IF YOU HAVE A GPS ISSUE... I DO NOT CARE. THIS THREAD IS NOT FOR YOU. THIS THREAD IS FOR PEOPLE TO POST WHO DO NOT HAVE AN ISSUE. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE ARE SOME OF US OUT THERE!
I guess androidmonkey ran with my idea and made a poll (shocker, guess who is leading at the time I posted this, those with no issues...)
I'm so freaking tired of post after post about the same people having a GPS issue. It makes the phone look poor and you guys are certainly greasing the wheel well enough. Who is the minority here?
So I thought a thread of those reporting no issues would be a welcome site.
*I am not stating anything about the compass, frankly, not sure I have ever even noticed it... *
Instead of creating a boasting thread, as part of the Samsung Defense Force, why don't you post helpful information that could help every other owner of this phone?
For example: Manufacture date, ship date, actual statistics / proof of your GPS performance and so forth.
^ post helpful information? Are you serious... all I do on here is help answer questions and write guides.
I am rooted/stock. There is nothing special done, no fixes, no tweaks.... I don't feel the need to make a video of my phone as proof of this, lol.
My gps works good enough to get me somewhere ... that's all I need it for..
I agree. There's some slight downers here...
Go for it! I think a rah-rah thread might have value. It helps beat the drum to drown out the critics and all those annoying tests and facts. That way, if a GPS fix does not materialize and I have to resell my Vibrant used as a lemon, there will be better demand in the open market.
Caveat emptor. Carpe diem.
s15274n said:
^ post helpful information? Are you serious... all I do on here is help answer questions and write guides.
I am rooted/stock. There is nothing special done, no fixes, no tweaks.... I don't feel the need to make a video of my phone as proof of this, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ Cool story, Bro.
So, I post a reasonable request, and you respond by being a douchebag. Way to help people all the time.
How long does your your gps take to lock? If its a few seconds, then i would like to know what's different with your phone
Gps is a HUGE issue. My gps is still taking minutes to lock which is basically useless and I've turned mine off.
s15274n said:
I'm so freaking tired of post after post about the same people having a GPS issue. It makes the phone look poor and you guys are certainly greasing the wheel well enough. Who is the minority here?
So I thought a thread of those reporting no issues would be a welcome site.
*I am not stating anything about the compass, frankly, not sure I have ever even noticed it... *
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate trolls as much as the next guy but the Samsung Galaxy S series has MAJOR issues with GPS. This is not BS, *****ing, whining, etc, its a REAL issue. I sent a link to my location to a friend the other day and the GPS said I was 30 miles away. Sometime though the GPS is spot on, im talking about within 10 feet. Other times its miles off. I know 3 people with this phone and all have the same issues. Not to mention the hundreds of people on this forum.
Please tell us your firmware version, kernel version, baseband version, manufactured date, etc.
androidmonkey said:
Please tell us your firmware version, kernel version, baseband version, manufactured date, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FW: 2.1 update 1
Base: T959UVJFD
Kernel: 2.6.29
MD, I do not have my box with me.... I got it on 7/15/10.
JonC... 1/2 of your posts are whining about GPS. I'm not spending the time to make a video for you dude.
How bout people quit making NEW threads about gps?! There is already a thread with a fix, if someone has something to say about gps issues post there and stop clogging the forum with the same ****!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
s15274n said:
I'm so freaking tired of post after post about the same people having a GPS issue. It makes the phone look poor and you guys are certainly greasing the wheel well enough. Who is the minority here?
So I thought a thread of those reporting no issues would be a welcome site.
*I am not stating anything about the compass, frankly, not sure I have ever even noticed it... *
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude you read my mind! GREAT POST. I'm all for it. Heck, why be anti something when you can be pro something right?
I hate seeing all these posts about the gps issue as well. It does make the Vibrant look bad....so to them gps minorities, keep your problems to one thread instead having multiple threads that just spreads bad vibes across the boards...
For the record, I have ZERO problems with my GSP. It locks on pretty fast and works like a charm...
Two thumbs up for this post...
s15274n said:
FW: 2.1 update 1
Base: T959UVJFD
Kernel: 2.6.29
MD, I do not have my box with me.... I got it on 7/15/10.
JonC... 1/2 of your posts are whining about GPS. I'm not spending the time to make a video for you dude.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then go make it for the hundreds of other people experiencing the issue with the exact same device, on the exact same baseband and kernel version. Out them as the HTC sleep cells that they all are.
Also, just to get serious for a second here:
Nobody ever said that the Galaxy S wasn't a sweet device. It's simply disappointing that Locational Services are severely busted, and we worry about having to trust Samsung on their word.
You know: their word.
So, it apparently works perfectly for you. That's neat. Congratulations. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for the majority of us here. Instead of showing us how this is an isolated incident (with your seemingly 'perfect' phone), you've chosen to boast on an internet forum. This provides us with less hope than actual evidence that it could be our individual phones that are defective (which would point to hardware).
Not really sure how that helps anyone, sport.
^ blagh blagh blagh... more posts about GPS... this thread is not intended for you, you are the reason I made it.
^ Cool story, bro!
Man what dissapointment I thought someone had finally received a phone with a working GPS
The Vibrant is a great phone but let's face it, the GPS software just plain sucks and I'm sure that goes for everyone. My G1 could lock on 8 sats in my house where the Vibrant can't find a single one. Outdoors I may get 3 after 5 minutes and even then the map program is not that accurate.
I guess you started a thread to make yourself feel good but get ready to be flamed
^ Flame away. Or, wait for others with no issues to post. Either way, I'm tired of the GPS whining threads.
I too have been wondering what all the fuss is about. I would like to know a repeatable symptom that makes people think there is a problem. If it's just time to lock, well there are so many variables to consider. Sometimes my phone locks on in seconds, usually if I have used the GPS recently. If it has been longer (like days or weeks), then it takes my phone longer (five minutes???). It also depends on the weather, and if you are moving while trying to get a lock. I have owned several stand-alone GPS devices, and have used military GPS receivers too. They ALL have these same issues.
Now if the complaint is something other than lock time, then that would be a different story.
I really don't see the GPS in this phone operating any better or worse than any other GPS that I have ever used.
I got my phone the day it came out, and my serial number ends with 10.07, and using stock FW (rooted of course). No lag fix applied either (I have heard of a lot of people having issues with g maps and lag fixes).
I guess this thread backfired on the fanboy OP.
Not sent from my Vibrant using XDA App 'cause I returned it.
MrGibbage said:
I too have been wondering what all the fuss is about. I would like to know a repeatable symptom that makes people think there is a problem. If it's just time to lock, well there are so many variables to consider. Sometimes my phone locks on in seconds, usually if I have used the GPS recently. If it has been longer (like days or weeks), then it takes my phone longer (five minutes???). It also depends on the weather, and if you are moving while trying to get a lock. I have owned several stand-alone GPS devices, and have used military GPS receivers too. They ALL have these same issues.
Now if the complaint is something other than lock time, then that would be a different story.
I really don't see the GPS in this phone operating any better or worse than any other GPS that I have ever used.
I got my phone the day it came out, and my serial number ends with 10.07, and using stock FW (rooted of course). No lag fix applied either (I have heard of a lot of people having issues with g maps and lag fixes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't comment on the past phones or gps units you may have used but I can comment on mine. Using the programs GPS Status or GPS Test:
My G1 within seconds can lock on 6-8 sats sitting in my livingroom - this phone cannot locate one that's a (hopefully) software problem.
Outdoors my G1 locks on 8-10 sats in seconds - the Vibrant barely finds 3 (I have had 4 but the signal was so weak I don't count it), again software problem. Now even with 3 sats locked, using maps it will at times show me off the road that I'm on (example, travelling on the FL Turnpike and it shows me on a parallel service road, or I exit and map shows me passing the exit before it begins to show the turn.
There is a problem with the GPS and Samsung has acknowleged it and is working on a fix (again hopefully). I certainly don't think the software on the G1 should be so far superior to the one on the Vibrant don't you?
smashpunks said:
My gps works good enough to get me somewhere ... that's all I need it for..
I agree. There's some slight downers here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think people are being downers for wanting a major feature of their phone to work PROPERLY. Just good enough, is not good enough.
It's like saying well, while they put a nice transmission in my car, it doesn't include reverse...but that's ok because I mostly drive forward.
This "works good enough" or "I don't really use it that much" attitude isn't helping with the fact that this portion of the phone is not working as it should. No complaints for folks like that makes it easy for Samsung to drag their feet on a solution. I am on my THIRD Vibrant (switched out for reason other than the GPS, since that IS broken right now) and the GPS has not performed well enough for me to get any practical use out of it on any of them. Three different Vibrants with different manufacture dates.
There is a problem, a prevalent one. A few people experiencing the problem on just one version of the phone would be one thing, but it affects all models. How Samsung hasn't been taken to task like Apple was is beyond me.
Related
I have finally sold my galaxy s i9000 today....
After about 3 weeks of using the device and having all the problems with the phone i decided to sell it.... although the decision was an easy one because it was easy to sell the phone at a profit since actually there are high demand for the phone and limited supply.... i guess most people still dont know about all the problems that this phone has.....
at my age, 36, i dont wish to spend too much time trying to fix the phone like applying rom, fixes, firmware etc.... i just want a smartphone that works well out of the box....
so after so many problems i experience using the phone i decided to sell it....
problems i faced:
- GPS very inaccurate and sometimes cannot lock signals and shows me in different country.... not to mention it cannot track continuously....
- Phone hangs when i am in a conversation and another caller comes in....
- quite frequent lags that sometimes can only be fixed by restarting the phone
- email apps takes long time to load the contents
- GSM signal quite erratic, phone must be held certain way to avoid drop in signals.... just like iphone 4 but maybe not as severe.... i am not sure....but it bothers me because i can see the signal dropping 2-3 bars when i hold it certain way
-keyboard which i just cannot get accustomed to, i dont know if its a problem of the touch screen sensor which is not precised or because of the size of the device that is a bit too wide....but the bottom line is that i find myself making lots of typing mistakes when using it one handedly
- overall samsung touchwiz quirks and the widgets are not to my liking....
- firmware fix update for my asia pacific region doesnt seem to come along fast enough... i only see one update which is the one thats giving me all the problems mentioned above..... but i see the european firmware gets update very frequently.....this makes me mad.... but the bad thing is that even the european updates seems to be still having most of the problems, especially the gps problem....
so after thinking thinking thinking... i sold it.... and i sold it after only 30 minutes of posting my advertisement in internet....
i just thought i'd share my experience......
youre the first people who dissapoint about this phone AFAIK
so how much did u sell this phone?just wanna know
I don't have any of those problems, neither do a lot of other people. Still on the stock ROM, no tweeking, nothing.
You should have asked for a replacement phone first before getting rid of it. By the looks of it there's a dodgy batch of them.
strange thing is we all want the best but its never good enough, I mean if any phone comes out and all is great people still want more and ways to better it, its human nature I guess and yes its a pain now and then but the strange thing is there is also a joy/kick out of things like roms, to get these small/big changes and play around with them, its true we can all say that it should come out and be 100% of what people paid for but......well never going to happen, and where would the fun be if it did lol
GPS I see people on about this, where I live it (north uk)tracks me from 20 meters to 2 meters (down to speed)
Tachikoma_kun said:
I don't have any of those problems, neither do a lot of other people. Still on the stock ROM, no tweeking, nothing.
You should have asked for a replacement phone first before getting rid of it. By the looks of it there's a dodgy batch of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying you never experience *ANY* lag on your phone? This sounds very strange to me, as the lag problems seem to be an inherent problem of the phone's hardware/software architecture. I can hardly believe what you are saying, or maybe you have just not used your phone intensively enough. Otherwise me and a LOT of other GS users can get ready to return their phones for a replacement.
I can understand your frustration, widjaja. The lags are very annoying, and I myself have encountered times where I got an incoming call which I simply could not answer because the phone was too busy loading the friggin' call interface. It is however clear that Samsung themselves will come with an official fix for this, and in the meantime we have the homebrew fixes. For me, this is enough reason to stick with this phone until it is fully ridded of its problems. After all, apart from the buggy annoyances, it is the most powerful Android phone out there.
widjaja74_us said:
I have finally sold my galaxy s i9000 today....
After about 3 weeks of using the device and having all the problems with the phone i decided to sell it.... although the decision was an easy one because it was easy to sell the phone at a profit since actually there are high demand for the phone and limited supply.... i guess most people still dont know about all the problems that this phone has.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey there, sorry to hear that!
this isn't meant as a response but more as a general comment on the issues you faced to compare the asian/european version (i've got the european version).
DISCLAIMER: i'm talking about my device. chime in if your experience differs from mine!
widjaja74_us said:
at my age, 36, i dont wish to spend too much time trying to fix the phone like applying rom, fixes, firmware etc.... i just want a smartphone that works well out of the box....
so after so many problems i experience using the phone i decided to sell it....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hear you. although i don't get what your age has got to do with your phone but still you're right. time spent fixing things which should work out of the box is lost time. period.
widjaja74_us said:
problems i faced:
- GPS very inaccurate and sometimes cannot lock signals and shows me in different country.... not to mention it cannot track continuously....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my fix is immediately and as accurate as it can get with a civilian phone.
talked about the asian region gps issue with a friend yesterday and we suspected it might be something about gps being dimmed near north korea for military reasons but i guess that was just us crazy talking.
widjaja74_us said:
- Phone hangs when i am in a conversation and another caller comes in....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no hangs with concurrent calls whatsoever
widjaja74_us said:
- quite frequent lags that sometimes can only be fixed by restarting the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
besides the lag already being discussed in another thread, i don't experience frequent lags. and even this so called lag is just a minor annoyance when compared to the performance of other android-devices or the iphone-series (at least the couple devices i got ahold of in the last years).
widjaja74_us said:
- email apps takes long time to load the contents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
email app loading in a split second over hier (stock & gmail)
widjaja74_us said:
- GSM signal quite erratic, phone must be held certain way to avoid drop in signals.... just like iphone 4 but maybe not as severe.... i am not sure....but it bothers me because i can see the signal dropping 2-3 bars when i hold it certain way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can hold my phone any way i want and have the same reception as other phones in the same area (elevator = little to no reception, top of building = great reception, subway = flaky/depends if underground/overground, etc) and with all other phones i had before.
widjaja74_us said:
-keyboard which i just cannot get accustomed to, i dont know if its a problem of the touch screen sensor which is not precised or because of the size of the device that is a bit too wide....but the bottom line is that i find myself making lots of typing mistakes when using it one handedly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the touchscreen sensor is perfectly calibrated and the swype-keyboard (is this the one your talking about?) is the best thing invented since touchscreens were invented. the tutorial takes 4 minutes to go through and i never want to go back now. this isn't just a productivity enhancement this is the path from "oh **** i have to answer this mail with my crappy phone keyboard" and "yeah let's write the last couple of mails on the subway then i'm home earlier".
or something like that..
widjaja74_us said:
- overall samsung touchwiz quirks and the widgets are not to my liking....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well there's literally hundreds of widgets to choose from and although i know you want it to work out of the box that's something you need to do for yourself as samsung can't do it right for everybody.
i'm not a huge touchwiz fan myself but it does the job (protip: LauncherPro, search for it in the market if you haven't already heard about it).
widjaja74_us said:
- firmware fix update for my asia pacific region doesnt seem to come along fast enough... i only see one update which is the one thats giving me all the problems mentioned above..... but i see the european firmware gets update very frequently.....this makes me mad.... but the bad thing is that even the european updates seems to be still having most of the problems, especially the gps problem....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i'm feeling you especially with the new firmware seemingly creating more problems than it solves. but when comparing the release date of the phone with the release date of the new firmware my assessment is that samsung is on the fast side with this one. but i'm not very experienced with the company so maybe i'm just a lucky samsung-beginner
there is no official european update yet, hopefully in the coming days/weeks.
and as mentioned before i don't have the slightest issue with gps.
widjaja74_us said:
so after thinking thinking thinking... i sold it.... and i sold it after only 30 minutes of posting my advertisement in internet....
i just thought i'd share my experience......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again, sorry to hear that and i hope your next phone is going to satisfy your requirements!
cheers
EDIT
Samsung Galaxy S, European version, Android 2.1-update1 vanilla, non-rooted, LauncherPro
lemme guess... your gonna buy an iPhone 4? LOL
like most ppl on these sorts of threads say, most of us have had NO problems, mayb a few stalls 5-10 secs on apps.
your 36 and expect a device with this spec to be perfect.
if you want something that performs out of the box perfectly, get a nokia that only makes calls mate.
to be honest if you dont even know you can change touchwiz just by downloading an app you shouldnt have a smartphone anyway
I smell troll
Sorry to hear that. Although at times, I've felt like sending mine back when the GPS wigs out, but the rest of the phone is better than anything else out there, so I'm sitting tight and hoping/waiting for a fix.
just curious - are you in a rural area or in the city?
and with earlier phone(s) did you have strong 3G signal?
sensi_ said:
I smell troll
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No disrespect to OP but... yea
No phone is perfect thats a fact. I have minor issues with my Galaxy S but there are ways around them, i know you said you didnt want to mess around with it but why did you buy an open source device with huge custom ability. I love the fact theres alternative for everything, i have custom keyboards, custom home screens, gmail email app of which i have 0 problems with the gmail account, everything loads in an instant.
I dont use GPS so i can't comment but i would have recommended a factory reset if you had these problems from day 1. it fixed a lot of peoples minor quirks.
I do get a little lag here and there but its bareable until an update comes out and from what ive been reading about the unofficial firmwares they are speeding up considerably.
wow if the SGS i9000 is bad for the OP, then he should never buy a Windows Mobile nor iphone based device as those are even more horrible. (that's exactly the reason why i moved to Android phones)
it'll probably make sense to just go back and use a normal 9 buttons cell phone to avoid any problem at all, then you'll have a cell phone that is good at what it does and not a multi purpose entertainment device with a build in cell phone.
skndd said:
Are you saying you never experience *ANY* lag on your phone? This sounds very strange to me, as the lag problems seem to be an inherent problem of the phone's hardware/software architecture. I can hardly believe what you are saying, or maybe you have just not used your phone intensively enough. Otherwise me and a LOT of other GS users can get ready to return their phones for a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Email - No issues, I can open an email, delete it, open another one and reply in a few seconds. I don't get the "10 seconds to delete an email" issue
GPS - Accurate to 12-odd feet, the occasional spaz out to 200 feet for a fraction of a second, but that's it
Menu - no lag issues, the odd stutter where it takes maybe 1/4 a second to show the transition animation, again, barely noticable
Apps - Other than "Zombies Live!" which is slow as hell, I don't get any unresponsive screens when apps load or quit
If you want I will make a video tomorrow. I am going to an airshow in the morning, but will make it when I get back in the evening.
Have to agree with extraordinary sluggishness despite battery pulls turning off animations etc...
Too bad...so much candy in this toy.
at my age, 36, i dont wish to spend too much time trying to fix the phone like applying rom, fixes, firmware etc.... i just want a smartphone that works well out of the box....
so after so many problems i experience using the phone i decided to sell it....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of curiosity.. XDA is a developers forum (hence the name).. Why would you hang around if you just want an out of the box experience??
Welldone widjaja, i totaly agree with u, samsung galaxy s, what a pile of crap, i got rid of mine (at times i felt like smashing the pile of crap with a hammer or throwing it out of the window) i know have a dell streak and i couldent be happier
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
anything that runs Windows Mobile is a piece of crap, else i wouldn't have switched to an Android phone. That Dell Stinks, it's even bigger and more cumbersome than the HTC Athena
Widjaja you're not alone, i've experienced the exact same problems. It almost felt you were talking about my handset.
This would really be the best handset if it wasn't for the issues you have mentioned, really.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
This guy brings up good points, products should always work flawlessly out of the box. And for your situation, not wanting to tinker, its probably best to replace your phone with something simpler (aria). On the other hand, a few software fixes that are already out address all these issues and make this phone, the best on the market.
Gl with your next cellphone purchase.
I just wanted to start a new poll about the performance of the GPS. This time there's also an option to choose a firmware version (*). For the best results it is adviced to participate in the poll after a few weeks of "real life" usage, so you can form an informed opinion.
I've forgotten to include the JF firmware versions. For this versions please choose one of the options for the JG firmware versions. Unfortunately I can't edit the poll. I don't think that this will be a great shortcoming for the results because the differences between the JF and JG firmware isn't very big.
(*) Because I think too many errors will slip in when one can indicate the firmware and the GPS opinion by multiple choices, the list is a bit long. I tried to keep it as clear as possible
(Mods: In order to make the poll as "objective" as possible, maybe it is possible to make this a sticky and close the thread. I can add a link to a new post where the results/finding can be discussed or I or someone else could place a link to the old poll/gps thread where there's already a discussion going on)
cant vote in your poll as mine is yet to be firmware upgraded, im running JF3, and my gps is currently running fine in google navi (as i siad in the original thread it does jump at times but it is still very usable), however my tracks shows this first statment to be abit wrong. so im still working on it and need to try and sort out the firmware upgrade i cant seem to work it out just yet.
btw i have had tis second working phone for 1 week 3 days now, the first was taken back after a week where it would just simply not get a gps lock at all.
I have original firmware, Android 2.1-update1(have only rooted it), and no have problem with GPS at all, for now.
It fix the signal inside my home, my iphone 3Gs not, not lost the signal and bring me at destination, always.
Regards
No offense, but whenever I see people praising the quality of the GPS by if and how fast they do get a lock indoors, I die a little bit inside... That's not real GPS fix you're getting, that's just aGPS at work.
Could you add JFx options to the poll please ?
I have JF1. GPS works most of the time, but could be better.
demusss said:
Could you add JFx options to the poll please ?
I have JF1. GPS works most of the time, but could be better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I can't edit the poll (maybe a mod could?).. As an alternative I suggest to vote for one of the JG firmware options.
Case_ said:
No offense, but whenever I see people praising the quality of the GPS by if and how fast they do get a lock indoors, I die a little bit inside... That's not real GPS fix you're getting, that's just aGPS at work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it is GPS. I have disable aGPS and removed the APN from data settings, the APN field is blank, because I not have a flat account with my carrier provider(WIND Italy).
And WIFI is OFF. It is only the GPS, sure!
Regards
Can I suggest everyone goes on here -
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SamsungUKmobile
And promotes the GPS issue some more? They obviously are enjoying the positive press...lets see if they like some critical feedback as well.....
Well I've now set up my SGS with Copilot and used it in the same position in my car as I used my Iphone 3G, with Copilot, and I must say that the performance is extremely poor.
I thought the GPS in the Iphone was poor but it beats my SGS hands down.
firmware: I9000ADJF1.
That seems low compared to other posts I've read!
This really has to be the most ridiculous poll yet.
I've had problems in all firmware, although XWJM5 (as opposed to XWJM2) is yielding some hope for a fix. It's looking quite a bit better and is a lot more stable for a lot longer.
XXJF3 was great for a week then died and now it's so intermittent its ridiculous.
XXJG5 was better but had the habit of losing GPS signal and putting you 100 metres off and convinced it had to draw a track between your last known good and where it thought you were.
XXJM2 was better than that in that it took account of your speed and heading and never put you more than a few feet off, but it was still prone to making silly mistakes when it lost GPS signal.
XXJM5 is looking considerably better, but they still need to sort out locking onto Satellites < 20 SnR and more than 8 satellite fixes.
The reason I think for this is because of those things called Urban canyons, buildings, trees, etc, which have an annoying habit of destroying your GPS signal. A lot of other devices will cope. Unless you can see Satellites over virtually overhead, forget all hope.
sjdean said:
This really has to be the most ridiculous poll yet.
I've had problems in all firmware, although XWJM5 (as opposed to XWJM2) is yielding some hope for a fix. It's looking quite a bit better and is a lot more stable for a lot longer.
XXJF3 was great for a week then died and now it's so intermittent its ridiculous.
XXJG5 was better but had the habit of losing GPS signal and putting you 100 metres off and convinced it had to draw a track between your last known good and where it thought you were.
XXJM2 was better than that in that it took account of your speed and heading and never put you more than a few feet off, but it was still prone to making silly mistakes when it lost GPS signal.
XXJM5 is looking considerably better, but they still need to sort out locking onto Satellites < 20 SnR and more than 8 satellite fixes.
The reason I think for this is because of those things called Urban canyons, buildings, trees, etc, which have an annoying habit of destroying your GPS signal. A lot of other devices will cope. Unless you can see Satellites over virtually overhead, forget all hope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your observations. Unfortunately it isn't possible to poll every single firmware version with the current poll functionality
Just did this track with a brand new SGS 16 GB w/JM1.
It was easy to vote.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...254,0.046434&z=15&iwloc=00048d2c278fbc21e8849
Still, as sjdean mentioned, I suspect that this issue is related to several factors and cannot be singled out that easily. I have to have one in my hands to believe it but now I guess I'll go to the store to get my money back home. Not that I don't believe that Samsung and Broadcom might end up making their magic work... I'll probably not have enough patience to wait.
Beowulf_pt said:
Just did this track with a brand new SGS 16 GB w/JM1.
It was easy to vote.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...254,0.046434&z=15&iwloc=00048d2c278fbc21e8849
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, as if a child tried to draw a route on a map. That's not good at all
Bynar010 said:
Can I suggest everyone goes on here -
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SamsungUKmobile
And promotes the GPS issue some more? They obviously are enjoying the positive press...lets see if they like some critical feedback as well.....
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Click to collapse
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
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as you can see i have not held back
ghosty_uk said:
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
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as you can see i have not held back
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Click to collapse
I don't have some severe problems with the GPS most of the time. ( I still can't reproduce the artistic trackings though I see all over this forum - although I never used mytracks, but always use another program for this). Nevertheless, I still want my GPS to be very reliable and the reports I read makes me a bit uncomfortable. I use it a lot for "offroad walking" and I depend for 100% on my GPS for this. I need the thing to be accurate. I need to trust on it. So yes, I'm also waiting for Samsung to come out and make a statement about this.
ghosty_uk said:
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
See more
2 seconds ago · Comment · LikeUnlike · Report
as you can see i have not held back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I left a slight 'snotty' comment on there about the issues a couple of weeks ago, to be fair, they didn't delete the comment but they never replied either!
ghosty_uk said:
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
See more
2 seconds ago · Comment · LikeUnlike · Report
as you can see i have not held back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for those of you that remember my post on the samsung page, here is the official response from them:
Samsung UK Mobile Hi, thanks for getting in touch. Head Office is currently working on a solution to the GPS problem and we hope to have a solution very soon. Rest assured, this is a high priority task for us.
maybe we are getting through to them after all.
Yeah they seem to have put that on all the GPS complaint comments on their facebook page..except mine....perhaps I was too *****y!!
The GPS on my JM2 is just useless... no matter where I am, in my appartment or at the very centre of the city, its just unable to locate me.
Hi all,
I have used my GPS with sygic maps mobile 10 for 1387 Km and it works well!
Yes, when I entry in a tunnel it not immediately switch the screen from night and day light, it switch after about 50meter when already was inside the tunnel. This mean it is not 100% accurate but work well. Consider which has travel a street named "street of tunnel". In the same travel, the GPS of the my Iphone3gs with tomtom lost the signal always and employ many more time for take the signal again.
In city, have used POI features on the Galaxy S, and work well!
I'm "sorry", but cannot say "have a problem with GPS", because not have any problem with this GPS, for now. Some day ago has a problem with alarm clock, always have a problem with copy/paste from gmail and yahoo e-mail, but not with GPS.
For who interested, have the original rom, android 2.1-update1, only rooted.
Regards
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
http://twitter.com/Samsungservice/status/21089686644
Samsung is testing software to optimize GPS on Galaxy S phones. Look for updates in September. Details & download instructions to follow.
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Awesome .. good news ....
I sort of figured that it'd roll in with the Froyo update, which is supposed to drop within the September timeframe too.
masterotaku said:
I sort of figured that it'd roll in with the Froyo update, which is supposed to drop within the September timeframe too.
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Click to collapse
I hope so. I'm actually pretty surprised they let a device go this long with this problem. Mine works much better after some HACKS but honestly, the phones' gps should work right out of the box in my opinion. And if we get towards the end of September and the only update addressed is to fix something that was broken in the first place thats going to hurt Samsung seeing as there's been talks about September Froyo.
Great, thanks for the update! Looking forward to it!
Sent from my Rooted Samsung Vibrant using XDA App
Good stuff. Hope it comes with froyo.
Notice how they don't mention that there is a problem... "Samsung is testing software to optimize GPS on Galaxy S phones."
Sounds some what promising. Thanks for the update.
They've been very careful about how they are wording their responses on this issue. They are trying to pull an Apple, by admitting there is a problem without admitting there is a problem.
I certainly hope it gets fixed as it is really aggravating. Tried using the GPS today with Flixster and all I got was a black screen for my efforts (had to pull the battery to turn it back on).
Just turn off GPS and use network-based location for the time being. It's worded perfectly, but it does promise an update. It's no different from what other manufactures do. "an update to improve functionality" and etc.
I haven't heard of anyone's GPS completely not working, so you could call it optimizing. My Vibrant has the same issues as everyone else it seems, the issue is still on my old Mytouch and my friends Droid. So I would personally call it optimizing and not fixing.
.02
Is that gps freezing common? Most reports I've seen have just been lock and accuracy issues. Mine is slow to lock and doesn't have the best accuracy (25-40 feet), but doesn't freeze the phone.
Sent from my SGS Vibrant
tissimo said:
Is that gps freezing common? Most reports I've seen have just been lock and accuracy issues. Mine is slow to lock and doesn't have the best accuracy (25-40 feet), but doesn't freeze the phone.
Sent from my SGS Vibrant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Today was the first time I encountered this issue, although it has been mentioned on this forum as well as others. Doesn't seem to be widespread, but it certainly is annoying.
Heygirl,
Forever the optimist Disabling a major feature of the phone is a poor workaround for a problem that really should never had made it past whatever QC Samsung has. Darn shame as this really is a good phone. It will be a great one once this issue if fixed.
tweak89 said:
Today was the first time I encountered this issue, although it has been mentioned on this forum as well as others. Doesn't seem to be widespread, but it certainly is annoying.
Heygirl,
Forever the optimist Disabling a major feature of the phone is a poor workaround for a problem that really should never had made it past whatever QC Samsung has. Darn shame as this really is a good phone. It will be a great one once this issue if fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you want from me or anyone else? A fix that doesn't exist yet? I said to avoid the GPS and likely, it's driver from crashing the entire phone - to DISABLE it and this goes for anyone else having the same issue but not knowing the cause. If you have a problem with that, you can finish this sentence yourself.
Well this is what we all were waiting for. Of course people are still going to *****, but we shouldn't care. This phone is clearly the best investment you can make in terms of a phone, let's celebrate.
Now that this issue is addressed I hope their sales increase and development increases for these trail blazing phones.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
zoid_99 said:
Notice how they don't mention that there is a problem... "Samsung is testing software to optimize GPS on Galaxy S phones."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typical corporate spin...just the iPhone 4 fiasco. Companies don't want to be legally liable by admitting fault.
heygrl said:
What do you want from me or anyone else? A fix that doesn't exist yet? I said to avoid the GPS and likely, it's driver from crashing the entire phone - to DISABLE it and this goes for anyone else having the same issue but not knowing the cause. If you have a problem with that, you can finish this sentence yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow,sensitive much? Not sure where I asked you or anyone else for anything (expecting a company to back their product and make it right isn't too much to ask, though). You gave me some advice and I commented. You seem to be taking it as a personal attack. Oh well.
Mark271 said:
Well this is what we all were waiting for. Of course people are still going to *****, but we shouldn't care. This phone is clearly the best investment you can make in terms of a phone, let's celebrate.
Now that this issue is addressed I hope their sales increase and development increases for these trail blazing phones.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that's optimism!! When the patch is being downloaded on my phone and the GPS is working properly, then I will celebrate, you can be sure of that
tweak89 said:
They've been very careful about how they are wording their responses on this issue. They are trying to pull an Apple, by admitting there is a problem without admitting there is a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Apple would say "Our problem is inherent in all phones of this type, if you don't like it, simply return the phone and move on"
Now, all they have to do is bundle it up with froyo and it's all good!
j0hnZ said:
I haven't heard of anyone's GPS completely not working, so you could call it optimizing. My Vibrant has the same issues as everyone else it seems, the issue is still on my old Mytouch and my friends Droid. So I would personally call it optimizing and not fixing.
.02
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 4 of these phones in my family and not a single one works GPS wise. None of them will lock on to any of the GPS sats here in Kansas. Occasionally there will be a blip on one of the satellites to 15 - 18 dbHz, but then it'll return to 0.
So my second replacement of this galaxy s still got the ass-paining GPS problem. I had to phone orange again complaining the problem. Orange refused to exchange a different phone for me and told me to go find samsung. But I insisted that the phone was a part of the service they provided, if I was not satisfied I would have to go to them. they finally agreed to give me a third replacement to see what's going on. I'm now waiting at home for the phone to come. Although I doubt I would see any difference on this one, let's say according to law I now have right to return this phone if it's still got the GPS issue.
After I spoke to Orange, I sent an email to samsung mobile uk to tell them the problem. Today I received an email reply:
"Thank you for contacting Samsung Electronics.
Regarding your case, kindly note that the phone needs to be taken to the nearest Samsung authorized service centre to be checked by an engineer as this may be a software issue.
You can follow the link below to locate the nearest Samsung authorized service centre based on your postal code. Kindly make sure that you have selected “Mobile phones” from the drop down menu.
http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/location/supportServiceLocation.do?page=SERVICE.LOCATION
Please note that if this turns outto be a hardware issue, the phone might have to be sent in for repair.
Our manufacturer warranty covers damage caused due to a manufacturer fault and excludes any damage caused by misuse. Please make sure that your phone has not been dropped or exposed to water."
Now I have 2 options. after I receive this final replacement, if it's still got the GPS issue, I can either ask Orange to return the phone and exchange,which I think would be quite tricky,but a good chance to succeed; or I can go to local samsung service and ask them to check and repair the phone for me.
I checked samsung service location, basically it's on every carphonewarehouse store, not difficult to find one near you. I think people with gps issue should really go to ask for repair.
I will keep update this thread until either the phone's got fully functioning GPS or the phone's been returned.
UPDATE: NO 6th replacement has been proved having GPS problem as well. Contacted orange again and they told me they will start an investigation on what's with this phone. Next monday they will call me back to provide a solution, either fix the phone's GPS or exchange me a different phone.
Today I went out on highway, tested gps on both galaxy s and orange san francisco, within 30 mins driving the orange san francisco worked like a charm, no delay, no flaw; galaxy s on the other hand, lost signal for more than 6 times, showed me driving out of the highway...really upset and thought it only fair if gps performance should be better on galaxy s due to much much higher price. Well it's opposite... I would be glad if monday they exchange me a different phone and put an end to the terrible experience i had with this phone...
I am on my fourth handset at the moment and it’s just as bad as my first. I have tried every combination of firmware and fixes but have seen little improvement.
I am now waiting for Vodafone to release their Froyo build officially and when flashed to this it’s going back permanently. Its blatant false advertising and misrepresentation to claim the i9000 is capable of running satnav apps properly. And yes I’m talking about full satnav not just Google apps.
Such a shame as I was so looking forward to CM6 on this handset.
Not exactly relevant, but "final solutions" aren't always successful
Someone needs to amend the title of this thread, as once again its very misleading!
SkinBobUk said:
Someone needs to amend the title of this thread, as once again its very misleading!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm not sure what's misleading? the solution is to send it back for repair or replace. no one can fix it on his own. you think you can come out a better solution than mine? welcome to try!
I had similar problems with Samsung galaxy S Unlocked sim free.
This is now a distant memory since the official upgrade to Android 2.2.
GPS works excellent.
Check in Samsung Kies, if your phone is ready for an upgrade.
ehe12 said:
i'm not sure what's misleading? the solution is to send it back for repair or replace. no one can fix it on his own. you think you can come out a better solution than mine? welcome to try!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you think that if the solution was to simply exchange the phone for another that people would of done this allready, let alone the number of people on handset #4,5,6 and still their gps is not as expected.
Your title reads "Final solution", what you gonna do if samsung cant fix it? Do you have any evidence they can?
I dont wanna start an argument or cause any offence but the first thing people will think when they see that title is that contained in this thread is a solution to their gps problems. Instead all they will find is a post from you explaining what samsung and orange have advised.
Also you made another thread stating that the gps problems cannot be fixed by software, and yet in your first post in this thread you've put samsung think its a software problem.
You seem to be believing whoever u talk too and then posting it up for us.
If and when you do finally get a working gps then post away, but there is no need for misleeding posts, etc.
Have you guys tried this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611 ? It worked for me.
SkinBobUk said:
Don't you think that if the solution was to simply exchange the phone for another that people would of done this allready, let alone the number of people on handset #4,5,6 and still their gps is not as expected.
Your title reads "Final solution", what you gonna do if samsung cant fix it? Do you have any evidence they can?
I dont wanna start an argument or cause any offence but the first thing people will think when they see that title is that contained in this thread is a solution to their gps problems. Instead all they will find is a post from you explaining what samsung and orange have advised.
Also you made another thread stating that the gps problems cannot be fixed by software, and yet in your first post in this thread you've put samsung think its a software problem.
You seem to be believing whoever u talk too and then posting it up for us.
If and when you do finally get a working gps then post away, but there is no need for misleeding posts, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not believing anything ok? I did quote the whole email from samsung service, but I didn't believe the "software" part. What I'm trying to say is get your device back to samsung as soon as possible to have it fixed. If samsung cannot fix it? law says you can return it!
again as I'm saying, the quote from samsung service is just to remind people, contact their local samsung service to check the phone! why are you focusing on the mentioned "software problem"? OK even yes it's software problem, can you fix it? you obviously can't! then what? live with it? hell not for me! contact your local samsung service to get it fixed! that's the final solution to this GPS problem! all I'm saying is if you can't fix it, you have to send it to samsung service, and that's the only final solution!
also as you might be interested, the Orange staff I spoke to told me the following thing: when I sent my phone back, they didn't just accept everything I said, they did test the phone. According to their technician, there's something wrong with the integrated GPS.
can you fix the GPS? no you can't. I can't either. my solution will be send it to samsung so that they can repair it for me. why are you calling it misleading? my solution has a great chance to get the gps fixed!!!and if not, you've proved it's not fixable and you can return or exchange your phone!
We seem to have differant understandings of the world solution.
Fair enough samsung might be able to fix it. But i doubt it as everybody else would have done the same thing or samsung would have released some sort of press release.
And yes if they cant then you should be entitled to a refund/exchange, etc. But that aint a final solution in any sense of the word.
so youre exchanging the phone over and over and hope to have a better gps? did not realized by now that they all have fhe same gps and they all work the same so still exchanging? is the world going nuts?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
SkinBobUk said:
We seem to have differant understandings of the world solution.
Fair enough samsung might be able to fix it. But i doubt it as everybody else would have done the same thing or samsung would have released some sort of press release.
And yes if they cant then you should be entitled to a refund/exchange, etc. But that aint a final solution in any sense of the word.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well in my opinion, I paid for a fully functional phone, if even the manufacturer cannot fix it, there is no way I can accept it and return/exchange it is the only solution for me.
maybe you think this is not a solution, but it does solve my problem.
so far I don't know how many have sent their phones back, but I think it might be a huge number.
bilboa1 said:
so youre exchanging the phone over and over and hope to have a better gps? did not realized by now that they all have fhe same gps and they all work the same so still exchanging? is the world going nuts?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as there are many people claiming that their GPS work flawlessly, also someone claimed manufacturing dates may decide the quality of the phones, I am trying to prove either of them. even these aren't true, at least I prove that this issue won't be fixed by exchanging phones and I get my legal right to force the phone company to exchange/refund the phone for me. Also if many people do the same thing, the number of returned phones would become so large that samsung might finally have to admit this and file a recall.
this is harmless to all consumers, why not?
So why do several people have a good GPS in their SGSes. If it were hardware problem, how does it come that some people can change phone for 4 times and not get any better results and others have good GPSes from the start? I start to lean towards the idea that the SGS GPS is not great but normal. People have the idea that the phone should have an equally good GPS as for example the screen witch is superb. Well they start to test the GPS and depending on several parameters (not the weather as seems to be a common misunderstanding) the GPS breaks down or they could not get an instant position within 1-2 meters (which is impossible with a cold or semi cold start if you do not have a cruise missile handy). They start fiddling around and mess up the GPS so it do not work at all.
The urban canyon problem that many refers to is a problem that even the high end dedicated GPSes have (look for reviews on the net). They are of course better then the SGS but heck you bought a phone not a GPS.
I do not say that there are no faulty SGSes out there. But so what there have been 7 million sold and there must be some. I also think that the SGS may be hiding the full potential somewhere deep in the hardware and it can be unlocked by some low level upgrade of the GPS. However I am content with the normal function of the GPS and of course I hope that future upgrades can make it better.
However there are evidently some trolls in these GPS forums which you can see if you reading all the mails. However there are not many, but they are rather irritating, in the sense that they will not listen to arguments and even if you show them a good track (which have been posted several times) they will deny it and accuse the user of incompetence instead of trying to find out why there phone is broken.
milsjg said:
So why do several people have a good GPS in their SGSes. If it were hardware problem, how does it come that some people can change phone for 4 times and not get any better results and others have good GPSes from the start? I start to lean towards the idea that the SGS GPS is not great but normal. People have the idea that the phone should have an equally good GPS as for example the screen witch is superb. Well they start to test the GPS and depending on several parameters (not the weather as seems to be a common misunderstanding) the GPS breaks down or they could not get an instant position within 1-2 meters (which is impossible with a cold or semi cold start if you do not have a cruise missile handy). They start fiddling around and mess up the GPS so it do not work at all.
The urban canyon problem that many refers to is a problem that even the high end dedicated GPSes have (look for reviews on the net). They are of course better then the SGS but heck you bought a phone not a GPS.
I do not say that there are no faulty SGSes out there. But so what there have been 7 million sold and there must be some. I also think that the SGS may be hiding the full potential somewhere deep in the hardware and it can be unlocked by some low level upgrade of the GPS. However I am content with the normal function of the GPS and of course I hope that future upgrades can make it better.
However there are evidently some trolls in these GPS forums which you can see if you reading all the mails. However there are not many, but they are rather irritating, in the sense that they will not listen to arguments and even if you show them a good track (which have been posted several times) they will deny it and accuse the user of incompetence instead of trying to find out why there phone is broken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did GPS test fairly and equally. I have another coupla phones, san francisco, hero and touch diamond. I use them all at the same time. SGS is the only one has problem. Clear?
the 4 SGS I got all have the same issue, in the mean time my other models (san francisco, hero, touch diamond) all work great. Does this make sense to you how bad GPS on SGS is? So I replace it 3 times, so what? I just need it to be as good as my other phones. is it too much to ask?
milsjg, we dont expect sgs gps to be better than a dedicated gps device such as tomtom.We just want it to be as gps of some other phones, even some 2 years old nokia phones are much better on that. Thats the problem
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
ehe12 said:
I did GPS test fairly and equally. I have another coupla phones, san francisco, hero and touch diamond. I use them all at the same time. SGS is the only one has problem. Clear?
the 4 SGS I got all have the same issue, in the mean time my other models (san francisco, hero, touch diamond) all work great. Does this make sense to you how bad GPS on SGS is? So I replace it 3 times, so what? I just need it to be as good as my other phones. is it too much to ask?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But why do lots of people have fairly good GPSes? You have to try to answer that question before you are pursing your answer. I have a fairly good (not exceptional missile good) GPS and I have posted several good tracks using different programs.
I also not an idiot and VERY familiar with GPS and programming. I do not mean to insult you if you are not trolling but just telling everybody that all SGS has a faulty GPS because you have had bad experience is not special good idea if you want to keep out of the trolling zone. I just searched for Iphone "GPS problem" on the net and found several links to GPS problems on the iPhone. So recommending from your experience to buy for example iPhone or any other phone in order to be happy with the GPS is very dangerouse.
The Htc Hero link below may clarify my point. Read if you dear because you have a faulty GPS on your Hero according to the link and there plenty more of that on the net. Get the drift?
http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/27731;jsessionid=B0162F04F9DF9DCFFFC245A792A481BA.app2jive1
milsjg said:
But why do lots of people have fairly good GPSes? You have to try to answer that question before you are pursing your answer. I have a fairly good (not exceptional missile good) GPS and I have posted several good tracks using different programs.
I also not an idiot and VERY familiar with GPS and programming. I do not mean to insult you if you are not trolling but just telling everybody that all SGS has a faulty GPS because you have had bad experience is not special good idea if you want to keep out of the trolling zone. I just searched for Iphone "GPS problem" on the net and found several links to GPS problems on the iPhone. So recommending from your experience to buy for example iPhone or any other phone in order to be happy with the GPS is very dangerouse.
The Htc Hero link below may clarify my point. Read if you dear because you have a faulty GPS on your Hero according to the link and there plenty more of that on the net. Get the drift?
http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/27731;jsessionid=B0162F04F9DF9DCFFFC245A792A481BA.app2jive1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know to be fair. That's why I keep asking my contract provider to replace it for me. I thought if that's something about luck, replacing it as many times as I can could finally get me a working one. But... so far I have 4 in a row all bad GPS. Guess I'm just not lucky at all...
Other than replacing it, I don't know what else I can do to solve this problem. I like this phone and not until final stage will I return it. So far I'm just trying so hard to get one with good GPS. If you have any positive idea please let me know. I only care about this phone's GPS, the link you posted has nothing to do with my GPS issue.
milsjg said:
But why do lots of people have fairly good GPSes? You have to try to answer that question before you are pursing your answer. I have a fairly good (not exceptional missile good) GPS and I have posted several good tracks using different programs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also where are you? I'm really curious how good your phone's GPS is. If you live in UK, would you mind come over to my place and show me?
I live in Manchester. If anyone has a SGS with fully functioning GPS, could you contact me and let me see how good your GPS is? I'm really interested to know if "Good GPS" really exists.
Sorry Sweden, However try to get hold of a phone with a different operator. Did not htc have a specific problem with Telestra (I do not know
If I spelled it right)
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I've just gone out and done my first GPS test. Uh oh
When the GPS shows it has an error margin of 5-10m (I used to see 1-2m on the Desire, but the best I've seen with this is 5m) when locked on to 10 - 11 satellites, it is wildly off. My actual position is not even inside the actual blue circle area shown on google earth. Instead, it's out by about 35m. Totally useless for navigation. So, what was the point of including GPS on this thing if it's *that* useless?
Or, is it my device?
Mine is dead accurate down to 5m. In regards to accuracy, out blows out of the water the galaxy S it replaced
Sent from my Nexus S
MarkusPO said:
I've just gone out and done my first GPS test. Uh oh
When the GPS shows it has an error margin of 5-10m (I used to see 1-2m on the Desire, but the best I've seen with this is 5m) when locked on to 10 - 11 satellites, it is wildly off. My actual position is not even inside the actual blue circle area shown on google earth. Instead, it's out by about 35m. Totally useless for navigation. So, what was the point of including GPS on this thing if it's *that* useless?
Or, is it my device?
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I've done some non-scientific tests with my Nexus S along with my wife's Desire and my Garmin GPSMAP 62s handheld GPS unit. Obviously the Garmin is the best, but the Nexus S was about as accurate as the Desire, but not quite as sensitive. I found the Nexus S tends to raise/lower accuracy somewhat indoors or under any canopy/foliage whereas the Desire would remain mostly fixed. Under a heavy canopy both the Desire and Nexus S had issues with accuracy although the Desire could hang on a little longer.
As for actual GPS location accuracy, I found it was within several meters like the Desire, more than accurate enough for navigation or other GPS tasks.
I just re-read your post and noticed you're using Google Earth? Maybe that's the problem. I used Maps and C:Geo to located my position. C:Geo shows actual Lat/Lon position data that I can compare directly with the Garmin. Perhaps Google Earth doesn't display as well...I don't know as I don't really use it. But it's a thought.
Grr Maybe I should mention 2.3.2 manual update from 2.3.1. Too scared to update to 2.3.3!
And I found while walking, sometimes the GPS wouldn't update, instead I would 'teleport' backwards about 30m and then appear to move forwards towards my current location. This would repeat a few times. I had GPS status running the whole time too.
MarkusPO said:
Grr Maybe I should mention 2.3.2 manual update from 2.3.1. Too scared to update to 2.3.3!
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Ok, I'm on v2.3.3 out of the box...don't know if that makes a difference either.
what's your model number? i9020 here
MarkusPO said:
what's your model number? i9020 here
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the i9020a was released in Canada a week or so ago, they are 2.3.3 out of box.
Out of curiosity, why are you afraid to update to 2.3.3?
Matridom said:
the i9020a was released in Canada a week or so ago, they are 2.3.3 out of box.
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Confirmed, I9020a here too.
Matridom said:
the i9020a was released in Canada a week or so ago, they are 2.3.3 out of box.
Out of curiosity, why are you afraid to update to 2.3.3?
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i've heard of more gps problems, and loss of screen quality on the phone.
also, back to gps, the device can't settle. gps status shows that the mag.field that is 3 numbers, the first number of which changes when it's resting on a table - this alters the gps reading, and the compass on gps status rotates on its own - again wildly rotating 180+deg in some instances.
this really is bad.
i've also done some research, and it seems that there's an error reported to google showing that the ns has an error connecting to 'something'. the sgs had the issue that it couldn't connect to the site to update the agps database, and this totally screwed up gps readings. the only way is to use a third-party app to download the database - totally unacceptable imo.
likewise, interference and poor drivers on the sgs seem to have made their way onto the ns, which google are "looking into" which is a generic answer which translates to "we know and we don't give a shi*".
i dunno whether to get my money back...
bfksc said:
Confirmed, I9020a here too.
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if you're both on the same device, and report great gps, i'm tempted to guess that your phone features new drivers that address the gps issues. What's the kernel and baseband version on the i9020a for canada? i'm guessing the build number is GRH78C?
MarkusPO said:
i've heard of more gps problems, and loss of screen quality on the phone.
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No GPS issues, and screen is good. I heard that some say the display has a yellow tint, but I've not seen that in direct comparisons with other phones.
also, back to gps, the device can't settle. gps status shows that the mag.field that is 3 numbers, the first number of which changes when it's resting on a table - this alters the gps reading, and the compass on gps status rotates on its own - again wildly rotating 180+deg in some instances.
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Once the compass is calibrated using the standard figure-8 pattern, it's pretty stable for me. For a good compass, you need a triple-axis sensor like the one in my Garmin GPSMAP 62s which is very stable and does not react to vertical orientation changes. The compass in my Nexus S is very similar to the compass in the Desire and it works well enough, for what it does anyway.
i dunno whether to get my money back...
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If you're unsure, then return it and wait for something else. Personally I'm very happy with the phone. The only real issue I have is the sensitivity of the power and volume buttons is too high - they're too easy to depress. A gel case helps somewhat though. Oh, there is the issue with the battery not charging to 100%, but that seems to be a v2.3.3 firmware bug which I figure will be fixed so I'm not counting that one.
if you're both on the same device, and report great gps, i'm tempted to guess that your phone features new drivers that address the gps issues. What's the kernel and baseband version on the i9020a for canada? i'm guessing the build number is GRH78C?
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Nope, it's GRI54. Kernel is 2.6.35.7 and baseband is I9020AUCKB2
bfksc said:
Nope, it's GRI54. Kernel is 2.6.35.7 and baseband is I9020AUCKB2
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Interesting, the build number is slightly higher than mine. I'm sure there's something in that new drivers maybe even new hardware.
My kernel is: 2.6.35.7-g7f1638a
[email protected] #1
and baseband is i9020xxkl8
and considering that the gps.git hasn't been touched for 5 months kinda suggests there's nothing that can be done in android...
http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=platform/hardware/qcom/gps.git;a=summary
Of course, no official word will ever come from Google. They only have to fend off problems until Dec. or until the next Nexus phone comes out... This has really put a damper on the Nexus line for me.
The screen tint is something that affects the AMOLED screens only, yours is SLCD, so should be immune to the "Yellow tint"
As for the GPS, you are already considering it useless, does it matter if it get's broken more?
No Risk, No reward...
If i where you, i would do a nandroid backup of the phone, flash to 2.3.3, test the tides, if it's really bad, restore the backup.
MarkusPO said:
I've just gone out and done my first GPS test. Uh oh.
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Did you really have to go and make another GPS-on-the-NS thread?
But yes, the GPS on (some / most of) the NS sucks. What's more interesting is that the 2.3.3 update seems to have shot the GPS of the N1 as well. And, wait for it, even people with newer SGS (who never had a problem with their GPS) are reporting that it's stopped working with the recent official 2.3 ROM.
My take is that Google accidentaly broke the way GPS works in 2.3.3. FWIW, I've returned my NS for now - I'm sitting this one out.
two interesting threads
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842694
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881941
the explanation in the last one is what i think is happening too on the ns. there's already a bug filed on google - i can't find it - that points out the error of the gps trying to connect and failing. i'm assuming it's trying to dl the assisted data and failing. that'd explain why a google employee suggested you use gps status to download it...
reading inbetween the lines, the voice of google is (rightly) blaming samsung, and this deal was probably more about the money between the two companies than the phone.
fallenguru said:
the 2.3.3 update seems to have shot the GPS of the N1 as well. And, wait for it, even people with newer SGS (who never had a problem with their GPS) are reporting that it's stopped working with the recent official 2.3 ROM.
My take is that Google accidentaly broke the way GPS works in 2.3.3.
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MarkusPO said:
likewise, interference and poor drivers on the sgs seem to have made their way onto the ns, which google are "looking into" which is a generic answer which translates to "we know and we don't give a shi*".
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Google doesn't give a shi*: Issue rejected.
Hopefully all those things will get better after Eric Schmidt has left Google.
Meh want Ice Cream! Now!
umbrella42 said:
Google doesn't give a shi*.
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That's basically my reading, too. I think they just aren't equipped, prepared or even willing to deal with customers on the individual level. Most of their consumer products are "free" with a take it or leave it kind of support and I think it's the same attitude we're seeing here, even though the N1 and NS certainly aren't free.
umbrella42 said:
Google doesn't give a shi*
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fallenguru said:
That's basically my reading, too. I think they just aren't equipped, prepared or even willing to deal with customers on the individual level. Most of their consumer products are "free" with a take it or leave it kind of support and I think it's the same attitude we're seeing here, even though the N1 and NS certainly aren't free.
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If they didn't give a pooper-scooper, then they wouldn't have released any updates. Just because they're having trouble with a fix, or are reducing its importance relative to some users, doesn't mean they don't care.
I debated heavily over the Nexus S as I'm not a fan of Samsung phones and was not impressed with previous devices (Craptivate anyone?). This one changes that opinion, whether it's because Google pressed to get better hardware or Samsung woke up, I don't know but I'm happy with the phone. It's not perfect, what phone truly is? Just look at the Motorola Atrix - it's got some awesome hardware, but the software really sucks and ruins the phone. I had one but returned the Atrix and Multimedia dock as it was generally a very disappointing experience (store reported that ~50% of their sales were returned within a week!).
But the Nexus S does the job and I'll be keeping it.
bfksc said:
If they didn't give a pooper-scooper, then they wouldn't have released any updates.
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That really doesn't follow, because having a semi-widely deployed platform to test these updates on is the whole point of the Nexus line from Google's point of view. Customer satisfaction is just not important to them, because they don't sell phones for a living. (Conversely, while every other phone manufacturer tries to leverage new versions of Android to sell new products, Google just doesn't have to.)
The NS is a fine piece of kit as long as you remember why Google's having it built and sold. They'll always focus on the new features, not the old ones. Nearly every Android phone has had GPS for ages, why bother with it?
i think it's fair to say that if google admitted the ns had faulty hardware / drivers, x% of NS owners would be seeking refunds / compensation. That is not good for company profilts. So the default fob-off "We're looking into it" is (by reading inbetween the lines) an admittal of "yes, the phone is faulty"
The updates to Android haven't been to fix faulty GPS, but to add NFC support amongst other things. Don't forget the community supports Android too, the community can fix bugs.
I've lost a LOT of respect for both Google and Samsung, and come to the conclusion the NS is nothing more than a GS in a different case, with less software on it, marketed by google and with a higher price tag. if htc were to make another 'pure Google' phone I'd buy it in a flash.
We're suckers anyone?