Gps ?

[laraiza]

Hi all I had a Blackberry Tour before I got my Sprint Hero and I used Microsoft live Search for my gps and location inquiries and it worked well an was almost always on point. I heard that either the BB gps or the microsoft app on the BB gave you almost an exact location at all times and I also read that "google"s gps locates you to the nearest "tower" within a triangle type radius so thats why your locations seem to be off by a little sometimes. Other times its off by alot. Has anyone else heard about this an can confirm these info. Any replies would be helpful. thanks.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

No, you can use two settings for location services. This is cell phone tower triangulation which produces the circle on the map. If you turn on GPS, you get the dot on the map thats accurate. Whats adjustable on the app level is the sensitivity. The more sensitive, the more accurate, the more battery is used. If exact location isn't crucial, applications may pic a more prudent power level to save the battery a little bit.

 

[laraiza]

I have always had my gps enabled so why does it seem to be so off at times.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

depends on the ability of the phone to get a lock on the satellites. The more obstructions, the further off it is. My gf's car (Toyota Avalon) blocks her pre's signal, but my hero is fine in a Chevy Trailblazer. In the house, it depends on where I am in the house. Towards the inside, it bounces sometimes between cell phone tower triangulation and actual GPS lock. Also, just because your GPS is on, doesn't mean it connected to the satellites all the time (you wouldn't like your battery life). So it only connects when an application calls upon it.