> -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Robert Robertson > Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:44 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Treo] Pre and gps question > > 11 January 2009 > > Thanks for the heads up on the Pre. > > I read somewhere that the Pre will have "gps." > > What does that mean?
GPS is a technology that lets a device see satellites and plot it's coordinates. It does this by way of a special "receiver" which is a chip or "chipset" within the device. If a device says simply "GPS" as one of it's capabilities, then it has this kind of receiver, just as the stand-alone devices that you put in your car do. As such they can navigate with 3rd-party software which usually is not included, although there are freeware options like Google Maps and Live Search(for Windows Mobile) which can do navigation but not give you audible turn-by-turn directions or replot your route as the stand-alone units (or paid 3rd-party apps) do. > I assume it means the same thing when describing any cell as having the > GPS feature? It should be. > Does it mean the Pre can be located via computer? See above description. When you say a phone has "GPS" it generally means GPS RECEIVERS, not transmitters. That doesn't mean the phone CAN'T be located, but it doesn't have to do with its "GPS" capability. Rather, almost any cell phone is locatable via it's signal. The cell towers that are nearby can figure out approximately where the cell phone is transmitting from, however, its accuracy is only I think around 100 meters, rather than the maybe 5-10 meters that you get with current GPS, partly because you're dealing with many (6 or 7 or more) GPS satellites determining your location vs. only 2 or 3 cell towers on the ground. So your current phone is almost assuredly locatable. For some carriers you can even get this info yourself to supply to third-party apps. For example Google Maps lets you get your approximate location even if you don't have a GPS receiver - at least for some carriers. Sprint, I believe, does not let you retreieve this info, and so for Sprint at least you HAVE to have a GPS to get your location, unless that is you use one of their location-based services like Family Locator/Sprint Navigator. > Does it mean the Pre will serve same as auto in-dash map/directions? Yes, but see above for software requirements. > Does it mean it is same/similar to Google Maps? Google Maps is just mapping software and in and of itself has nothing to do with GPS, but you can retrieve your current location and plot it on one of their maps if you have a GPS or even without one (via cell-tower triangulation) unless you have Sprint.
