“An Italian website is offering suggestions for using the iPhone with car-based GPS units, specifically TomTom’s x10 series,” MacNN reports.
“The iPhone has no internal navigation support; when connected to a device like the TomTom 910, the most that can be done is a live reading of directions. The best use of a TomTom may therefore be calling functions, since by pairing with an iPhone via Bluetooth, it can then sync with Address Book contacts. This allows the unit to quickly make calls through a readily-available list. To turn a GPS unit into a speakerphone, meanwhile, users can select the appropriate audio output on the iPhone,” MacNN reports.
More info and links in the full article here.
Why would i want a GPS if i have an iphone?
How many 3rd party manufacturers are looking for ways to attach to other mobile device sales? Not many. I’ll wager that the iPhone will have more unofficial partners after oen year than the rest of the industry does now, combined.
{yawn}
Call me when someone is saying something interesting, so I can disagree.
something interesting
OK, I’ll bite. “Tom Cruise, you are sane.”
You might still want a GPS even if you have an iPhone because iPhone doesn’t have GPS functionality. Did I miss something?
GPS is a profoundly useful tool everytime you find yourself absolutely clueless about how you got where you are and confused about how you will get to where your ADD has now decided to go.
Also because of AT&T’s limited coverage and speed of the EDGE network, there are tons of places where the iPhone (unfortunately) won’t work. I encountered this problem myself, while driving along the California coast about a week ago. I had no signal from AT&T, and had to hunt for the street that I was looking for.
GPS is wonderful for draining batteries and looking good on spec sheets. I have an old GPS (I can’t remember who made it) and I searched for GeoCaches a couple of times, and experienced the wonder of knowing exactly how many feet it was from my house to Spirit Lake, Iowa. But the excitement wasn’t all that gripping. I don’t doubt that a lot of people find GPS very useful, but I’ve used driving directions in Google Maps on my iPhone more than I ever used my GPS, and, well, it’s a gazillion times easier to use than any GPS I’ve seen. I guess it would be nice if I had a boat, and I could say “There I am, in the water” or if I wanted to look down on the particular patch of forest I was currently riding my mountain bike in. But as far out as I am, I don’t really get far out enough to use it. It would be a nice little toy, sure. But I’d never buy a phone based on if it has GPS on not.
Non capisco
I sold my Garmin 2620 on ebay because I got an iphone. The only thing I’m missing is the little voice telling me, turn here. I’ve found that I don’t really need a gps now with the iphone.
I’m right there with Chrissy. Though I use GPS Equipment in my line of work (Surveying and Civil Engineering), I temper my use technology only to when needed and if it fills a much needed void.
It would be hard to explain to the police officer or the judge “but my GPS Navigation system in my car said I could turn right…” when you could plainly see the street directional signs.
GPS = Global Pasta Search
Anyone wanna touch my TomTom?
Pleeeeze?
such a hack.
“It would be hard to explain to the police officer or the judge “but my GPS Navigation system in my car said I could turn right…” when you could plainly see the street directional signs.”
I have a coworker who has one of those GPS navigation systems built in to her car. And everytime you start the dang car, you have to hit “Agree” on a disclaimer text on the thing that explains how you should use common sense and obey traffic laws, in spite of what the navigation system may tell you to do.
Talk about LOL. I guess some people are really dumb though
When my GPS unit says creepy things like “run over that schoolgirl! Hit her!”, or something even more scary like “Vote for President Bush!” I don’t listen. Wait maybe those are the voices in my head… no sure enough it’s my GPS device.
“GPS is wonderful for draining batteries and looking good on spec sheets.”
Two words for you dumbo,
Car Charger.
Chrissy, I have to disagree.
First, let me talk conceptually. The concept of a device which knows it’s location on the planet is very convenient because it can make adjustments. For example, I’d love a GPS in my laptop not for driving directions but so that I don’t have to waste time telling the computer things that I already know.
For example, I’d love it if, when I turned on my laptop after a flight from LA to NY, my laptop would go “Oh! I’m in New York!” and adjust it’s time-zone. If I was in Riyadh, it would be smart enough to guess that I want to convert currency from Dollars to Riyals or vice-versa. These are all things that I have to explain to a computer whenever I use it.
Another great example of a GPS application would be cameras. It would be nice if the camera knew (a) where I took the picture and (b) had an accurate timestamp for when I took the picture. This would allow me to find pictures based on location and time (“Show me all pictures from Hanoi between 5 and 6 PM! Ah ha! There’s the shot of Johnny and the Bimbo suitable for blackmail!”)
To be less general, I’ll take on some of your examples. Yes, how many feet to the lake is kind of silly and gets old pretty fast. And Google Maps/MapQuest do a fine job of giving directions. The first problem I have with Internet directions is that they are not particularly dynamic. If I run across an accident, construction, or a slow freeway, I want to be able to say “Get me off this crazy thing!” and have the computer figure it out for me. That’s what computers are good at. If I make a wrong turn or miss a turn, it’s nice to be notified before I drive another couple of miles going “Cahuenga…Cahuenga…it’s gotta be around here somewhere…”
By the way, you mentioned your mountain bike. Personally, I use a Garmin Edge 210 on my road bike. I don’t get navigation information from it (though I can load “tracks” and such, the interface is horrible and I haven’t really played with it). But the fact that it can query GPS every second or so means that I have a really nice wireless bike computer! I can use it on my road bike or my mountain bike and get speed and distance information. I can download my route later to see where I’ve been overlayed on a map. I can track how far I’ve ridden over time (1700 miles in 9 months), etc.
Could I do things like this without a GPS? Well, except for the route information, yes. I’d have to go out and buy the appropriate gear for my bikes, of course. And, when I travel and rent a bike, I’d have to make sure that it came with compatible hook-ups (they usually don’t). Or I can just have one box that I carry with me on rides. Pretty convenient.
To me, that’s the biggest thing about a GPS is the convenience of a box that knows where I am. Remember, conceptually, that’s all a GPS is. There are plenty of creative ways to use this information. That’s why I’d like to see GPS access in the iPhone (either as part of it or via bluetooth). Because no matter how convenient Apple makes setting location information, the easiest way to do it is to not have to do it at all.
You don’t know the history of GPS/iPhone interoperability – I do.
I travel quite a lot and my GPS (TomTom) is almost 100% perfect in getting me to where I need/want to go.
The only drawback is it’s small touchscreen and sometimes clitchy directions.
GPS on laptop would be awesome, unfortunatly you need to move, so solid state hard drives are a must. Plus a 12v recharger is necessary.
If Apple came out with a MacBook Pro with a smaller screen, something like 12″, integrated GPS, 12v charger cable standard along with regular 120v, solid state hard drive, full keyboard, no cd/dvd player unless it could be read only with no moving parts, wifi, 10x zoom camera with 10 megapixel or better and phone combined with TV input. I think it would be a very versitile and a extremely popular product.
If you need more hard drive space, a cd/dvd burner, these could be seperate devices requiring their own power source.
It would also have to be heat resistant, as people would want to mount it on their dashboard for the GPS functions.
I think some people are confusing the older GPS units with having GPS functionality.. What I mean is, people are not wanting to see the longitude and latitude of where they are. I sounds like some people are thinking that’s what they would get if they had a GPS enabled iPhone. GPS provides this information of course, but the iPhone would use it to pull up maps and show you where you are.. So, if you’re in Iowa, and you do a search for Starbucks, you don’t have to first search on the city and state.
That’s a simple one that most people can do without, but have you ever gotten lost, making a few wrong turns and all you want to do is get back to the freeway, or get back home? The iPhone is going to already know exactly where you are and you’ll be able to pull up MAPS to find your way, based on where you are.
Oh, forgot one.. If you had GPS on your iPhone, you’d no longer need to pay that $1500-2000 to a new car dealer for the GPS navigation system in the car… Look at all the money you just saved.
@ Peter
Fair enough – but I don’t think we disagree at all. I think you make a very good case fro your own uses for GPS. I was just pointing out that, for most people, it will probably get used a lot less than you think. I don’t think I would ever take my iPhone along with me on my bike, for 2 reasons:
1. I’m riding, leave me alone.
2. That glass screen would make me too paranoid to ride like I like to ride.
The Nano comes with me rides. But you are correct in your comments, I just don’t find the same value in it that you do. I certainly would not make the huge tradeoff in battery life to get it. When it becomes more efficient, you bet it will be handy.
why anyone would pay that kind of money for a built in GPS in a car is beyond me. Are they even updateable? You can get a really decent portable unit for less than a third of that price, updateable and all. As for the bigger screen (maybe) with a built in unit? Not needed, if it get too large it beomes a distraction. I found the 3″ screen on my Garmin Streetpilot more than adequate. Positioned where it is easier to see, with voice on, it is fine. Dash installs will take your eyes to far from the road view.
@ Brian
“GPS provides this information of course, but the iPhone would use it to pull up maps and show you where you are.. So, if you’re in Iowa, and you do a search for Starbucks, you don’t have to first search on the city and state.”
My point is, almost all of the time, I KNOW where I am. Granted, there have been times when I have woken up in another state, wearing only sweat pants a gripping a traffic cone and a 5th of Dewar’s… but in those instances I’m not likely to have my phone with me.
I joke. But what I’m saying is that NOT having GPS is totally not an issue for 99% of my life. Those touting phones that have it are, perhaps, overstating how great a feature it is, just a tad.
@ ThinkFirst
When you can think of more than two words at a time let me know!
“It would be hard to explain to the police officer or the judge ‘but my GPS Navigation system in my car said I could turn right…’ when you could plainly see the street directional signs.”
Actually, most modern GPS systems are pretty good about stuff like that. The problem is that they don’t anticipate the unexpected and there are people who slavishly “drive the GPS” and don’t stop and use common sense.
I read a story awhile back about people driving into flooded areas because the GPS navigation system said that was the route to take. My roomate used to drive big-rig trucks and her partner had a laptop with GPS navigation system which told him to take a certain freeway which couldn’t handle big-rig trucks. He was oblivious to all the signs saying “TRUCKS MUST EXIT” and the like until my roomate pointed them out to him and yelled at him to take the truck route. They almost missed the truck exit because by the time it dawned on him, he was in the wrong lane.
By the way, in regard to draining batteries, I’m not all that convinced. First, GPS is a receiver, not a transmitter. The latest GPS chipsets draw about the same amount of power as is used to transmit to a bluetooth headset.
GPS units in cars are transmitters. In short, a signal from any GPS equipment sends out a signal to the satelites, and based on triangulation, ascertains your position on the globe. Street maps are overlayed, not to dissimilar or akin to a geographic information system. The problem is that the streets datasets are not updated in real time (that is the reason why you have to update your discs in disc based systems).
“I was just pointing out that, for most people, it will probably get used a lot less than you think.”
But, in some ways, that’s the point.
Take my laptop example. Imagine if Mac OS X had an API for developers to get location information. Figure it has a “Get Latitude and Longitude”, “Get City”, “Get County”, “Get State”, and “Get Country.”
(For future expansion, it will also have a “Get Planet”, “Get Solar System”, “Get Galaxy”, “Get Universe”
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So, no, I don’t use the GPS capabilities. But the operating system keeps this information up to date. Applications can take advantage of this information so I can say, “How’s traffic?” and the computer will show me traffic information for the city that I’m in. I can say I want to do currency conversion and the most conveniently accessed currencies will be where I am. Heck, when I enter Hanoi, it will automatically download the latest conversion information for me.
The point is that it all ends up hidden. The computer knows where it is. It can tell applications which will take advantage of it. So you’re using GPS information without really even knowing it.
…. cars are transmitters AND RECEIVERS.
Once a positional value is sent back to you (in the car nav or your handheld unit) It compares your lat and long with the geo-referenced street datasets and then produces a map viewed on your screen. Again, the street datasets are key to a very good GPS Nav System that being said it is only accurate the day it was created.
@ChrissyOne I tend to agree with you I was in Myrtle Beach last weekend and was unsure of my hotel room location. We were on King Highway at a gas station. Noting the locals penchant for giving directions. I whipped out the I phone and punched in the address of my location and the location of the hotel and got a course while my friend went inside and asked for directions while buying cigarettes. Later in the trip on the way back I used the same function to plot a course from the hotel to RDU airport. The iphone plotted a course I had never used before and we left the hotel at 11:30 pm for a 6:05 am flight. The course plotter was supposed to take us 3 hours and 40 minutes. At 2:50 Am we found ourselves at a gas station 1 mile outside the airport refilling the rental car. I love my damn Iphone but it would be nice to use it with a blue tooth based gps antenna I used on my Motorola Q.
I love maps. I collect antique maps. I hate GPS. I never get lost!
@Gil- GPS receivers are receivers only, hence the name. They do not transmit diddly-squat to any satellites. They do not need to. Position is calculated by measuring differences in the time signals received from 3 or more satellites. Some calculations are done by the CPU, and presto you have your position. It’s not a whole lot different then using a sextant and taking sun and star sights. Akk you are doing is finding the unique spot on the planet where all the observed (or received) points meet. Since I am a professionally trained navigator, I know whereof I speak, but am willing to be enlightened. If you are adamant that they transmit, please cite your source.
Macaholic is right. GPS Receivers do just that–they receive a signal from a satellite. They do not transmit. Think of how small a GPS receiver is–you really think it can transmit 19,000 miles to a GPS satellite.
I’ll oversimplify. A GPS satellite is basically an atomic clock in orbit that transmits what satellite it is and what time it sent the signal. A GPS receiver also knows what time it is. It picks up the signal and determines which satellite sent it and how long the trip took. The GPS receiver can calculate the position of the satellite (I don’t believe they are geostationary, but it’s a pretty simple calculation if I start out knowing that a certain satellite was at such-and-such position on this day and time.) Since it knows where the satellite is and how long the transmission took, it can narrow down the area. Add two more satellites and you can get it down to a fairly small sphere.
If you’re still confused, here‘s a simple explanation in 2D space.
So the tricky part about GPS is actually having clocks that are accurate enough to measure how long it takes a signal to travel 19,000-some-odd miles.
As an aside, cellphone networks sort of do what you are talking about. However, this is not done at the cellphone but inside the network. AT&T’s E911 service uses this to let the 911 operator know where you are. The official reasons for this are (a) it works with any cellphone–no special software needed on the phone and (b) it’s not a simple calculation. Personally, I add in reason (c) AT&T may be able to charge you 10 cents whenever you ask “Where am I?”
“So the tricky part about GPS is actually having clocks that are accurate enough to measure how long it takes a signal to travel 19,000-some-odd miles.”
GPS units are receive only.
Actually one tricky part of the system is you don’t need accurate clocks in the receiver, only the satellites (which is a good thing given the size, weight and cost of atomic clocks).
Furthermore, Google Maps in a iPhone or any other phone is just like carrying an electronic map book, nothing more or less.
A turn by turn GPS based navigation system is a whole technological leap past that.