CELL PHONE GPS TECHNOLOGY
Cell phones have evolved from strictly voice communication into mobile technology that can transmit wireless data and perform complex computer functions. With the advent of the iPhone and other high-end Smartphones, the cell phone ecosystem has essentially been transformed into a computer platform. One of the most exciting developments in the cell phone industry has been the inclusion of GPS technology in handsets. Many cell phones today contain an additional GPS antenna and software that can pinpoint a given location within a hundred meters. Cell phone GPS technology has opened up a new frontier for application development. Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed for navigation and precise-positioning. This technology was initially designed for national defense and military applications. This technology proved useful in determining the locations of soldiers, military vehicles, ships and planes accurately. After migrating to consumer devices, GPS initially became a popular navigational tool especially for drivers. Today automobile GPS companies such as Garmin and TomTom have become household names. If you use a GPS car navigation device, then you are most likely familiar with such features as voice-guided navigation, route re-calculating and automatic routing to aid you in finding your intended travel destination. These days GPS devices are no longer confined to vehicles. GPS and location based services have become a popular cell phone feature. With GPS technology becoming more ubiquitous in cell phones, this has posed a competitive challenge to companies that have specialized in GPS car navigation devices. After all, if you have GPS functionality included with your cell phone, why do you need to purchase a separate GPS device for your car? Consequently, car GPS companies have responded by releasing their own mobile GPS phones. For example, Garmin, one of the top car GPS manufacturers, produced the Garmin Nuvifone. This device impressed many mobile phone experts because it's not only a GPS centric mobile phone but it can also compete with the top mobile phones in the market. It remains to be seen, however, if this strategy will limit the competitive threat posed by the wide adoption of GPS in cell phones. All of the major US wireless carriers offer cell phones with GPS technology. The following is an overview of cell phones, per carrier, that include GPS technology.
This carrier offers the AT&T Navigator service which provides spoken turn by turn GPS driving directions. The AT&T Navigator service also includes automatic reroute, full color maps, and real time traffic alerts. If you sign up for this service, you will be given a free 30-day trial to test it. Below are AT&T's Free Cell Phone GPS Tracking enabled devices:
You can choose from two mobile phone cell phone GPS services if you are a Sprint subscriber. There are two options, Sprint navigation and Sprint Family Locator. Sprint Navigation offers detailed maps, driving directions, one-click rerouting and traffic alerts on select phones. Sprint Family Locator offers a convenient, reliable and secure method of locating family members from any web enabled mobile phone. Sprint's GPS enabled mobile phones:
T-Mobile subscribers can purchase the NaviGate BlueKit that uses Bluetooth and GPS satellite technology. This service allows customers to transform their mobile phones into car navigation systems. You can get route instructions and near real-time traffic updates, with route alternatives with T-Mobile's NaviGate BlueKit. Here are some of T-Mobile's GPS enabled phones:
Verizon subscribers can sign-up for the VZ Navigator GPS service which offers advanced navigation features. Detailed color maps can be quickly panned and zoomed, prompted turn-by-turn directions with auto-rerouting, and local search of 14 million points of interest. Verizon Wireless GPS enabled phones: A-GPS Many modern mobile phones also offer a navigational feature called A-GPS which is different from the Usual GPS feature. Assisted GPS or A-GPS uses an assistance server to make determining a location at a faster rate. It uses cell tower location information to narrow down the search area that phones use to find GPS satellites. A-GPS is usually quicker and more efficient than regular GPS because the device and the Assistance Server share tasks. This feature works particularly well if users are located in an area with heavy tree cover. Below are mobile phones that offer A-GPS:
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