Google Maps for Mobiles shows your location, even without GPS
The newest beta version of Google Maps for Mobile has a nice little feature called My Location, which shows where you are on a map. It’s currently a beta, so there might be some niggles in it, but it’s well worth trying for a few reasons. First, it’s usable on most devices: Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian. Second, it adds a semblance of GPS even for phones that don’t have GPS. Much like AGPS, or Assisted GPS, Google Maps uses the cellular towers around you to approximate your distance to within 1,000 meters. While not as accurate as a GPS device, this is pretty good indicator of your location if you’ve wandered off the straight and narrow road.I had hoped there would some tie-in to the iPhone because the concept should work with it as well, but no such luck at this time. However, what’s to stop Apple from including this in a Google Maps update with the next iPhone software release?(via Google Operating System)
However, what’s to stop Apple from including this in a Google Maps update with the next iPhone software release?
Goggle maps in the iPhone is just int he browser, right?
So no access to what cell towers are being used, unless apples exposed that in a javascript api.
Anyone know how the iphone app really works?
Thanks.
Google Maps in the iPhone isn’t in the browser; it’s separate and I suspect can be updated by Google through Apple.
I tried it on my BB 8703e and it’s close enough. No, it’s not dead-on accurate. In fact, I’m actually not in the range in which is says I am in, but I am near the outer edge of it. It’s really close enough for those times where you want directions and you’re sure where you are at the exact moment. Something like a “Direct me from anywhere near where I am to another address.”
I’ve driven around with this a little bit today and I can report it updates automatically as you go. This is good and bad. It’s good because, well, it works on-the-fly. You don’t have to manually update it. It’s bad because, well, while the app runs it’s using up battery, bandwidth, etc. I just close the app when I’m not using it, so that’s of little concern to me.
I also notice that as you get closer to a tower, the range in which I am in will shrink. Initially it was 5000 meters, but shrunk to 1200 at one point.
Lastly, I note that “Bluetooth GPS” is now in the Google Maps menus, at least on his version.
Of course if you don’t have a data connection for your phone, it won’t work at all. So, this doesn’t replace a GPS in the slightest but it’s good for folks like me who don’t have a standalone GPS receiver ans don’t care to carry a separate Bluetooth one, but sometimes need directions from here to there and use Google Maps for that.
Doesn’t work for me – it might not work in the UK.
Anyone try this on a Treo 680? I just updated versions, but hitting the zero does nothing for me and there’s no option for turning it off. PalmOS wasn’t listed as a supported device, but it wasn’t not listed either…
I installed it on the HTC Advantage and interestingly it says my current location is currently unavailable so it can’t find me on the network. I can turn the GPS on and it finds that fine.
I just installed the latest version of Google Maps on my BlackBerry 8320 (EDGE, WiFi, two megapixel camera) via T-Mobile and it works as advertised, except that it placed me several blocks from home — when I was at home.
I also tried this on a BlackBerry 8120 (EDGE, WiFi, two megapixel camera) and it froze the device. The 8120 uses a 4.3.x operating system and the 8320 uses a 4.2.x operating system, so perhaps the latest version of Google Maps isn’t compatible with the latest BlackBerry OS.
I think this has to still be in development. My 8525 – with WM6 – says “my location is currently unavailable” or whatever the message is.
That’s funny, because Google’s own docs site says that you can tell if the My Location stuff works properly by going to the About screen and looking for the myl:ABunchOfNumbers stuff.
Well, i see all those numbers there, but it still has no idea where I am.
Perhaps the server side of things has been swamped by people trying to use it?