GPS kinda funky

[rcmarks314]

Ok so I'm sitting outside on my break and I open the phone and the stock weather app says I'm in Van Buren (a town about 10 or so miles east of where I'm actually at). I hit the update button and then I'm in Converse (a town about 10 miles west of my location). Once again I hit update now I'm in Jonesboro (a town 10 miles south of my location) So sitting at the picnic table I've traveled about 40 miles and I'm worn out. When at home my Bolt says I'm at someones house near the hospital (a mile or so away) When my Brother got the first Droid he came by and it showed movement from one side of my house to the other. You could actually see the dot at one end of the house and walk to the other end of the house and see the pointer move to the other side. It seems that the GPS has really gone down hill from what was first on the market. I only have E911 and Google location checked in the location menu. I think if I used the turn by turn nav. app. I'd be like the person in the Toshiba commercial going over the cliff. So if you'll pardon my abbreviation WTF is up with that?

 

[worwig]

Repeat after me, THIS IS NOT GPS, THIS IS NOT GPS.

Everybody likes to confuse GPS and location services. The GPS takes too long to acquire a good satellite lock, and doesn't typically work indoors. Trust me, you do not want to rely on the GPS for weather lookup, unless you live outdoors and like a dead battery. So for things like weather apps that don't need to know exactly where you are, they use location services. Our phone can use Verizon or Google location services. I'm not sure what is different about them. Basically, they look at the radio and see what cell tower you are on. Maybe check the WiFi id and try to find that in a list. Location services can easily jump from tower to tower. Plus it relies on some ID lookup at Google or Verizon to determine where that cell tower is located.Occasionally, as pointed out in another thread, the lookup table shows you are in Spain or something really stupid.

Now if you want to install something like GPS status, and go outdoors and play with the actual GPS and get it to lock, then your Google maps should be accurate to within a few feet. But I doubt that will help the weather app, as it probably relies on location services alone.

These companies came up with a quick low power way to provide a 'close enough' location for weather lookup. And everybody calls it a GPS failure.

 

[spartanguy81]

It seems that the GPS has really gone down hill from what was first on the market. I only have E911 and Google location checked in the location menu

So you don't have gps turned on...that might have something to do with it....

 

[rcmarks314]

I see the location service needs a kick from the GPS button to pin point your location when you open Google maps. In the OP I wasn't clear that I switched from weather to Google maps when at home. Glad to know it was lack of knowlege rather than a messed up phone.

 

[recDNA]

HTC rep told me stock app uses acuweather so if your town isn't in the acuweather database then stock app won't identify the location properly. They have no plans to do.anything about it. They act like it is.acuweather's problem. I disagree.

 

[spartanguy81]

Why wouldn't it be accuweather's problem? Accuweather is showing the location its getting the weather from.