Martin S.

I arrived in Tampa, FL last week, at around 11:00 PM...visiting Viper Bob at Vortex Motorsport the next day. The Tampa airport area is under heavy constructions with detours galore, and also consider it was pitch black outside...I was almost instantly lost, hopelessly.

I thought I knew where the hotel was located.....not easy to find using an AVIS map...but Viola, I realized I had recently subscribed to GPS mapping service off my Verizon cell phone.

I selected Tolls to Go on the phone menu, drilled down to VZ Navigator, selected Get Directions To: Entered the the address and to my amazement, it actually works like a Garmin or Tom Tom unit, complete with voice guidance, road maps, prompts where to turn, etc....damn was I pleased. Straight to the hotel I went, very pleased NOT to be lost, and soon snug in my bed.

It cost $10 a month for the service. I don't leave hope without it...just for comparisons sake, I tried the unit again on my way hope from a trip yesterday. Note I live down some privately maintained (non-county) roads. My Prius GPS gets lost every time...If I followed the prius directions, I would be in the middle of a cow pasture...not so with the Verizon package. It guided me, once again to my amazement, to my door. Best $10 a month I have ever spent!

DocTock993

I have that option too with my ATT Tilt, but I was concerned that there was no antenna and therefore would not get good reception/ localization. I take it that has not been what you have experienced?
For $10/ month that's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying yet another gadget.

Martin S.

I was so surprised the GPS would work so well. One other neat feature, the back light stays on for as long as you keep the phone open. You can close the phone...the GPS program is still active, flip open the phone and Voila, the GPS is back. In addition, you can take a call while the GPS is running.

Should you lose the GPS for whatever reason, go back to recent searched, you'll see your most recent address searched, hit the button, and it will pull it up again.

Also, you can hit talk anytime and the "lady inside your phone" will refresh your position. Note, I was using the GPS feature in a real sketchy cell phone area, Cali Highway 46 between I-5 and the Cali Highway 101. It never dropped the GPS signal

I am really impressed...I think this phone feature, when the word gets out, will put a real damper on Tom Tom and Garmin sales. The GPS feature also lets you look for businesses such as banks, restaurants...auto repair...sorry, no strip clubs OK, I pay $120 a year...a good Garmin or Tom Tom is $400 or so, and another bug Plus, the phone is always in my pocket...

The only down side, you had beter have a car charger. The constant ON of the back light will put a strain on your cell phone battery. At full cell phone charge, it will be good for several hours, in my experience.

User 121721

I also have the verizon navigator on my RAZR.

It is awesome!! I think this tech will really help to drive down prices of portable GPS such as Nuvi, and hopefully GPS installed in cars as well.

Mark

Black993

You shouldn't have any problem in-car and in some cases even in-building if near a window with the TILT. Its a great phone. I used to sell it
Telenav works VERY well! (like it better than the garmin i have installed on my Nokia N95)

Butzi

At&T Motorola Q9, built in GPS chip, just install Google Maps or Windows Live and you have free GPS...not as fancy as Garmin, but would get me out of a jam...Please buy a Garmin anyway as I have been a shareholder for years and would like to see it back at $120/sh. [/disclosure]

DocTock993

Thanks for all that info!
Rennlist parts me from money even if it isn't for p-car mods!

Oh good, I get to go see the really cute ATT rep. And I was trying to think of an excuse to do that...

User 121721

One often missed point about these devices is that they are not GPS-based and therefore do not need a clear view of the sky to work. They work entirely by triangulating cell towers and are a little less accurate than GPS. A lot of people are misled when they're called "GPS."

Mark

993-CT

Actually - many of them (mostly blackberry and Nokia models) do have a full-fledged GPS chip/reciever in them. Interestingly, okia N95 referenced above has a GPS receiver built-in, but also uses the cell tower triangulation to start up faster (and retain position when satellite reception is weak/lost). Expect most business phones released over the next 10 months to have GPS receivers by default.

Martin S.

In the real world, my Verizon unit under promised and over delivered. I love it! Great product.

If nothing else, you will know that wherever you are, you can't get lost, or you can always find your destination.

This may NOT be true if the unit is NOT GPS based as represented, and is relying on a triangultion model. However, I was in an area with little to no cell reception and the unit worked fine....Highway 46 between I-5 and Cali 101.

I will drop a note to a Qualcomm buddy for a reality check!

DocTock993

IIRC my htc phone (ATT Tilt) has an actual GPS chip, not an emulator.

Martin S.

This is from a very reputable E.E. @ Qualcomm, the company that brought us ther CDMA phones. He writes, "Cell phone used both GPS and triangulation depending on where you are (outside vs indoors). Most likely it is using GPS if you are in a car. The maps and calculations are done on some server over the network." So now we know...if you believe a double eagle from Q-Com

murfysflaw

That is pretty slick. There are other uses as well. Check this one out for tracking your kids' whereabouts:

Axcess Family Finder gives you peace of mind by providing real-time location information for your loved ones. Using GPS technology, you can locate your child from any PC or your Alltel Wireless phone. Set up convenient scheduled checks to send automatic notifications of your child's location at set times, or use on-demand location checks to display their location on an interactive map.

i cannot say "no affiliation" since I work for Alltel, but it's a pretty slick thing if you ask me.

Terry Adams

Soon I will need an excuse to the wife for leaving 4 hours early to pick up my grand daughter 12 miles away.

Martin S.

What is sacred anymore? I won't be telling wifey about this feature...I'll be tracking her!!!

Meanwhile, I am getting a new cell phone....yuk, yuk!!!