Database Users

The definitive GPS evaluation

Hi everyone,
I am about to buy my first PDA/phone, and the choice boils down to either the E-ten X500 or the HTC P3600.
The E-ten has got the lead where GPS is concerned thanks to SIRFIII but the 3600 has UMTS/HSDPA...
I have read as much as I could on the Qualcomm chip that is used in the P3600 and since the GPS feature is very important to me, I'm worried that the P3600 is not the way to go.
I would therefore like to ask your findings in the GPS usage, not only in Time Till First Fix (although ofcourse very important), but also in keeping the fix, re-acquiring a lost signal, etc...

Have a S300+ (french vodafone version) with the original ROM and Radio version and for me it's less than a minute.

Hi,
TTFF is impossible under 30 sec (except A-GPS), 30 secs is the minimum to acquire ephemeride in good conditions.
If you are searching the best sensitivity, sure, take the ETEN (sirf III) !
But, with my french Renault Clio and its athermic heat shield, no big issues, no delay over than 10 meters, even in city, hot start less than 5sec (tunnel exit).
So really happy, it's nearly like a BT antenna (in same conditions)...
I will post tomorrow some pics showing differences between radio 1.38.00.11 and 1.41.00.11 on the same route, there is no changes in quality so all people can upgrade to 1.41.0.11 (for the gps part)

hi I have a P3600 and a separate Rikaline 6033 BT GPS. "the only 32 Parallel Channel GPS receiver in the world - Uses the latest Fujitsu Japanese chipset giving excellent precision
- Superior than the Sirf III Chipset with greater sensitivity and lower power consumption"
I can say (marketing blurb aside!) the Rikaline is a superb device, and the P3600 is almost identical.
It finds a fix very quickly from cold (unless in a moving car) and the sensitivity of the P3600 seems to be nigh on identical to the Rikaline BT device. I did own another BT GPS for a short period of time - but found the sensitivity poor so returned it for the Rikaline.
I have to say the P3600 is a great solution. My only gripe is to do with the poor Voda 3G coverage in the UK.
I would say that phone reception is slightly better on my M600 - but that's going on number of bars in the signal strength....

Please put the full name: "Time To First Fix" I guess in addition to the abbreviation (TTFF) in your vote
It can be : Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation or something esle
We are in a PDA dedicated forum... and not every body is suited to understand such GPS abbreviations

Cyrus Kourosh said:
Please put the full name: "Time To First Fix" I guess in addition to the abbreviation (TTFF) in your vote
It can be : Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation or something esle
We are in a PDA dedicated forum... and not every body is suited to understand such GPS abbreviations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
post edited... Dunno if I can change the poll though....

sickboy555 said:
hi I have a P3600 and a separate Rikaline 6033 BT GPS. "the only 32 Parallel Channel GPS receiver in the world - Uses the latest Fujitsu Japanese chipset giving excellent precision
- Superior than the Sirf III Chipset with greater sensitivity and lower power consumption"
I can say (marketing blurb aside!) the Rikaline is a superb device, and the P3600 is almost identical.
It finds a fix very quickly from cold (unless in a moving car) and the sensitivity of the P3600 seems to be nigh on identical to the Rikaline BT device. I did own another BT GPS for a short period of time - but found the sensitivity poor so returned it for the Rikaline.
I have to say the P3600 is a great solution. My only gripe is to do with the poor Voda 3G coverage in the UK.
I would say that phone reception is slightly better on my M600 - but that's going on number of bars in the signal strength....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx for the great info!
Can anyone back this up?
The reason I ask is that it is generally accepted that SirfIII is better than the Qualcom, and from a technical standpoint I can understand and accept this. However, if usage on a day to day basis shows equal or near-equal performance, I could care less about reputation and would go for the P3600
Hell, some might argue that if the Qualcom gets the job done with less sattellites, it's actually a better solution for it
On the other hand, I already put an offer in on a used X500 and can't seem to find any decent priced used P3600's where I live, so that might end up being the deciding factor anyway. But still, if the GPS is fine and I do get a chance to purchase a used one, I won't hesitate

If it can help :
Cyrus Kourosh said:
Here is the test of the HTC P3600 GPS (Qualcomm gpsONE chipset) compared to SiRFstar III GPS chipset based devices
made by www.gpspassion.com
--> English version
--> French version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Cyrus Kourosh said:
If it can help :
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree with this test !
Got the S300+ SFR, and it works like a charm !
Depend of the radio version etc...

I already saw that one but thanx anyway
Actually, that was the review which caused me to start doubting the P3600 as far as GPS is concerned
The problem is that the only thing that is translated into real-world usage in this review is the slow Time Till First Fix they mention (though this is not reflected by the poll here I must say...Maybe thanks to the radio updates in the meantime...).
It does not really answer my questions on how GPS usage is affected on a daily basis.
Ok, there is deviance from a set route and you can witness that on the tracks they map, but how does this translate into the real world?
Does it point you in the wrong direction a lot?
Is it slow in giving you the right directions because of a more latent signal?
Does it lose its signal a lot?
Does it not reconnect quickly after connection is lost (tunnels and such)?
From what I'm seeing here on the forum (or from what I am not seeing actually: complaints ) this GPS seems to perform just fine so what is the relevance of the findings of the gpspassion comparison?
I'm not questionning these guys' work though, they seem particularly tech-savvy when it comes to GPS and I appreciate what they do.
But I'm starting to wonder in how far the SirfIII is actually any better.
I just set an appointment to pick up the X500 this weekend though, so if you guys are going to stop me from buying it, the window of opportunity is fading

I don't doubt that the X500 has better GPS but I'll never own an ETEN product again. Go with HTC.

Argh....we've been down this road a lot on this board already....
There's no actual winner here... I've used both a BT GPS mouse and now the Qualcomm in Trinity, and i can tell you there's no notable difference in the normal usage scenario's...
But hell...if you wanna start a chronometer everytime you fire up the nav, go right ahead Does it make you feel better if either one turns out to be just 5 seconds faster than the other ?
The P3600 is just as excellent (if not better) in keeping the fix and reacquiring it, it's got HSDPA/UMTS, it's already got WM6 by now, and just looks freakin' good as opposed to the freakin' ugly E-Ten...
Am I biased ? Hell no....

DisTreSs said:
I already saw that one but thanx anyway
Actually, that was the review which caused me to start doubting the P3600 as far as GPS is concerned
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at that review it appears they tested it in an 'urban canyon' - city with lots of tall buildings type scenario. In that environment it is no surprise that the SIRF3 outperformed the Qualcomm chipset.
So whether or not it will work for you depends what the environment is like that you'll be using it in. If you are spending a lot of time in a city with lots of tall buildings and short streets (ie you'll be turning a lot) then maybe a SIRF3 based device is for you. But if you spend most of your time in the suburbs or open space then don't worry, the difference will be negligible.
DisTreSs said:
Does it point you in the wrong direction a lot?
Is it slow in giving you the right directions because of a more latent signal?
Does it lose its signal a lot?
Does it not reconnect quickly after connection is lost (tunnels and such)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My answers to your question would be no, no, no and no...
Having used both a SIRF3 BT GPS module and the internal GPS on the Trinity I would say there is absolutely no difference in performance in the environment I use it in, which is mostly suburban driving with occasional trips into the city.
Also TTFF I found was negligible between the 2 - cold time was ~3mins on both, warm < 30s on both.
Only real difference I noticed was that inside my house I can get a fix on the SIRF3 in most places, with the Trinity internal GPS I can only get a within fix 1 - 2m from a window. But since I don't have much use for the GPS inside this is kinda irrelevant!

DisTreSs said:
....
Does it point you in the wrong direction a lot?
Is it slow in giving you the right directions because of a more latent signal?
Does it lose its signal a lot?
Does it not reconnect quickly after connection is lost (tunnels and such)?
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello:
my answers are NO, NO, NO and NO.
I get a faster fix when I'm not moving but it is always under 2 minutes (always with TT6).
The whole "fix-discussion" depends on where the satelites actually are and how many of them are "available" in the sky...
I did not recognize any differance between the radio roms for the GPS...

Antzzz said:
...
Only real difference I noticed was that inside my house I can get a fix on the SIRF3 in most places, with the Trinity internal GPS I can only get a within fix 1 - 2m from a window. But since I don't have much use for the GPS inside this is kinda irrelevant!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point....

DisTreSs said:
Does it point you in the wrong direction a lot?
Is it slow in giving you the right directions because of a more latent signal?
Does it lose its signal a lot?
Does it not reconnect quickly after connection is lost (tunnels and such)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No at all... (No signal lost, No wrong direction, No slow redirection, No slow reconnection ...)
For me, It is my first GPS... I never had one before, so I can not compare.
However, this GPS does not have such problems.... and works really perfect for classical/personal use.
I am using it extensively for months, and It fits all my needs and expectations.
Also, I do not have any experience with Eten.
But for me... the HTC Trinity is the best and the most complete communicating PDA never constructed

Now we're getting somewhere!
Thanks all for your great replies!!! Keep 'em comming
I'm starting to think about cancelling the X500 now damnit
Just when I thought I had it all figured out....

Antzzz said:
Only real difference I noticed was that inside my house I can get a fix on the SIRF3 in most places, with the Trinity internal GPS I can only get a within fix 1 - 2m from a window. But since I don't have much use for the GPS inside this is kinda irrelevant!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except when you are drunk, it very useful to find the way to your bedroom Looooll

Yes and you wouldn't want to get stuck in the hallway for 10 minutes waiting to get a fix

DisTreSs said:
Yes and you wouldn't want to get stuck in the hallway for 10 minutes waiting to get a fix
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main problem for the GPS in this situation is to always show you the right direction while the world is turning, turning, turning....

Which GPS chipset does the HD2 use?

Googling and searching these forums doesn't bring up anything obvious. So does anyone know what chipset it uses? Looking at logged data it is operating at 1Hz.

It's built-in the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, see here

Thanks. I'm just trying to work out if it will do as good a job as my external bluetooth sirf III one I used for racetrack lap timing with my previous phone.
For normal navigation the inbuilt GPS gets fast lock and seems to work okay but the more accuracy the better for the track.
Guess I can just run it and compare times to the electronic timing (which take 1-2 hours to be printed out and released hence the need for an instant solution).

it's the best inbuilt gps ive used gets a lock in under 10 sec my xperia used to take 30s to 1 min.

michaeljf said:
Thanks. I'm just trying to work out if it will do as good a job as my external bluetooth sirf III one I used for racetrack lap timing with my previous phone.
For normal navigation the inbuilt GPS gets fast lock and seems to work okay but the more accuracy the better for the track.
Guess I can just run it and compare times to the electronic timing (which take 1-2 hours to be printed out and released hence the need for an instant solution).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SiRF chip is better than the GpsOne on Qualcomm SOCs.
And to above post, this might be because AGPS is actually working on this phone rather than the antenna being better.

dont think i have agps enabled if im correct it uses data, when i start igo 8 no connection is made, im just using antena.

my device recives signals even if iam in home and recives at least 3 satellites

michaeljf said:
Thanks. I'm just trying to work out if it will do as good a job as my external bluetooth sirf III one I used for racetrack lap timing with my previous phone.
For normal navigation the inbuilt GPS gets fast lock and seems to work okay but the more accuracy the better for the track.
Guess I can just run it and compare times to the electronic timing (which take 1-2 hours to be printed out and released hence the need for an instant solution).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it will be down to how fast/often the app polls the gps surely?
I've been playing with it a fair bit (for the same purpose) and it certainly better than one or two stand alone gps

Getting satellites indoors or getting a fast satallite fix does NOT automatically indicate that the GPS chip is good.
Actually GPS on the HD2 is pretty poor compared to the SIRF III chip, or even compared to other HTC devices, I am talking about accuracy and stuff. This is a fact, so i don't want to hear any more about "how good it is because it gets a fast fix" or other crap
For more info:
GPS going crazy (proven with plot screenshots)
Weird GPS problem. Moving even while my car is motionless.
Recent ROM/Radio for the HD2 upgrades do seem to improve this bad GPS functionality though.

barty22 said:
Actually GPS on the HD2 is pretty poor compared to the SIRF III chip, or even compared to other HTC devices, I am talking about accuracy and stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Accurate, scientific data to prove that assumption, please?

kilrah said:
Accurate, scientific data to prove that assumption, please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your viewpoint, actually I had such information (plots of the HD2 and of other devices), but I really can't be bothered to make them again and spend all the effort on it... just believe me when i say it (or don't believe it, i'm just sharing what i know)... or have a read through the topics i linked to (should be enough proof in there)

Well if I have time I'll try both at the same time this weekend at the track (still have my old phone and external GPS).
With the high speeds involved and a racing line that varies no more than 1-2m it becomes pretty easy to tell if the GPS is out when plotted on a track overlay.
Plus values for lat/long g forces and speed are all extrapolated so if these are out it becomes pretty obvious.

How's the GPS on the streak?

hi guys, i'm considering buy the streak vs. the captivate (american version of the samsung galaxy s)... i heard the galaxy s has lots of GPS problems. How's the GPS on the streak? Thanks!

ive not had any problems at all. both google nav/copilot work great. takes a max of 10secs to acquire satellite and ive never had it drop once.

Have to agree with that its a matter of seconds before it locks,i even get a lock in my bedroom,never got that with WM

i'm amazed that it works indoors, wow, thanks guys!

MFister said:
i'm amazed that it works indoors, wow, thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't get a signal indoors as well as I could with my G1, but outdoors/in my car it locks in seconds and works a treat!

kupboard said:
I can't get a signal indoors as well as I could with my G1, but outdoors/in my car it locks in seconds and works a treat!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get a lock in every room in the house except the kitchen, may be the Kettle interferes with it LOL

I find it doesn't lock as quickly as my HD2 with the latest radio, but it is a lot more accurate.
cycling back home on the canal tonight it followed exactly the line of the towpath in mytracks satellite view.. that's not bad as it's pretty twisty, on the hd2 it would draw a line in the water more often than not..

The GPS in Captivate seems great, what problems have we encountered?? It also sems it will work offshore without a cell connection.

Gps is great, quick and accurate!
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App

GPS Signal
I had a captivate for 3 days and had to take it back. The GPS was very sporadic. I would be driving down a straight stretch and the next I know I am being told to turn. When I looked the Cell signal was out to 2000 meters and it was telling me I was in a subdivision and was trying to tell me how to get out. I am very encouraged to hear the streak will not suffer these issues. I do hope AT&T does not cripple the unlocked version I can buy from their web site.

Works well for geocaching! I'd say just a tad more accurate then my iphone.

very short gps test with My Tracks

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...372,0.018947&z=16&iwloc=00048f225d8da9a32da25
on a very very clear day with the Vibrant in my cycling jersey pocket on my back.
supl.google.com
sky hook on
MS Based
a few blips but its fairly close. but should be better. It's not unusable like some say.

It is unusable for some people, you happened to be able to use skyhook. If you were in the middle of nowhere that wouldnt help you.

Yea I used it also and it seems to be a bit off on the track
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Never been unusable for me either. Actually fairly accurate ill have to do a my tracks later....

Lol you guys sound like some of the customers I deal with everyday. These are consumer grade devices. If you want something accurate go buy a Trimble GPS device and spend the thousands of dollars it takes to acquire one. I think even with the hiccups, your tracks are pretty decent. This is a cellphone, not a true GPS device.
BTW I work for Garmin so with my background of GPS and how it works this is probably why the inaccuracies in your track do not bother me. One thing you have to understand there are so many factors that can play into why you might of had these spikes....Heavy tree coverage, cloud over cast, power lines, tall buildings etc...Signal multi-path can also play into these types of spikes. Not bashing, but I think it does a pretty good job for what it is.

Steeltippin said:
Lol you guys sound like some of the customers I deal with everyday. These are consumer grade devices. If you want something accurate go buy a Trimble GPS device and spend the thousands of dollars it takes to acquire one. I think even with the hiccups, your tracks are pretty decent. This is a cellphone, not a true GPS device.
BTW I work for Garmin so with my background of GPS and how it works this is probably why the inaccuracies in your track do not bother me. One thing you have to understand there are so many factors that can play into why you might of had these spikes....Heavy tree coverage, cloud over cast, power lines, tall buildings etc...Signal multi-path can also play into these types of spikes. Not bashing, but I think it does a pretty good job for what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um I am sorry I disagree with you, with my first smart phone, the G1 took seconds to lock on to 4+ birds ... and my vibrant .. see's 10 and locks on to 1 .. and its not even the one with the strongest signal ... then there is an issue. I think that is what people are complaining about.
I agree .. if the true purpose of getting something is for GPS alone, then a Garmin etc .. is great.

aohmer said:
Um I am sorry I disagree with you, with my first smart phone, the G1 took seconds to lock on to 4+ birds ... and my vibrant .. see's 10 and locks on to 1 .. and its not even the one with the strongest signal ... then there is an issue. I think that is what people are complaining about.
I agree .. if the true purpose of getting something is for GPS alone, then a Garmin etc .. is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G1 had almost the same exact problem with the GPS when it was first released in October of 08. In the beginning of December, it was updated OTA and it was fixed completely. The update for the Vibrant is coming this month, have faith.

scooterman said:
supl.google.com
sky hook on
MS Based
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skyhook is not GPS. Period.

scooterman said:
a few blips but its fairly close. ...ore it a 7/10, usable, but far from the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The release notes for the new Obsidian 2.2 ROM from TW says the GPS is "very accurate". I'm assuming it's got the real 2.2 drivers and SW.
It would be interesting to see a comparison of the JI6 and 2.2 GPS accuracy.
I've definitely had issues with significant inaccuracy using the Vibrant GPS for driving. It's usually fine, but sometimes it goes into rapid recalculations due to miscalculating my location on nearby streets. It's can be quite annoying if you're depending on it. I've used several standalone GPS units over the years and haven't seen this behavior before. In some ways the Vibrant GPS is better than my current standalone unit, but this inconsistent accuracy is a significant flaw.
I'm hoping 2.2 will include some improvements.

samnada said:
The release notes for the new Obsidian 2.2 ROM from TW says the GPS is "very accurate". I'm assuming it's got the real 2.2 drivers and SW.
It would be interesting to see a comparison of the JI6 and 2.2 GPS accuracy.
I've definitely had issues with significant inaccuracy using the Vibrant GPS for driving. It's usually fine, but sometimes it goes into rapid recalculations due to miscalculating my location on nearby streets. It's can be quite annoying if you're depending on it. I've used several standalone GPS units over the years and haven't seen this behavior before. In some ways the Vibrant GPS is better than my current standalone unit, but this inconsistent accuracy is a significant flaw.
I'm hoping 2.2 will include some improvements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although GPS test reports an accuracy of 6-10 yards roughly, once I start Maps, the accuracy varies on a much wider range. Driving in big city is not much fun when you could be anywhere within a 200 yard range.

JI6 GPS vs other smartphones

I just got the JI6 update and the GPS is definitely much better. However, I was wondering how it matches up to the GPS on other smartphones.
Does anyone have a Nexus One or another android phone to compare it to? Could you please post some results. Only post results from the official OTA JI6 update.

I just got my OTA update this morning.
I am comparing my Vibrant with my BF's Nexus One (running Froyo 2.21) using GPS test.
The result:
Nexus views fewer satellites and locks them much faster than my vibrant on the other hand Vibrant views more satellites locks them a bit slower (Nexus : in view : 8 in use 8 instantly, VIbrant in view : 13 in use 7)
Nexus has better accuracy 9.9 feet VS. 22ish feet on vibrant.
I definitely like the gps on my vibrant much better after the OTA.
I am curious about the GPS performance test among other samsung galaxy s brethren (Captivate, Epic 4G, and Fascinate)

yea my nexus had much better GPS
and got instant lock when any app required gps location
but vibrant works perfectly fine just takes little longer

Just tested against N1 in a real life situation using C:Geo on both phones and the N1 had me rock solid on a Geocache and the Vibrant had me 15 feet off of it plus after trying to get my bearings it decided to start wondering off and I ended up in another county in 3 minutes. The N1 GPS just works and work rock solid, the Vibrants GPS is obviously not a hardware issue but a software issue. The reason I say that is because when I got the Vibrant Geocaching was a no go at all, wouldn't even lock onto enough sat's to be useful. Now at least it has me within 15 feet of my caches.
So all in all it has improved, but it is still not as good as my old N1.

Gps on the vibrant sucks. I honestly believe it's a hardware issue. JI6 update addressed a stupid software issue that prevented the gps to lock onto satellites probably due to wrong time information, but even after that, performance is really lacking.
I have a nexus one, and it gets a fix in less than 5 seconds with an accuracy of 2 m (6 feet). Once it gets a fix, it doesn't wander all over the map. It stays put.
The vabrant ( before and after JI6) doesn't get an accuracy better than 6 meters (20 ft). That's not to bad, but in google maps, it starts jumping all over the map until it settles -usually- at the farthest place from the actual location.
After JI6, the gps locks very quickly, definitely an improvement, but it it's more important the accuracy than the TTF.
In google navigation, when you stop at a red light, the inaccuracies og the gps and its constant jumping from place to place, triggers re-route after re-route. This is uncomfortable and dangerous when you are driving in an unfamiliar area.
The phone is great, but could have been better had some minimal QA been done.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

reddragon72 said:
Just tested against N1 in a real life situation using C:Geo on both phones and the N1 had me rock solid on a Geocache and the Vibrant had me 15 feet off of it plus after trying to get my bearings it decided to start wondering off and I ended up in another county in 3 minutes. The N1 GPS just works and work rock solid, the Vibrants GPS is obviously not a hardware issue but a software issue. The reason I say that is because when I got the Vibrant Geocaching was a no go at all, wouldn't even lock onto enough sat's to be useful. Now at least it has me within 15 feet of my caches.
So all in all it has improved, but it is still not as good as my old N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This saddens me. I used to be able to cache almost exclusively off of my G1, unless under heavy cover.

studing

After manually flashing the updated (the OTA bricked my phone), I tested the GPS on its own, as well as side by side with my wife's G2. While JI6 allows the Vibrant to get a satellite lock in seconds, the accuracy of the GPS is virtually nonexistent, with the location bouncing all over the place. Forget about stopping at a red light - the cursor will start jumping around, sometimes placing me 2-3 blocks away from my actual location. While driving on a local highway (with a clear view of the sky), the GPS would frequently lose signal, although it would lock on again in a few seconds. Although the Vibrant can now get a satellite lock, the accuracy has not been fixed. The G2 does not suffer from these issues, reporting accuracy of 4-6 feet and getting a much quicker satellite lock than the Vibrant.

I am starting to think it is definitely a hardware issue. With GPS test I am getting locks on 9 of 10 or 10 of 12 satellites, but the bar is not very high for the signal on any satellite. Driving down the road it losses signal randomly. My G1 and HD2 had much better GPS performance.
I guess I will live with this until it is time to get another upgrade phone for the cheap price. Maybe the new Mytouch when it comes out. I have extra lines on my account just so I can get early upgrades. An extra line using the same minutes is $5 a month. It is worth it to me to keep getting new phones and selling the other phone on ebay.

Just did a side by side test with my Vibrant running Bionix 1.7 with the JI6 modem.bin vs. my wife’s brand new G2. My Vibrant instantly saw 13 satellites and took around 10 seconds to lock 11 of those 13. Initially it showed 90 ft. accuracy and after around 20-30 seconds it was bouncing between 18-25 ft. on accuracy. On my wife’s G2 as soon as I opened up GPS Test it saw 11 satellites and locked all 11. It initially showed 20 ft. on accuracy and then after 2-3 seconds it showed 12 ft. on accuracy. I watched it for about 2-3 minutes and it didn't really move as far as how many satellites it had locked or its accuracy.

Gps will never be as good as other phones lets face it, but it does the job, it haven't failed me yet since ji2 and up..... Not perfect but usable... I'd rather have a not so great gps that still works vs a n1s multi touch bug that don't get real mt......
Take the good with the bad

I just flashed the ji6 and although the GPS is improved it is far from being fixed. With my Nexus One and G2 I get a fix within 5 seconds and usually locks on all birds. With the Vibrant it takes much longer and the best it can do is 5 out of 12 birds. This GPS is a real shame as it takes a marvelous phone and makes it less than stellar IMO. I would love to use the Vibrant as my Main Phone but with the GPS still not quite right it is not happening as I use GPS everyday throughout the day/.

For those that have gotten the update, what are your GPS settings now? Is it a different server?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Agreed with most comments already posted. The update helped to lock faster, but accuracy really sucks. Google navigation only works about 70% of the time. I find my location drifting to side streets quite often which keeps triggering re-routes all the time. I lose lock randomly (although it does regain lock fairly quickly).
Overall, compared to all other android smart phones I've used, the accuracy/reliability of gps is horrible.
I've also lost all hope in a software fix. With all the press it got and the two plus months to release a fix with marginal improvement...means one of two things.
1-samsung software engineers suck or
2-its a hardware issue and they've done the best they can with software to optimize the broken hardware.
Although both may be true to some degree ... I think we are dealing with case #2...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Roomates Nexus one sees 7 satellites, 10 seconds lock.
My vibrant JI6 sees 9 satellites, 4.5 minute lock

GPS is no worse than the other phones I currently have access to.
Google Maps doesn't jump around like Google Navigation. Google needs to implement smoothing software into their navigation program. Copliot works great with JI6 and Google Navigation gets Parkinson's disease at stop lights. Like I said, same place and Google Maps shows me as stationary while Google Navigation is all over the place

heygrl said:
GPS is no worse than the other phones I currently have access to.
Google Maps doesn't jump around like Google Navigation. Google needs to implement smoothing software into their navigation program. Copliot works great with JI6 and Google Navigation gets Parkinson's disease at stop lights. Like I said, same place and Google Maps shows me as stationary while Google Navigation is all over the place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. With CoPilot it works perfect. I havnt noticed any jumping around at all. The only problem I have had with the GPS since JI6 is that it sometimes takes 3-5 minutes to get a lock on my location.

Try to delete your GPS Data and make sure it's all stock under lbstestmode. I get locks fairly quickly.

kgbkny said:
While JI6 allows the Vibrant to get a satellite lock in seconds, the accuracy of the GPS is virtually nonexistent, with the location bouncing all over the place. Forget about stopping at a red light - the cursor will start jumping around, sometimes placing me 2-3 blocks away from my actual location. While driving on a local highway (with a clear view of the sky), the GPS would frequently lose signal, although it would lock on again in a few seconds. Although the Vibrant can now get a satellite lock, the accuracy has not been fixed.
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I got the identical behavior last night. Is the GPS that flawed that it thinks it's moving when it's not? If they could at least have the software not move the pointer when you're standing still that would likely make a huge difference. Instead it moves you onto another street and starts speaking out "corrections".