Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


Disrespective

1925 posts

Uber Geek


#24801 3-Aug-2008 09:59
Send private message

Okay, so what i want to know from people more knowledgable than me is the GPS quality of the new iPhone.

I currently have an N82 running a Garmin Mobile XT with the free open source NZ maps.

Now, i understand that Garmin have been readying their Nuvi phone for the last god knows how long but is there any likelyhood that they will release a mobile iphone version any time soon?

Also, i went and tried to talk to someone at vodafone about the GPS capabilities and whether it had an actual GPS chip or whether it was solely Assisted and getting positioning information from cell towers. He said he had no idea other than that "the GPS system [was] not up and running" That lead me to think that the GPS system was cell tower only, but i can't believe Apple would release the phone without a proper chip in it...

I know there are several users here who have a new iPhone, can any of you enlighten me on the GPS capabilities? And whether anyone knows if Garmin are readying an iPhone app?

Create new topic
Disrespective

1925 posts

Uber Geek


  #154005 4-Aug-2008 13:25
Send private message

So nobody here has used their GPS on the iPhone or even knows if it is working in NZ?



Arithon
41 posts

Geek


  #154007 4-Aug-2008 13:37
Send private message

Mine seems to place me with 5m of my actual location.

So that would suggest its a proper GPS chip.

Jon

wellygary
8312 posts

Uber Geek


  #154021 4-Aug-2008 14:22
Send private message

From all reports it does have a chip, but the APIs are fairly limited in terms of what can be used by other applications, TomTom are puportedly going to offer a Turn by turn Navi, but whether it will rely on pre loaded built-in maps, or pull them out of the ether (AKA google maps), is unclear.



psychrn
1603 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #154047 4-Aug-2008 15:54
Send private message

http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html

States Assited GPS in the above apple link.
So far I have found the maps quite accurate.
Then I use a Garmin Colorado for in car navigation so dont need to rely on it.
Usefull if im stuck in town and I want quick directions to a location however.
Be interestiong to see what comes out of the woodwork as far as maps go.




GZMCC. Lenovo Yoga C640. 8 gb Ram and 256Gb SSD, Cam Am Spyder 2016 F3 LTD.  GoPro 5 Black, Samsung S22 Ultra, Huawei Watch D. Samsung S6 Lite Tablet, Amateur Radio Callsign ZL1CJH


nzbullet
459 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

  #154080 4-Aug-2008 18:13
Send private message

As you can see from the photo below t is using an Infineon PMB2525 Hammerhead II GPS chip.

It is A-GPS (Assisted GPS) and I find it to be very accurate, it will pinpoint me when I'm moving around the back of my house, however it is not that great indoors (not tried other GPS units inside so I don't know if this is normal)

Not sure wether Garmin are creating an app, but I have heard that TomTom are. If/when this will be available is anyones guess really.

iPhone 3G Chip Board




Cheers
nzbullet
Note: My thoughts and comments are my own and not of anyone else including my employer


cranz
675 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

  #154087 4-Aug-2008 18:27

the next firmware upgrade (2.1) is rumoured to have enhanced GPS functions i.e. speed and direction which will allow tomtom's turn by turn application to be released

psychrn
1603 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #154101 4-Aug-2008 19:09
Send private message

Well the future is looking quite exciting then isnt it




GZMCC. Lenovo Yoga C640. 8 gb Ram and 256Gb SSD, Cam Am Spyder 2016 F3 LTD.  GoPro 5 Black, Samsung S22 Ultra, Huawei Watch D. Samsung S6 Lite Tablet, Amateur Radio Callsign ZL1CJH


 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
Disrespective

1925 posts

Uber Geek


  #154108 4-Aug-2008 20:06
Send private message

Thanks everyone for the responses, i don't often use the GPS on the N82 but it's handy to have... I don't really like the idea of having to use data in the network to see the maps though. Have there been any definitive studies of how much data the maps consume? I don't think i could justify another $30p/month on my already substantial bill for data...

psychrn
1603 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #154113 4-Aug-2008 20:26
Send private message

Now what I can try tomorrow is a wee experiment.
My data  is due for renewal on the 11th of the month.
I got heaps left over so tomorrow Ill play around with the maps and see how much I can use up.
Ill go into town and look for a route to somewhere else in town. These use Google maps of course.
Ill be on foot.
Ill try keep track of time

Ill keep track of data to go and what I use in the time frame.

Would that be a usefull little excercise??




GZMCC. Lenovo Yoga C640. 8 gb Ram and 256Gb SSD, Cam Am Spyder 2016 F3 LTD.  GoPro 5 Black, Samsung S22 Ultra, Huawei Watch D. Samsung S6 Lite Tablet, Amateur Radio Callsign ZL1CJH


rebeltrousers
230 posts

Master Geek


  #154114 4-Aug-2008 20:42
Send private message

Sure would!
I find zooming-out the view means it doesn't have to load as much!
:P

psychrn
1603 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #154117 4-Aug-2008 20:50
Send private message

So hopefully it means we can observe how much data is consumed when lookinjg at google maps within a certain time frame.
Im sure someone
has already scientifically worked this out !!




GZMCC. Lenovo Yoga C640. 8 gb Ram and 256Gb SSD, Cam Am Spyder 2016 F3 LTD.  GoPro 5 Black, Samsung S22 Ultra, Huawei Watch D. Samsung S6 Lite Tablet, Amateur Radio Callsign ZL1CJH


Disrespective

1925 posts

Uber Geek


  #154134 4-Aug-2008 21:59
Send private message

psychrn: That sounds perfect. If you could keep us informed that would be great.

freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79255 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #154143 4-Aug-2008 22:28
Send private message

nzbullet: As you can see from the photo below t is using an Infineon PMB2525 Hammerhead II GPS chip.

It is A-GPS (Assisted GPS) and I find it to be very accurate, it will pinpoint me when I'm moving around the back of my house, however it is not that great indoors (not tried other GPS units inside so I don't know if this is normal)


It's A-GPS and a GPS Receiver in a single chip. It will work if you have clear view of the sky, even without towers nearby.




Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSyncBackblaze backup


Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.