GPS On the iPhone 2: Do Not Want
The drawbacks outweigh the benefits.
a) The location tech in the current iPhone is much quicker. No matter what chip, even SiRFstar chips in full blooded GPSes take awhile to lock on. When using the very capable N95, I’d often drive across town or walk half way to my destination before I’d get signal lock.
b) I’d never use an iPhone as a car GPS. Not even with updated software. The amount of work and expertise that goes into a high end, 5+ generation Garmin is some serious stuff. The logic is all proprietary. It’s not easy to do. And GPS antennas need to be somewhat pointed. If it’s on your dash, it needs to be on the back. If it’s for walking, it needs to be on the front. Which is it?
c) Battery life gets screwed when you keep the GPS on with constant updates.
d) These chips aren’t exactly small, although they have been known to fit in things like Suunto watches. That going to make this thing thicker?
No thanks. Don’t need it. I’m fine with the current location technology. It works for walking and that’s all I need it for.
- Next Post: Mars Lander Can Move Arm Now, Probably Just Slept On It Wrong »
- « Previous Post: RCA Releases New Mini-Camcorders With Expandable Memory, Water Resistance
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Another useless Lam article. Do your parents own Gizmodo, Brian? That’s the only way I’d see someone actually employing you.
How are we to know that companies like Garmin haven’t been working with Apple to create something special? They worked with Intel to reduce the size of their processor specifically for the Macbook Air.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they team up with a GPS firm and work on things like battery life, size, antenna placement etc.
Extremely useless post. He forgets that the current positioning system employed by the iPhone only works in certain places in the world and on certain carriers and especially only built up places. GPS is much far ranging and I think Brian you need to get a little perspective if you want to write about this sort of stuff.
Perhaps do it on your personal blog instead.
I think somewhere along the line you forgot the fact that nobody wants to hear about what you do or do not want, but rather what and how something could or could not be better. I’d suggest keeping your wants and not wants to yourself and instead keeping us updated with the information that makes this site what it is. If you are unable to do that, please pass on the job to someone who is capable of doing so.
You clearly displayed above that this is exactly the kind of thinking that goes into our gadgets, making big corporations wonder why we are not please with their product.
Quit Gizmodo and go work for them where you will clearly be appreceated! Now let me forget about this completely thoughtless display of information and try to remember why I am here.
Hey buddy i see what you mean…
But in australia there is no way in hell that the “Wifi” signal thing is ever going to work.
GPS in outback countries is great.
and to throw it into one device good on them..
but thats all i have to say.
~Regards,
Brian,
Here’s a solution for you… Keep your rev 1 iPhone.. and stop whinging about what the new one should or should not have. At least you have one, not like us suckers down here.
You know what would be awesome and not crap at all?
GPS in the iPhone 2!
Man that’d be some sweet tech right there.
Does anyone ever edit blam’s posts (or at least say “hey man maybe not suck a great idea for a post) before he decides to make a personal entry, or can he “sudo post” whatever the hell he wants any time he wants?
And Nokia N95 GPS is pretty poor (hey phone! there’s the open sky! find me some damn satellites!). That doesn’t mean all phone GPS is crap. I have a small bluetooth GPS unit for my iMate JasJam which works fantastically with TomTom however… no pointy antennae there.
@Stew – I was tempted to edit Blam’s post here, but decided against it. It’s much more entertaining to hear what you guys think :-D
I happen to agree with you – if the iPhone does have GPS, all it takes is one creative mounting solution to amplify the signal and charge the iPhone at the same time, meaning no connectivity problems and no battery life problems. Not everyone will use it, but hey, at least it’s there for people who do.
-NB
Crappy articles stating the personal view of someone who obviously has not had to drive around to random places all day without GPS and is ill-informed about how it all works? “No thanks. Don’t need it.” to coin a phrase.