Portable GPS may be the real loser fromShane Conder's Whateveritis of Nothing

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Portable GPS may be the real loser

But what about stand alone GPS units? Even Garmin has made a PDA/GPS crossover unit.

But the point is that I think it's possible cell phones could completely replace hand held GPS units. First, E911 was mandated in the US. All phones sold can now tell 911 operators exactly where you are. Most phones use some form of technology that combines GPS satellites and information from cell phone towers. SnapTrack is a good example of this.

So, we have location date on cell phones that can also have software loaded on them and they have nice color screens. All you need to do is right a little app that has a moving map and does way points. Bingo. Now you have a handheld GPS.

Is it actually that simple? Sadly, no. First, the APIs for the phone you're programming on need to have access to the GPS information. Second, the APIs actually need to work and be configured. Third, the carrier needs to actually have the client side of this service available (as opposed to just being available to E911 operators). Fourth, you need to be able to do moving maps on a relatively slow processor. Fifth, you need to be able to get to GPS data even when there is no cell phone coverage (back country, etc.). Sixth, carriers and users need to not worry about privacy.

None of these are impossible. In fact, most of them are already solved. Numbers five and six are the hardest. Five has partial solutions for getting through low coverage areas, but most phones need some sort of assistance to get a fix (thus, the aGPS you may see on some handsets).

The last one, though, will be the toughest. The easiest seems to be just forcing the user to acknowledge an application is going to get their location. Then at least the technology isn't barred from those who don't care if it might accidentally end up in a server log somewhere.

Of course, I didn't even touch on in-car navigation. That also seems like an obviously easy thing to do. A couple of voice prompts and some big graphics. Heck, it's probably already been done in Japan where we've seen those phones already sending location information.

Thought for food... or whateveritis...

Posted by Shane on February 24, 2004 9:55 PM | Permalink

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So, I got to thinking more about the whole camera-phones-will-kill-digital-cameras thing. Certainly, no one seems to think that's an exclusive. There will always be room for digital cameras that are better than a camera phone. But what about stand alone GPS units? Even Garmin has made a PDA/GPS crossover unit. But the point is that I think it's possible cell phones could completely replace hand held GPS units. First, E911 was mandated in the US. All phones sold can now tell 911 operators exactly where you are. Most phones use some form of technology that combines GPS satellites and information from cell phone towers. SnapTrack is a good example of this. So, we have location date on cell phones that can also have software loaded on them and they have nice color screens. All you need to do is right a little app that has a moving map and does way points. Bingo. Now you have a handheld GPS. Is it actually that simple? Sadly, no. First, the APIs for the phone you're programming on need to have access to the GPS information. Second, the APIs actually need to work and be configured. Third, the carrier needs to actually have the client side of this service available (as opposed to just being available to E911 operators). Fourth, you need to be able to do moving maps on a relatively slow processor. Fifth, you need to be able to get to GPS data even when there is no cell phone coverage (back country, etc.). Sixth, carriers and users need to not worry about privacy. None of these are impossible. In fact, most of them are already solved. Numbers five and six are the hardest. Five has partial solutions for getting through low coverage areas, but most phones need some sort of assistance to get a fix (thus, the aGPS you may see on some handsets). The last one, though, will be the toughest. The easiest seems to be just forcing the user to acknowledge an application is going to get their location. Then at least the technology isn't barred from those who don't care if it might accidentally end up in a server log somewhere. Of course, I didn't even touch on in-car navigation. That also seems like an obviously easy thing to do. A couple of voice prompts and some big graphics. Heck, it's probably already been done in Japan where we've seen those phones already sending location information. Thought for food... or whateveritis...