Testing the iPhone's fake GPS

Hey, if Apple ever gets around to announcing their iPhone SDK, we might even see real GPS software, complete with plug-in GPS receiver, available for your iPhone. Then we'd be talking. I'm thinking $129 for GPS iPhone package made by Garmin or something. THAT would be incredible.

Ten miles north of Boston the accuracy varies widely -- which I sort of think should be a place that is pretty well pegged for this sort of thing.

I've been amusing my infantile brain by "relocating" on iPhone maps while driving through known locations. My usual experience is that it shows a circle that seems a few hundred yards wide and I am within a half radius of that circle's center, rarely am I on or near the middle.

On my own doorstep it shows me off-center in a circle with a radius of at least two miles. 200 yards away it accurately shows on which of my neighbor's lawns I'm standing.

Disconcertingly I have had three or four experiences where the iPhone map had the circle drawn completely outside my current location. The circle was on the 250-yard sort of size, not the 1-2-mile size, so it thought it knew where I was but was substantially wrong.

I think that within this distance of a high-tech center like Boston, the accuracy, consistency, and precision should be higher than this.

I have a Helio phone, and they've had this same feature for years, so I'm used to it. If you're not on the ground floor or there's lots of hills, the location will be off by a few blocks or more. But other than that it's pretty accurate.

you aware of the fact that the same feature is available for Windows Mobile and modern cell phones, with the location determination and route directions, right? (just look for google maps mobile.)

The earlier point about GPS requiring line of sight to satellites is a good one. This feature is stellar for what it is trying to be. It's not trying to be a replacement to GPS. I'm very happy with it.

also in brooklyn, accurate to about 30 feet...

I found that it worked fantastic in downtown SF - was accurate to within an eighth of a block. In Minneapolis, it's a bit less accurate - more like 4-5 block radius on average. Presumably due to the lower density of Wifi access points here versus SF.

In Brussels it pinpoints almost to a couple of meters. Very handy.

Ok, it's a nice geeky tool. But nothing beats GPS.

I hope it's not Cupertinos answer towards GPS. Not that, according to them, it's a good substitute, and therefor GPS won't be used in v2.

I'm glad it works for the Mac|Life guys, but I'm not surprised it works like a treat in SF. My experience in the UK - or the Arctic as GMaps would have it - is quite different.

http://www.allaboutiphone.net/2008/01/upgraded-maps-in-firmware-113-still-needs-some-work/

Cheers