GPS functionality

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gregmorr - 28 Nov 2006 16:24 GMT

It appears that my Verizon Treo phone has a GPS in it. It allows me to set it
to "911 only" or "Location On" (broadcast). Is there any way to access a GPS
NMEA stream for use by map software such as Pocket Streets?

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Todd Allcock - 28 Nov 2006 21:51 GMT

> It appears that my Verizon Treo phone has a GPS in it.

I may be wrong, but I don't believe cellphone "GPS" has anything to do
with "real" GPS. Rather than using satellites to determine your
location, the phone gets it's location data from the cellular towers it's
in range of. (I also believe the phone isn't really involved in the
calculations, but rather the cellular company computes the location from
the raw info sent by the phone.

> It allows me to set it
> to "911 only" or "Location On" (broadcast).

The positioning data is use
to determine your location when you call 911 (in the first case) or for
carrier-specific applications, like plotting a map of where the other
users of your family plan are on your phone (in the second case.)

> Is there any way to access a GPS
> NMEA stream for use by map software such as Pocket Streets?

I doubt it- the GPS app you wanted to use would have to be designed to
use the phone's location data including an up-to-date database of
celltower locations and a way to access the phone's (likely proprietary)
location data, instead of processing the data streamed from a satellite-
based GPS device.

If I'm wrong, I apologize, but the old saw "if it could bedone, somebody
would've done it already" probably applies... ;-)

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Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev] - 29 Nov 2006 00:56 GMT

Todd is correct... afaik, there are no user applications which can
access this "locator" service which is based on the cellular towers and
controled by the providers.

the options you mention are privacy related to give the user the
(assumed) ability to "turn off" the locator service to mask the phones
location and track history... i.e. you don't want mickey d nagging you
to have a hamburger just because you are passing by.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

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