Sprint Announces Cell Tower Triangulation Enabled MS Live Search - Page 3

**Malatesta** · #21 (**permalink**) 09-20-2007, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dishe

I don't understand... why are we so sure this isn't the same technology as AGPS?
The definition of AGPS is a location fix that uses tower triangulation to find the rough area that the phone exists, then often a simplified onboard GPS chip will confirm and get a more accurate fix based on this data.

It's not aGPS.

Cellular triangulation is just a less accurate form used, even for e911 purposes.

aGPS is actually quite accurate and faster than standalone GPS units (sometimes, SiRF III chipsets are fast, but are susceptible to landmark interference, which aGPS avoids)

The reason why it's not aGPS? If it were, it'd be just like TeleNav which Sprint charges $2.99 day/ $10 a month for--that system gives you "live" information about where you are and where you are moving to.

Cellular Triangulation, otoh, is not that accurate and is not good if you are constantly moving, but it requires no special aGPS chipsets either.

By this logic, you cannot use the "drive by directions" feature of MS Live. If it were aGPS, you could--but then why buy TeleNav?

Either way, both systems require APIs to transmit/translate the information for a specific app (here MS Live) and there is zero evidence that Sprint has done this for either regular triangulation or aGPS on PPC devices.

**Malatesta** · #22 (**permalink**) 09-20-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LotekJunky

Why does sprint keep adding features to their crummy regular phones, and forget about us with the real "magic screens" in our pockets?

I can suggest a couple of reasons

(1) We're a total minority with them. Bread n Butter comes from those "other" devices, not smartphones

(2) Reduce cost. Why invest money in developing APIs for PPC devices when you can just go buy yourself a GPS unit?

Cell phones don't have such an option, so it makes sense for a network to do so (and usually charge for the aGPS feature). But you do, so why should Sprint foot the bill for something you could do yourself?

Yeah, I don't agree with it either but that's how Sprint rolls. Why else does the Mogul have a Java app enabled if not to run the same Java Sprint apps as all their other devices? No Wm version = no WM development = no lost R&D.

saqer · #23 (**permalink**) 09-20-2007, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malatesta

Cell phones don't have such an option, so it makes sense for a network to do so (and usually charge for the aGPS feature).

My friend got a Samsung M500 phone through Sero from Sprint. He tells me he doesn't have to pay anything extra to run the Java version of Google Maps on his phone. The M500 from what I understand has A-GPS and I've seen him running Google Maps with tracking. It didn't really looking like Google Maps, but the little marker showed up and showed us precisely where we were and where we were going.

Like Malatesta made the distinction that A-GPS can actually be better than standalone GPS, carriers aren't going to just start offering a service like that for with no cost.

People have said this program, http://www.navizon.com/ uses triangulation and wifi to give you a fairly accurate location. They say it even works for CDMA phones. I can see how the WIFI aspect works, but I wonder how they managed to do the triangulation thing.

**Malatesta** · #24 (**permalink**) 09-20-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saqer

My friend got a Samsung M500 phone through Sero from Sprint. He tells me he doesn't have to pay anything extra to run the Java version of Google Maps on his phone. The M500 from what I understand has A-GPS and I've seen him running Google Maps with tracking. It didn't really looking like Google Maps, but the little marker showed up and showed us precisely where we were and where we were going.

I bet he was using this: http://www.mgmaps.com/

On sprint phones, since they run java, there is a method to "hack" (used very loosely here, since you're just entering in an address) into the aGPS and use this.

That'll give you "google maps" and aGPS. Lots of people do it on Sprint, but Sprint threatened the developer to take out the "option" in the program, so now you have to do it manually.