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New to the forums, and betting this is a stupid Question, but I was wondering if there was anyway to tap into the GPS locater(built in for emergency calls such as 911) and use that for a GPS application, If the Wizard even has one built in, I would imagine that it does, but anways wondering if its possible, and if anyone has any incite into how to use this/turn it on?
There's no GPS in the wizard.
markgamber said:
There's no GPS in the wizard.
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Emergency services can locate your phone fairly accurately using triangulation from the gsm phone masts, using network data. There was a company selling a tracking service such as this for mobile users a while back, but I forget the details.
yeah ran into that service a while back, but the main way to get to it was to buy two handsets and pay for their cheap data service and put the other handset in someones car or whatever and use the 1st handset to track them...
I think that navizon.com has a program like that. theres a trial version for free. Doesnt google maps also use that technology?
hmm try google map 2.0 they show u wat ur location is without GPS
try http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=349188
I've tried both of these apps and both aren't worth a crap to me. They get my location in the right state, heck even the right city...almost. But I can't get it to be consistent let alone even half right.
I tried em both out and would like to know what I have been doing wrong since everyone else says that they are "great."
Thanks,
Ivan
It's already been said, but get Google Map 2.0...I installed it a few days ago, and it's not bad. I'm usually within 2000ft. of the calculated location.
Bad Karma said:
I've tried both of these apps and both aren't worth a crap to me. They get my location in the right state, heck even the right city...almost. But I can't get it to be consistent let alone even half right.
I tried em both out and would like to know what I have been doing wrong since everyone else says that they are "great."
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The only thing you did wrong was expect triangulation to work like you're watching CSI. In the real world, there is signal bounce, interference from trees, buildings, and other radio transmissions, and a whole host of other nameless error-creating problems. Radio triangulation is severely limited, but considering this sort of feature wasn't even available as a free application (much less being built into a mapping software as robust as GMaps) until VERY recently, it's pretty good, if you don't have GPS. You can buy a dongle to attach to your MDA, or you can suck it up, and deal with generally inaccurate location.
Trying it again...I thought that I had 2.0 but maybe not...I'll let you know either way how it comes out this time.
-Ivan
Ok much better...however it is still like 4 miles!!! off.
Does it update when in travel or how/when will it become more accurate??
Thanks agian,
Ivan
Google Maps 2 has "My location"
I dunno if you knew but Google Maps has been updated now and it offers My location - which is pretty close what GPS does. It gets your position through cellular towers and then it locates you within half a mile if I'm not mistaken...
Try it and c if it works 4 u
Myrddin Wyllt said:
It's already been said, but get Google Map 2.0...I installed it a few days ago, and it's not bad. I'm usually within 2000ft. of the calculated location.
The only thing you did wrong was expect triangulation to work like you're watching CSI. In the real world, there is signal bounce, interference from trees, buildings, and other radio transmissions, and a whole host of other nameless error-creating problems. Radio triangulation is severely limited, but considering this sort of feature wasn't even available as a free application (much less being built into a mapping software as robust as GMaps) until VERY recently, it's pretty good, if you don't have GPS. You can buy a dongle to attach to your MDA, or you can suck it up, and deal with generally inaccurate location.
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Actually google maps DOES NOT use triangulation..it will just show ur position based on a single cell tower and the signal strength being calculated by your phone..
So I tried my Google Maps 2.0 on the fly today...
It told me that it wouldn't work because I did not have a "data connection" and that I needed to contact my "service provider" to be able to utilize that function... (Or some crap like that)
What am I doing wrong now??
Thanks guys,
Ivan
The other day the GPS had the weirdest issue. I was stuck in traffic and decided to turn on Google Maps to find out how long the traffic is going to be. To my disbelief, the GPS showed me in a different town and MOVING on the street and then onto some freeway about 50 miles from my location. I thought the GPS satellites are screwed up but my car was showing me in the right place (and never has made such a stupid error).
Makes me wonder if the GPS info is actually going to Google servers and coming back to the phone as I guess I was getting someone else's GPS data and the lines were crossed somehow. This continued to about 30 minutes as I was enjoying the error and wondering at the same time. Holding the phone out of the window and stuff did not work. Eventually I reboot (oops! I meant I took the battery out because HTC apparently thinks we never need to reboot te G1 so there is no PIN hole for reboot like most other phones).
has anyone else experienced the same issue?
brooklynite said:
The other day the GPS had the weirdest issue. I was stuck in traffic and decided to turn on Google Maps to find out how long the traffic is going to be. To my disbelief, the GPS showed me in a different town and MOVING on the street and then onto some freeway about 50 miles from my location. I thought the GPS satellites are screwed up but my car was showing me in the right place (and never has made such a stupid error).
Makes me wonder if the GPS info is actually going to Google servers and coming back to the phone as I guess I was getting someone else's GPS data and the lines were crossed somehow. This continued to about 30 minutes as I was enjoying the error and wondering at the same time. Holding the phone out of the window and stuff did not work. Eventually I reboot (oops! I meant I took the battery out because HTC apparently thinks we never need to reboot te G1 so there is no PIN hole for reboot like most other phones).
has anyone else experienced the same issue?
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The GPS is not being relayed to google... but google maps may be the thing that is wrong here. You can't get your "lines crossed" when using google maps but the maps may be downloading the wrong set. I know I have seen it do some weird things but that is expected to happen when you have several countries you have to have maps for.
As for the reboot issue... is it really that hard to hold down the power button? You do realize that the pin hole on previous devices is for emergencies only. It could really screw up the phone. Similarly like using your computer and unpluging it while it is on... or just pressing its reset button.
Maybe this is the reason for your problems with your G1.
I was just browsing my location and found that the location was in my local Radio Shack that was 2 blocks away. I tried to refresh but wouldn't allow me to.
G1 uses assisted GPS, which performs some calculations away from your phone. Could have been your A-GPS server was sending back some faulty data.
Some Application in G1 read Location info from Proprietary GPS Chip and also relies on Cell Tower GPS Coordination if GPS Signals is not available, in India my Airtel Company have Bad GPS Coordination in my Cell Tower, I Personally know which Cell Tower i am hooked to while i am at home but the Cell GPS Coordination is 8 Miles away from my Cell Tower.
Check that your GPS Signal were Strong and you have not just started seeing maps when that error occured.
I think it was stong. I had all my bars full and the 3g logo on it. Oh well I'll probably fiddle with it a little more tomorrow after I try to get a screen protector for the phone
I thought the problem had gone away until last night it happened again, with one difference. I still had me being shown 20-30 miles away (interestingly not across the globe but simply 30 miles away) the problem corrected itself after about 5 minutes.
I have a car GPS and a portable GPS and I have never seen this happen before. The issue is definately the A-GPS. I always thought during WAR the military may scramble the GPS data to confuse the enemy, I guess that is what promted Europeans to install their own GPS that is much more accurate than ours.
And there are controversies over this as well. Google is recording my location and my cell towers and IP addresses and URLs according to its NO privacy policy. This is definitely not fun.
Sending my GPS info to Google servers (which is in fact the case) without me knowing it and sending it back to my phone through internet channels it not something I am comfortable with. Especially if Google releases information to law enforcement one day that may be incorrect showing me somewhere I really was not at!
CORRECTION: A-GPS is for phones without GPS. It does not apply to this thread.
brooklynite said:
CORRECTION: A-GPS is for phones without GPS. It does not apply to this thread.
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Where do you get your information? aGPS is for phones with GPS... it uses a data connection to locate you within so many meters than uses the GPS signal to pinpoint so you are located faster.
brooklynite said:
CORRECTION: A-GPS is for phones without GPS. It does not apply to this thread.
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Wrong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Phone
http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/gps.html
I have the same dxmn problem with the gps f-ing up. It started with RC30...When I was on RC19...I had NO PROBLEMS with gps.
It would pinpoint my location in 5sec. Now it's take 10-15min to pinpoint me. Google need to fix this fast.
whether it is related to this thread or not...A-GPS....
, generally abbreviated as A-GPS, enhances the startup performance of a GPS satellite-based positioning system. It is used extensively with GPS-capable cellular phones
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same problem here. i also think it started with the update.
Guys, I am not wrong.
A-GPS as Google calls it (and there are other versions of it), is for phones without a GPS chip (thats how Google Maps find you on a T-Mobile WING), it started after an fcc mandate to be able to locate 911 callers from cell phone. It finds your location using a triangulation of the cell towers you are connected to and this particular technology and the extensive data that is required is owned by Google however Google may not call it AGPS.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-mobile-maps-pinpoints-your-location-without-gps/
Now it seems to me that Google is enhancing its data network of cell towers using our phones to collect location data. So it collects the cell towers we are connected to with the strength+ the GPS info from our phones and puts all this data in a server to that non-GPS phones using Google Maps can have a better triangulation as more data is gathered from across the country. Eventually the system could be perfected to locate any cell phone without a GPS chip or to locate a cellphone with the GPS feature turned off for privacy, and that is what concerns me.
When my phone shows me 20 miles from where I am, on the freeway, cruising at 55MPH while I am sitting in traffic on the other side of town, it concerns me.
brooklynite said:
Guys, I am not wrong.
A-GPS as Google calls it (and there are other versions of it), is for phones without a GPS chip (thats how Google Maps find you on a T-Mobile WING), it started after an fcc mandate to be able to locate 911 callers from cell phone. It finds your location using a triangulation of the cell towers you are connected to and this particular technology and the extensive data that is required is owned by Google however Google may not call it AGPS.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-mobile-maps-pinpoints-your-location-without-gps/
Now it seems to me that Google is enhancing its data network of cell towers using our phones to collect location data. So it collects the cell towers we are connected to with the strength+ the GPS info from our phones and puts all this data in a server to that non-GPS phones using Google Maps can have a better triangulation as more data is gathered from across the country. Eventually the system could be perfected to locate any cell phone without a GPS chip or to locate a cellphone with the GPS feature turned off for privacy, and that is what concerns me.
When my phone shows me 20 miles from where I am, on the freeway, cruising at 55MPH while I am sitting in traffic on the other side of town, it concerns me.
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Where are you getting your information? The link you provide just says they support phones without GPS but they never say it is only for phones without GPS. In fact it says that it will work on phones with GPS... that is what the whole article is about that phones in the future will have GPS and google maps will be able to pinpoint their location faster. Basically it says they are using A-GPS.
In the link above he links to http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-earth-heading-towards-extinction/ Which says people will be able to add their own commentary about places like a wiki. Nothing about using other peoples devices to send information for google to collect.
It also has this link http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20071128_maps_mobile_my_location.html Which is googles official press link saying it will work with both GPS and non-GPS phones by using the Cell ID and a special formula that google developed to pinpoint your location within a certain amount of distance. Nothing says it uses other peoples GPS signals. In fact it says "This approximation is anonymous, as Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or associate any location data with personally identifiable information as part of the My Location feature."
All in all I think you are misreading and need to look over your data again.
neoobs said:
Where are you getting your information? The link you provide just says they support phones without GPS but they never say it is only for phones without GPS. In fact it says that it will work on phones with GPS... that is what the whole article is about that phones in the future will have GPS and google maps will be able to pinpoint their location faster. Basically it says they are using A-GPS.
In the link above he links to http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-earth-heading-towards-extinction/ Which says people will be able to add their own commentary about places like a wiki. Nothing about using other peoples devices to send information for google to collect.
It also has this link http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20071128_maps_mobile_my_location.html Which is googles official press link saying it will work with both GPS and non-GPS phones by using the Cell ID and a special formula that google developed to pinpoint your location within a certain amount of distance. Nothing says it uses other peoples GPS signals. In fact it says "This approximation is anonymous, as Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or associate any location data with personally identifiable information as part of the My Location feature."
All in all I think you are misreading and need to look over your data again.
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Regardless of above, and you may be correct and I may be wrong, but the thread is getting distracted from the main subject. My main issue is this: Why is the GPS reporting me in the wrong location, and even MOVING which is weird. It was pretty obvious to me from what I saw that the Google Maps software in my phone was reading someone else's location data from someone else's GPS. I could see the person move through the streets and speed up and slow down. This makes me wonder if my locatio data is being sent to Google servers somewhere and then back to the phone (and in some cases crossed over with another persons data). This feels especially more true because Google MAPS has slowed down dramatically from finding "My Location" compared to "pre RC30" upgrade and even compared to the GPS-Chop-Free WING and even my ancient car's GPS system.
Have you talked to Google about this? I think you are just speculating what you want and have a hidden agenda. Did it locate you within so many feet? or was it a real location? If it was a real location than it couldn't be Google as it only pulls the map the actual lat, long is coming straight from the sats... possibly it pulled the wrong location for that tower while using A-GPS and then this calculated the wrong GPS coordinates.
Since you don't know what or how A-GPS works this may be hard to understand. A-GPS works by using that method you described for non-GPS cellphones to narrow the search for satalites. This doesn't find your location it only finds the vicinity. You can see the A part of A-GPS work when it says your location within so many meters. This is what works on your wing. The actual pinpoint location is based only off the GPS and isn't sent to google. Google only needs the map coordinates to download. Your GPS is what tracks you on the map. This is why google maps always load in blocks.
To fully understand a map system you must learn how maps work and be educated in the art of cairegraphy
I think the real concern is that brooklynite was seeing himself moving through traffic while he was actually stationary. I can understand that perhaps the GPS got the wrong co-ords and the incorrect map was loaded showing him in another location, but you would still expect him to be shown stationary in the wrong location. So why would it show him moving when he was stationary?
The fact that he was moving on the map means the data must have been coming from another device doesn't it? How else could you explain it?
I would be concerned too.
neoobs said:
.... Did it locate you within so many feet? or was it a real location?...
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A real location about 50 miles away from my location. Somewhere I have never been since I have had this phone so it cannot be using the old data in my phone as sometimes it shows my locations from "last night".
...possibly it pulled the wrong location for that tower while using A-GPS and then this calculated the wrong GPS coordinates...
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I always have the "use wireless networks" off, afterall, the GPS chip is one of the main reasons I switched to the G1 from my older WING.
....
I have to add that I am amazed by the GPS accuracy, it even notices when I cross the stree, turn into a driveway or the side of the street I am standing on. When I switch to Sat. view, it literally shows my exact spot on the sidewalk, not in the middle of the street like a car GPS does.
Probably getting too far off topic but car GPS units are just as accurate, it's just that most of them have a correction feature to fudge your position onto the nearest road on the map if for some reason it is not. For the most part a driver doesn't care where he is on the road in relation to the curb....only that he is on the road he thinks he should be on.
The phone seems to actually have A-GPS as well as the QuickGPS app - but don't turn it on! I was using Touch-IT AdvancedConfig when I saw the option, so I thought I'd give it a try ... turned A-GPS to active...
The GPS logs, then loses connection in a 10 second cycle - PITA! So I deactivated it again.
QuickGPS - I assume is responsible for this next problem... When I open Googlemaps without a satellite fix in a particular spot... it tells me I'm in Norway. I'm pretty sure I'm in Sydney Australia!
Could this be that the cell tower (actually it switches between 2, and they're BOTH in Norway) is in the QuickGPS database as being in Norway, when it's really here? Is it a Google maps error instead? Is there a magic portal between Sydney, Australia and Mölndal, Norway?
i have the second problem too..urs is a long way off tho, cause im in florida and it google maps tells me im in california, ive searched everywhere for an answer but there seems to be none
Google don't use QuickGPS to locate you but there own database of cells site locations. If your phone says your on cell 4322, with network x in country y they try to find where that is. Some of the info has come direct from the phone companies, other info is based on users with real GPS and google can try to put the GPS and Cell details together to get a good projection.
Errors when this occur will be down to Google's database being incorrect. The best bet is to make sure you have GPS enabled, so that you can feed back to google the correct location. The other option would be to contact them directly.
No-one else working around me has the same problem (they use different phones) so that would seem to suggest it's not Google's problem - it's the phone's.
Regarding QuickGPS.
I found out that my (wife's) Xperia sometimes fails to update A-GPS data.
"Update failed" and that may last for days!
ActiveSync, WiFi, GPRS access - doesn't matter.
Yesterday it somehow did succeed and I was happy as we need the working GPS for next two weeks.
Does anyone else have trouble with their Telus HTC Hero getting the complete wrong location (or being completely unable to determine a location)? This is with GPS off using Google Location Services.
In Oshawa, it can't find my location, in Woodbridge is thinks I'm in Espoo, Finland, and in North York it thought I was in Georgetown, Guyana. Driving on the 407 it thought I was in Malaysia. Sometimes the phone gets the location correct in these areas, too, but most of the time the location is either unavailable or wrong. If GPS is on it all works perfectly.
Calling Telus results in them telling me they've never heard of this problem before (also that I'm their first call about the HTC Hero, lol). Calling HTC resulted in them telling me that this was expected as the Telus network was new and Google was still working on their location services database with the new networks here.
Therefore, I'm asking to see if anyone else has a similar issue (especially in the same general area) and if not, what could possibly me wrong on my end.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Yup, same problem here on the west coast. According to the phone I am a well traveled man, from Vancouver to some where in Croatia, to Finland, and last night Dublin. Maybe my phone want to go out and see the world?
Yeah same here. I was in some weird places apparently and actually right now I'm in Tanjong Karang. Last night my timezone changed as well, not sure why. It should have been syncing to the network, unchecking/checking the sync to network fixed it though.
OT: Do you guys ever have your browser give an apache error? Yet all other apps continue to work? I have this fairly often and I have to turn off the radio competely and turn it back on to fix it. Really annoying.
Yeah I get the apache error too. It seems to be the homepage of the browser.
Mine works fine usually on the Rogers network - but they've had the iPhone for a while which uses network locational services as well so I guess they've got most of the glitches out. The worst I've had is when it just says "current city" but the temperature reporting looks fine.
Mine (on Rogers) works fine in Alberta - never had a wrong location.
The Rogers network is already very well established so I can't say as though I'm surprised.
I've been looking through google to find posts related to the google location service, but can't really find an exact match to my problem. All the N1 users post complain that the GPS is not working fine, which is not at all my issue.
About a week ago my location service using cell tower info stopped working. I used the Desire r21 rom and switched back to Kang-o-rama 0.6 and it stopped working around the same timeframe, however I don't think it is at all related to the rom switch.
I tried wipping all the data again, in hopes it was just a messed up setting with no avail. Also turned off the cell phone radio and back on (airplane mode). Tried to switch from 3G to 2G and back.
Anyone have an idea what could be wrong. Also, I read that google's service sometimes goes down and that could be a cause, however I would have imagined that some else would have complained by now.
Thanks guys!!
There are a whole bunch of reasons this could happen, in my experience, they're usually network related. New towers, repairing towers, etc..
My "My location" service went down for approximately 3 weeks recently. Wouldn't work on any of my phones, Android or WinMo. One day it just started working again.
Currently, when I am at the office, "my location" thinks I'm somewhere hundreds of miles from where I am. I suspect someone at AT&T entered the Lat/Lon of the main tower I'm on incorrectly. When I'm elsewhere in my city (closer to another tower) "my location" places me correctly.
Edit: That reminds me.. when I'm at the office and the phone is on WiFi "my location" knows where I am and it has very good accuracy (like within a block).. I always wondered if that was a result of Google Maps mapping Mac addresses, or if they can do that with IP..
So sure enough, I checked it out in San Jose, CA today at work and it found my location within a quarter of a mile. When I got home (Hollister), the google map ticker still shows me in San Jose and when I click on "My Location" in the menu it just stays in SJ.
But here is the even odder thing. My finance has an iphone and her location service is spot on in Hollister without the GPS.
I have seen posts saying it may be an old sim card, but this one just got replaced when I upgraded to the TILT 2 a few months ago.
I guess we will just have to keep waiting until the service comes back for us.
My N1 has been doing the same thing lately. I will leave work and about 1/2 hour later when I look at Google maps, the locator service still shows me at work. I wonder if the location service has a certain polling interval.