GPS phone question - General Questions and Answers

Hi,
My wife is starting a new job as a flight attendant and will be traveling all over America and probably the world. I'm looking for a new phone for her that is a "world phone" - preferably GSM, that has a GPS built in. Since most people here are WAY more knowledgeable about phone technology than me, I figured it was a good place to ask. What phones out there have the best GPS capabilities? Any suggestions?

I'd get a kaiser or a polaris. Not the only phones with gps but they're the newest.

sedna, costs loads, but is super capable, and supposedly can get a gps fix inside a house in 15 secs

Related

Whats the point??? GPS and the Tilt

What the hell is the point to have GPS on the tilt when it has the worst reception in the world? I have to have the phone either touching the window or on the dash to even get a signal in my car. And if I am in a wooded area, dont even think about getting a signal....is there any way to boost the signal? seems just like a waist of battery life when it dosent work half the time.
Damn i cannot wait until there is a manual on off switch for GPS, then my battery will last a little longer
Um, what? Not sure how to say this nicely, but you need to read some on the GPS in the Tilt. GPS isn't on unless you are using a program that accesses it directly. And, other than being a tad slow to initialize, it's been rated as a rather good GPS device. At least I have zero problems with it. You might try using the QuickGPS program next time before you try the GPS out on anything. What program are you using for the GPS?
GPS isn't running unless you're running a program using it, so there goes the battery savings. Obviously you're not going to get the performance of a $500 GPS unit in a $300 phone with GPS. Agreed though, I couldn't even pick up a signal until I came to a stop today and held the phone out the window! I pretty much just plan on using it on the golf course...
You guys are nuts, it's working beautifully for me, even out in the mountains... It tracks perfectly via Live Search (although it was disconcerting to have it a bit off while driving over a bridge! )
I actually get pretty good signal, i keep the phone in the center console under the stereo and still get almost full reception. Question i had about quickGPS is when you update it do you have to keep it on to get the benefits of using it? or can you just update and then close it?
You can update it and you are good for 6 days. I too have to say that my Kaiser's GPS works really well, even gets a few birds indoors.
I'm using TomTom 6. I've never owned any kind of GPS but I can often get a signal inside my home if I'm close to a window. As I understand it it, this is actually quite a sensitive GPS.
Add me to the list of satisfied owners.
-James
My GPS works great also... something else you may want to realize is that with anything that utilizes a signal from a satellite then it needs to be line of sight... It is possible for the signal to penetrate some structures but its going to be best used when it has a clear view of the sky.
Am also very satisfied with the GPS-reception although my old E-ten Glofiish X500 was a little better at this (but worse on all other stuff... ;-)
Also be aware of the fact that GPS-units in cars with embedded sun-protection in the windscreen (not sure how you call this in English, it is basically this blue-ish thin layer of foil over the whole windscreen) get much worse reception than in cars without this. Usually French cars have this by default.
The QuickGPS (assisted GPS) tool usually does not improve things for me btw.
Edward
I think its quite likely the people complaining has anti-frost layers on their screens.
Surur
surur said:
I think its quite likely the people complaining has anti-frost layers on their screens.
Surur
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't think about it before, but my Land Rover has the heated windshield with wires running throughout. Probably doesn't help. I'm thoroughly satisfied with it overall though.
Many cars now have a vaporized metal layer in the glass for whole window defrosting, it makes a great shield for blocking satellite signals...
Can't complain about the GPS, its not as good as a dedicated device (Garmin Nuvi). But nice to have with Live Search if traveling without the nuvi.
Performance is not bad in the car. It helps if you're stationary to acquire sats. Anyone know if there is an app to check the sat tracking?
Actually I find it better than a Nuvi (assuming you load a good Nav app on the phone) because you get nav and things like Live Search and Google Maps which together, are pretty awesome.
You can search for GPS viewers but here's one...
I don't have a problem with using any GPS app TT, Copilot, iGo etc and the reception on my unit seems to be peachy, i get sats in my house as well as in cars with front demisters and sun shielding foil (i must just be lucky).
Not had it cut out on me except in tunnels that are too long to keep the signal (although through the Alps I kept full signal for 17 km in a tunnel through a mountain thanks to their internal antenna).
Very happy with the GPS built in its worth the money for the phone on its own for me.
Russ
QuickGPS
I have been using it in my car via Google Maps "Track Location" command from the menu and it has worked like a charm for me. I agree with initiallizing it while stopped, it takes about 30 sec - 1 min to initialize then works great. My car is old and doesn't have any new advances that may interfere.
I was showing it to a friend indoors after using the QuickGPS program (Start -> Programs -> Tools -> QuickGPS) and he suggested that it uses a combination of cell towers vs it's GPS info it downloaded. Don't know if you can use this info to help you out but it may explain a bit.
The GPS works great on the Kaiser. That you don't have to mess with it, i.e. it turns itself on and off completely on its own only when needed is awesome. If you think its onl all the time, you are either running a GPS prog constantly or just confused.
It picks up a signal very very well. The onyl thing I will say is it is n't the most accurate. I mean it isn't quite as accurate as a true Sirf III chipset unit. So, it isn't the best for using for golf (i.e. it can still be a few yards off, enough to matter). But for driving, directions, routing, etc. it works nearly perfectly.
RemE said:
Actually I find it better than a Nuvi (assuming you load a good Nav app on the phone) because you get nav and things like Live Search and Google Maps which together, are pretty awesome.
You can search for GPS viewers but here's one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the cab I'll give it a try. I like to keep things lean on the phone... still trying to make it a phone first, before anything else... So I try to keep apps to a minimum.
In a pinch, MS Live is great! I do prefer the larger screen on my Nuvi for driving... and it seems to do a better job tracking when I'm speeding down the highway.
I am surprised how well it works, I have a Garmin 2610 (yes its old, about 4to 5 years old) I put the Kaiser with TomTom 6 side by side on the car dash and they both perform great, the garmin a bit faster in aquaring Sat signal, but as I drive acuracy and speed its about the same. I still prefer the Garmin due to larger screen but its a dedicated GPS unit the kaiser is a Phone with GPS, but over all I think the GPS on the kaiser is great.
My $0.02 cents (Canadian)
GPS and Tilt
Actually I have a Dell bluetooth GPS receiver and I can confirm that the Tilt GPS works way better than Dell. It takes only few seconds to lock onto the satellites. I am more than satisfied.

Battery Life be DAMNED! I need a Phone that will NOT DROP CALLs

We just moved this last month and we seemed to have landed right in the middle of an AT&T DEAD ZONE in Scottsdale, AZ. I do not want to have to pay $400.00 to break the contract for mine and my wife’s phone contract with AT&T but at home our phones are useless so I really really need a Radio that will give me clarity and not dropped calls.
OK, Please don’t flame me as I have searched and searched the forums and although I have read many great opinions on radios, however, it seems that most people care more about battery consumption then signal. At this point I don’t care about my battery! I am dropping calls every few minutes and can NOT use the phone at my home now. I normally keep the phone on the charger at home, work and even in the car so Battery Life is NOT even a consideration.
I am currently running:
ROM: Hyperdragon III WWE
Radio: 1.71.09.01
NOTE: I am willing to use ANY ROM and ANY RADIO as long as I can use my phone for *drum roll please* making phone calls.
Thank you SOOOO much for help!
-D
My undersanding when I was looking into breaking my contract was that if you moved and service was not up to par you could break contact without paying the termination fee. May have to call over and over to customer service, but someone will eventually break the contract.
have you tried 1.65.20.29? that's a great one for AT&T.
Also, try 1.58.25.17, good for battery life (even though you don't care), and good reception
I'm in Ahwatukee (south of Scottsdale) and Scottsdale is fairly well covered, although not completely (N. Scottsdale I presume?). Anyway, the outskirts like where I am get spotty coverage and I have gone from not being able to use my phone at all indoors to getting a bar (sometimes 2) in most areas of my house. Try the radio in my signature (go to the ultimate radio thread to DL). Might be the answer.
Good luck!
CrozB said:
We just moved this last month and we seemed to have landed right in the middle of an AT&T DEAD ZONE in Scottsdale, AZ. I do not want to have to pay $400.00 to break the contract for mine and my wife’s phone contract with AT&T but at home our phones are useless so I really really need a Radio that will give me clarity and not dropped calls.
OK, Please don’t flame me as I have searched and searched the forums and although I have read many great opinions on radios, however, it seems that most people care more about battery consumption then signal. At this point I don’t care about my battery! I am dropping calls every few minutes and can NOT use the phone at my home now. I normally keep the phone on the charger at home, work and even in the car so Battery Life is NOT even a consideration.
I am currently running:
ROM: Hyperdragon III WWE
Radio: 1.71.09.01
NOTE: I am willing to use ANY ROM and ANY RADIO as long as I can use my phone for *drum roll please* making phone calls.
Thank you SOOOO much for help!
-D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CrozB said:
We just moved this last month and we seemed to have landed right in the middle of an AT&T DEAD ZONE in Scottsdale, AZ. I do not want to have to pay $400.00 to break the contract for mine and my wife’s phone contract with AT&T but at home our phones are useless so I really really need a Radio that will give me clarity and not dropped calls.
OK, Please don’t flame me as I have searched and searched the forums and although I have read many great opinions on radios, however, it seems that most people care more about battery consumption then signal. At this point I don’t care about my battery! I am dropping calls every few minutes and can NOT use the phone at my home now. I normally keep the phone on the charger at home, work and even in the car so Battery Life is NOT even a consideration.
I am currently running:
ROM: Hyperdragon III WWE
Radio: 1.71.09.01
NOTE: I am willing to use ANY ROM and ANY RADIO as long as I can use my phone for *drum roll please* making phone calls.
Thank you SOOOO much for help!
-D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if that radio doesn't work try the one in my sig.
If all else fails Rescue is right, if they cannot provide service at your primary residence they have to let you out of your contract (I work for ATT).
Go to at ATT website, look up your address on the coverage map. If it's in white just call them and your free. If it's not in white and they say you have coverage call them and they will have a tech come to your house. If the tech can't get service standing on your front porch with your exact phone they will release you as well. Good luck!
hey dude, I live in Phoenix - by far my best radio here is either the Polaris 1.58.23.21 or Sedna 1.58.21.23 (i always confuse them).
Let me know which one works best for you.
N Scottsdale = Good Guess. Thanks (especially you locals) for the ideas… I will start at the top of the list of your suggestion and let you know what I come up with.
-D
i am sure you dont want to spend alot of money to fix the problem but for about 300-400$ you can buy a repeater to bring a boost to your signal inside.
spotwave
zboost
passive repeaters are not that good
but very cheap, worth a shot first. need to have them pointed toward the towers you connect to in the room you use. Read up on them before you buy. active (the expensive ones ) will work, but like he said 300-400.
att should let you out of the contract, should be an issue if you can prove it.
biofilter69 said:
i am sure you dont want to spend alot of money to fix the problem but for about 300-400$ you can buy a repeater to bring a boost to your signal inside.
spotwave
zboost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your wife's phone also couldnt work (assuming it's non WM/HTC phone) then any radio rom trial will be futile... :winks:
The best way is to issue complaint to the operator. I dont live in US, but 2 months ago my company move to a newly rised high building and the indoor coverage sux big time. We issue complaint to several operators at once (we have around 10 here), now at least 3 of the major operators has setup new indoor coverage in the building. Took them 2 wk-1mo to set them up. Just to share.
I live in gilbert and commute daily to 59th av and 101 and use the phone the whole day!
I am currently using;
Sleuth 3.0
Hard SPL 3.56
Radio 1.58.21.23
Hope this helps.
AT&T vs Sprint. Cox to the Rescue
So I ended up liking 1.65.17.56 the best. However it still drops calls while I am at home but not as bad.
Good news is it turns out that I can get a landline for about $2.00/month. It is really $12.00 but I get a $10.00/month discount because of my Cable and Internet. Tax makes it more like $8.00/month by the time the bill comes, but that beats having to switch phones. I have not had a landline in almost 10 years! Hopefully ATT will put a new tower up here soon! God knows there is plenty of land up here to do it, it is just that it is “Snobsdale” I’m sure.
Thanks again for the advice. Glad to be staying in the Kaiser Community a bit longer
-D

Radio in Cell Phone?

alright first off before i ask my question i think all of you should know. i am an extreme newb to cell phone hacking and moding so please excuse my arrogance 2nd thing i do most off my posts off my cell phone so please excuse the bad grammer and spelling. anyways as i have been reading in the forum people list the mods to their phones and i notice one listed radio? so could someone educate me on what a radio is i figure that it is what keeps you conected to the service provider but other than that i am clueless so when you mode it do you physically open the device and replace something and 2 what is the point of changing the radio do. so could an expert educate me and feel free to tell me everything you know rather than just answering my 2 main questions.
I guess thats its the radio you use to listen to music, news etc... Most phones nowadays come equipped with built-in radio function. I hope that helps. =)
im not too sure about the exact thing you are talking about
however thats what a buddy of mine working in a cell repair shop told
for the radio(the one that broadcast phone signal not the radio you listen to)
you know that in order to use a 3g phone in the US or elsewhere
[but the problem is mainly US cuz here we use special 3G band compared to the rest of the world] you need to get the good frequency
however most of the time manufacturers only design and produce different radio chip for different region if they really have to
cuz you know running those factories is not given to anyone
and why redesign a phone when you already have one
a phone is like a computer.. "change a part, gotta change the whole part" concept..
however a phone might not work in certain 3G frequencies not because the radio cant but because the manufacturer didnt pass the regulations in those regions and it happen that the phone can be 3G but its locked in the ROM
so you need to mod the ROM to make 3G radio work
like the omnia
some ppl argues that it might be dual-UMTS but the US 3G is locked in the ROM
because samsung didnt pass the FCC(Federal C??? C?? the agency that rules communication) at that time(when the first omnia shipped)
so they couldnt put US 3G
same thing for the touch diamond but it was GSM that needed to be rom-unlocked
d3thstalker said:
I guess thats its the radio you use to listen to music, news etc... Most phones nowadays come equipped with built-in radio function. I hope that helps. =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the right kind of radio bud
vanilla_star_8 said:
im not too sure about the exact thing you are talking about
however thats what a buddy of mine working in a cell repair shop told
for the radio(the one that broadcast phone signal not the radio you listen to)
you know that in order to use a 3g phone in the US or elsewhere
[but the problem is mainly US cuz here we use special 3G band compared to the rest of the world] you need to get the good frequency
however most of the time manufacturers only design and produce different radio chip for different region if they really have to
cuz you know running those factories is not given to anyone
and why redesign a phone when you already have one
a phone is like a computer.. "change a part, gotta change the whole part" concept..
however a phone might not work in certain 3G frequencies not because the radio cant but because the manufacturer didnt pass the regulations in those regions and it happen that the phone can be 3G but its locked in the ROM
so you need to mod the ROM to make 3G radio work
like the omnia
some ppl argues that it might be dual-UMTS but the US 3G is locked in the ROM
because samsung didnt pass the FCC(Federal C??? C?? the agency that rules communication) at that time(when the first omnia shipped)
so they couldnt put US 3G
same thing for the touch diamond but it was GSM that needed to be rom-unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what i understand about radios (the cell phone kind )
Your radio is what communicates with the tower and can affect how many "bars" you get. Not having the correct radio will also cause your phone
Camera not to work, to have a black screen, and/or to have no sound or intermittent sound.
The radio chip stores information, but you can change the information on that chip by "flashing a new radio."
This is just my own understanding so if i made a mistake don't be afraid to correct me
I believe the radio part of these devices is the information that tells the hardware in the phone how to act. What frequencies to use on the cell band, how the wifi antenna acts, how the bluetooth antenna acts, etc... Even how the GPS antenna works. Hence while in CDMA land my Titan needed a GPS enabled radio to make the gps work. There was a chip and antenna in there, but the radio excluded directions for the processor to interact with it.
My mind is simple, and this may be wrong but it is how I understand how the radio portion affects the phone.
Also, feel free to correct us if we are wrong!
Wow... Where.... wow.
Radio function
Radio is the whole function of the cell phone part of your tiny portable PCs your carrying around.
Its a
Duplex (transmits and receives separate carrier waves at the same time) ,Two-way, VHF and UHF, FM tranceiver in its purest form.
The cell towers are nothing more than ham radio pioneered "repeater" stations, connected to land phone lines. 20 years before the 1st commercial cell phone, HAM radio operators were setting up their own area "club" repeater stations, and networking them much like cell phone operators do now. The biggest rush of my young electronic life was carrying a kenwood TR-2500 FM handheld with me on my Yamaha YZ-80 out to the remote areas of our trails, and making a phone-patch call from the handheld thru the repeater and to a household phone. It felt like star trek man. I felt so high tech and up to date as a 15 year old carrying a radio my license didnt allow yet. LOL The funny part was everyone who was on frequency would get to hear your conversation too. Modern cell phones are the same thing only with collars and leashes.
So , back to the PDA with a two meter radio crammed tight agaist a computer with buttons that are too small ...
Thats really what you have.
Everything that a PDA is , outside of Radio [ a patch(voice) connect or a modem(data) connect] is just a small computer.
By the way, I raised the room temp tonite by leaving a Touch Pro turned on and Idling its data connection ...
Circuit... great explanation! But how do I know what Radio version my X1i needs?
In Smartphones and Pocket PCs, 'Radio' refers to the RIL. Radio Interface Layer. An API (Application Program Interface) that sits between Windows Mobile and the hardware driving the phone. An API is a published series of functions/methods that an application or operating system can call.
Ther is a patent for it at http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6826762.html.
It is so that the transmitter/receiver sits at arms length from WM or its apps, i.e. you can't go POKE the phone's registers directly, you have to ask pretty please through the API.
The Radio part of the ROM is the version that this API is at, for your device.

[Q] Location services using WiFi and Cell Tower

I just got myself a Japanese Sharp Aquos Xx 203sh from SoftBank and so far pretty pleased with it but for one thing, location.
As long as I'm outside and have good GPS signal its very fast but as soon as I go into a big building its game over, likewise when I'm outside and disable GPS. I installed OpenSignal to see if I was seeing enough cell towers and most of the time I see at least 4 ot 5, around where I live often 8 or more. Also plenty of WiFi around.
Does anyone know of any software that I can use to check if the phone is having problems with location finding using WiFi and Cell Towers? My old iPhone finds me in seconds with GPS off so its not like its not possible. Also dont think its antenna as signal is strong and I can even watch 1SEG TV.
Look forward to any help I can get, have already spoken to their support and well.. you know how that goes, me explaining technology to them.

Phone with best GPS Reception

I fly alot and I like recording GPS tracks in planes. I previously owned an HTC Incredible 4G LTE. If I had a window seat, I'd nearly always be able to get a GPS fix. Though I think it could be even better.
I recently upgraded to a new phone (Xperia Z5 Compact). The GPS reception sucks. It seems like every time the plane turns, I lose the fix. However sometimes for long stretches it still has no signal, even pressing the phone up against the window. Using my old phone, it still has a good signal.
I've given my old phone to my parents. I could buy a bluetooth external GPS, however, I got thinking and I could save money and buy another HTC Incredible 4g LTE for cheap on ebay for maybe $50. That got me thinking, maybe I could buy an old used phone that has even better gps reception and use it only for GPS logging.
That's why I ask which phones have the best reception. (Note, in a plane, A-GPS doesnt help)

Categories

Resources