With Google's My Location, Who Needs a GPS?

http://gigaom.com/2007/11/28/google-my-location/

by yubrew • 19 years ago

8 7 19 years ago

tlrobinson• 19 years ago

When the iPhone came out I had a great idea to actually implement this... unfortunately there were too many road blocks, the main one being that the carriers don't tell you where the cell towers are. http://tlrobinson.net/blog/?p=24

A company called Navizon ( http://www.navizon.com/ ) has such a product, and they rely on users to wardrive for WiFi and cell towers.

asmosoinio3• 19 years ago

So it is a database lookup system based on some kind of tower id?

I was just wondering about that. It would really make sense if the GSM/CDMA standards had the tower pass their position to the cellphones, but I guess that was not something the people designing the systems had in mind back in the days.

asmosoinio3• 19 years ago

Really nice! Seems that they have also made a Symbian S60 version of the app, used to be Java only (J2ME).

Finds my position in Finland with ~1 km accuracy, and it is actually quite fun to see where the tower you are connected to is. For me that changes when I change my position in my kitchen...

mrtron• 19 years ago

Anyone know how to try this on an iphone?

tocomment2• 19 years ago

What phone and plan do I buy to get this? I'm confused.

asmosoinio3• 19 years ago

Just google for it? I think this answers your question:

http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=39...

Which phones does Google Maps support?

Google Maps works with the following devices:

    * Most Java-enabled (J2ME) mobile phones.
    * Palm devices with Palm OS 5 and above.
    * All color BlackBerry devices.
    * Windows Mobile devices with Windows Mobile 2003, 5.0 and above.
    * Symbian Series 60 3rd edition devices.

If your device is supported and you have a data plan, visit www.google.com/gmm from a mobile web browser to download Google Maps. If you're not sure if Google Maps will work on your device, visit www.google.com/gmm and we'll perform a quick check to see if your phone is supported.

Note: Google Maps doesn't work with BREW-enabled devices. Some mobile services providers may restrict data usage by applications. We recommend contacting your mobile provider to confirm the details of your data plan.

tocomment2• 19 years ago

Right, I saw that but what exactly is a data plan, and what phone plans have it? I didn't see it on Verizon, Tmobile or ATT's sites. Maybe I'm just confused.

With Google's My Location, Who Needs a GPS?

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