of weighing up the pros and cons of implementing GPS on the iPhone. It's a trait of all GPS devices, and there is nothing to suggest that triangulation will no longer be used. Hopefully will be able to switch between the two.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: Kaido

It's Giz, what do you expect?

Yea, i still have giz bookmarked but a few of their staff writers have really pissed me off lately, to the point i rarely visit. It can be a great site at times, but when Jesus Diaz starts posting "documentary" porn with video clips as a news item, they've gone too far. Kids read the site, its not needed there.

Yeah, I stopped reading it except for when someone sends me a link to an article precisely for that reason. There's no reason to put swearing and obscene content in a tech blog, but there's a niche for everyone and everything, I guess. I used to like them a lot - they usually had more news than other sites and faster updates than Engadget - but in the last year their writing has really gone downhill. Too bad.