Comments on: GPS tracker used in Watchdog sting; hold on to your butts when the N95 arrives

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 09:33:42 +0000

I concur with James: the GPS in the N95 is a dog. It will not lock if you are moving, even with heaps of sats in view.

You need to be stationary for a good few minutes to get a lock – which really spoils being spontaneous with the likes of Geotagged images. Once it does lock it’s average in sensitivity, and works better with the slider up – which is a pain if it’s in your pocket.

There are shedloads of SiRF III bluetooth GPS units on eBay for Â£20-30. Get one of those instead. Some have 7-day battery lifes, and start from cold in less than 60 seconds, then reacquire in a few seonds once warm. Also very few GPS apps will be ported to the N95 anytime soon, as it’s such a pricey handset the market will be tiny.

N95: good idea, fruity, but the price maths and functionality doesn”t quite add up.

By: John

John — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 07:58:52 +0000

Hmm,
like cameras on phones (for me) I can see the use of GPS on my phone but would frankly rather have Â£5 off the cost of the phone than a “gimmick” I don’t really want or need

By: njar

njar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:18:32 +0000

I believe when carriers are tracking by ‘assisted-GPS’ that they use a mix of cell ID location (typical LBS) and GPS. This logic following through and depending on if was a carrier that supported it, perhaps you’d get a location based on the LBS recording rather than the exact GPS locale (of course this assumes the phone is in coverage).. Caveat – this could all be made up. I’m not sure anymore. LOL

By: James Whatley

James Whatley — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:57:59 +0000

I fielded your question to a couple of Mobizines Techies upstairs…
The responses are as follows:

“Only if it had an external aerial socket…. which it doesn’t”

“No way in the glove box..”

“…if it doesn’t work by the window in the office, it’ll never work in a glove box is my logic anyway”

So there you have it.

;o)

(I still miss it though – maybe if I pine loud enough Nokia will send me another one)