What's best/safest GPS for Froyo: VZW loc service, Standalone GPS or Google Location

[jasonvancouver]

My update to 2.2 went ok so far.

In looking at the the "Location" menu to turn on and off my GPS.... I now have 3 choices under "Location On Settings:"

1. VZW Location Services
2. Standalone GPS Services
3. Google Location Services

Does anyone know if one is better than another. I don't my phone collecting extra private information about me. What's the best one to choose if I want basic GPS services and don't want it collecting data on me.

Any thoughts ?

thanks !

 

[logan78511]

First off it's good to add the GPS widget. By doing that go to a blank part of the screen and do a long hold and then select widget when the menu shows up. Then scroll down to power and then select the GPS widget. That way you can turn it on and off without going into settings.

That is the stand alone GPS in the widget. This GPS you would turn on for using Google Navigation and can help with apps like Weatherbug to determine where you are.

VZW location Services I don't turn on.

Google location services I turn on. This will know my location when I open up the browser or do a voice search. That way if you do a voice search by holding the microphone button down and say, "Starbucks," for example, it will find all the Starbucks nearest to your location. If you click the address to one of these starbucks and open up in Maps and then get navigation to take you there you turn on the Standalone GPS to take you there.

In other words, I leave the VZW off, I leave the Standalone GPS off until I'm using navigation or weatherbug, and I keep Google Location on.

The fact is if someone, such as the government wants to find information about where you've been via your cell phone they will find it anyway. Just like if you dial 911 it uses a different one to locate you.

Unless you're doing something illegal then keeping google location services on shouldn't be any issue at all.

 

[pdxmike]

But doesn't the Google location service use the stand alone GPS (piggy back on it)? Why won't it drain your battery just as fast? I can't see how Google location service works w/o GPS.

 

[jasonvancouver]

First off it's good to add the GPS widget. By doing that go to a blank part of the screen and do a long hold and then select widget when the menu shows up. Then scroll down to power and then select the GPS widget. That way you can turn it on and off without going into settings.

That is the stand alone GPS in the widget. This GPS you would turn on for using Google Navigation and can help with apps like Weatherbug to determine where you are.

VZW location Services I don't turn on.

Google location services I turn on. This will know my location when I open up the browser or do a voice search. That way if you do a voice search by holding the microphone button down and say, "Starbucks," for example, it will find all the Starbucks nearest to your location. If you click the address to one of these starbucks and open up in Maps and then get navigation to take you there you turn on the Standalone GPS to take you there.

In other words, I leave the VZW off, I leave the Standalone GPS off until I'm using navigation or weatherbug, and I keep Google Location on.

The fact is if someone, such as the government wants to find information about where you've been via your cell phone they will find it anyway. Just like if you dial 911 it uses a different one to locate you.

Unless you're doing something illegal then keeping google location services on shouldn't be any issue at all.

Great explanation, Logan !! thank you. Makes sense. So, i theory I could have both standalone GPS on for navigation and Google location services as well, correct ?

thanks, I am just paranoid... with such great technology comes the opportunity for our lives to be less private. I don't do anything weird or illegal. Maybe I read "brave new world" too many times.

 

[jshaffer75]

Good info. Whats the difference between google and vzw though? Any difference in function or battery life between these 2?

 

[jasonvancouver]

interesting.......


when selecting "standalone GPS Services," a stronger privacy warning is presented on Froyo vs. when you select "VZW location services"

 

[pdxmike]

Good info. Whats the difference between google and vzw though? Any difference in function or battery life between these 2?

The difference between google location service and VZW is $10/month.

 

[logan78511]

But doesn't the Google location service use the stand alone GPS (piggy back on it)? Why won't it drain your battery just as fast? I can't see how Google location service works w/o GPS.

No. It is two separate things. Google location service either uses cell phone triangulation or is just gathering from the tower you are on. It also can work via wi-fi and IP to see where you are at.

For example you can use google location service on an Ipod touch with NO Gps. Just by having the wifi turned on. It knows where you are.

The same as your computer. Your computer does not have GPS in it. But Google location knows where you are.

Generally I think it's mostly Triangulation with the towers. Just like if you have the GPS turned off then weatherbug still knows the city you're in to show you the weather. If you turn the GPS on you might get a more accurate reading of where you are.

If you use google maps with google location service it will show within so many meters of where you are. If you turn your GPS on and use it then it will show your exact location.

 

[logan78511]

Great explanation, Logan !! thank you. Makes sense. So, i theory I could have both standalone GPS on for navigation and Google location services as well, correct ?

thanks, I am just paranoid... with such great technology comes the opportunity for our lives to be less private. I don't do anything weird or illegal. Maybe I read "brave new world" too many times.

Yes. For navigation you will need the standalone GPS on though. Basically the same thing as a GPS you would buy in your car. The Google Location Service is used for different reasons. Such as seeing where you are at when you search something on Google via text or voice or showing the weather for the location you are in.

 

[jasonvancouver]

Yes. For navigation you will need the standalone GPS on though. Basically the same thing as a GPS you would buy in your car. The Google Location Service is used for different reasons. Such as seeing where you are at when you search something on Google via text or voice or showing the weather for the location you are in.

Cool, so basically you use just the standalone GPS and Google Locaton services and don't ever turn on VZW location services, right ?

 

[jshaffer75]

The difference between google location service and VZW is $10/month.

I'm talking about location services, not the difference between google nav and vzw navigation.

 

[logan78511]

Cool, so basically you use just the standalone GPS and Google Locaton services and don't ever turn on VZW location services, right ?

Right. I keep the GPS off to save battery life until I want to use it. I turn it on with the widget which is on one of my screen's so I can turn it off and on without having to go into the menu. The same with wifi. I keep google location services on all the time.

 

[jasonvancouver]

Right. I keep the GPS off to save battery life until I want to use it. I turn it on with the widget which is on one of my screen's so I can turn it off and on without having to go into the menu. The same with wifi. I keep google location services on all the time.

Ok, great, thanks again for the advice. I will stick with standalone gps and google and leave VZW location services off at all times.... don't want them trying to hit me with $10 a month.

 

[logan78511]

Ok, great, thanks again for the advice. I will stick with standalone gps and google and leave VZW location services off at all times.... don't want them trying to hit me with $10 a month.

It won't charge you 10 dollars a month. The other person was talking about VZ navigator instead of using google navigation for GPS. Open up google maps and then click menu and then click navigation and that's google navigation or theres a navigation app in your apps. Now 2.2 comes with VZ navigator which isn't as good and it cost 10 dollars a month for turn by turn directions.

Some people use it with other phones because their phones don't come with a GPS app for free like Android does. I used to use VZ navigator on BlackBerry and I liked it nowhere near as much as the free navigation provided by Google.

 

[TBarnhardt]

Right. I keep the GPS off to save battery life until I want to use it. I turn it on with the widget which is on one of my screen's so I can turn it off and on without having to go into the menu. The same with wifi. I keep google location services on all the time.

GPS doesn't use any battery unless you're using an app that actively requires it, like navigation or maps. If you don't see the little satellite dish icon in the status bar, it's not drawing any power.

 

[credo]

So, what is VZW Location Services? Is its sole purpose for the VZ Navigator? Or is it using VZW signals to get a location instead of the GPS satellites?

 

[airtas]

Yes what does VZW location services do?

 

[logan78511]

GPS doesn't use any battery unless you're using an app that actively requires it, like navigation or maps. If you don't see the little satellite dish icon in the status bar, it's not drawing any power.

Well, that's been said about the GPS and WIFI. But I have noticed a difference at least in wifi. But I just keep the GPS off because I can turn it on with a widget easily. I leave my wifi on all the time. But I used to not. The battery does go down faster keeping it on. Even when using no data at all. Just phone calls or text messages. I have a big battery so I don't worry about it.

Plus I'm used to the wifi being on all the time on my iphone 4 since they don't have unlimited internet. And it's just sort of annoying going and clicking the widget every time I want to use data.

But GPS I am not sure of. But I don't have the need to turn it on much at all. So I leave it off and it's not as annoying clicking that widget to turn it on because it's very rarely when I use it. The only time I use it is with a weather app and Navigation. I have a regular GPS in my truck now so I'm usually using that anyway.

Although I will say, I have a nice Garmin GPS in my truck and I love it but I still sort of prefer Google Navigation. I use the Garmin most of the time because it's a big screen that's already placed in my window. But I like the looks of Google maps.

 

[JerseyFF]

Yes what does VZW location services do?

Location services gives you the best location possible from using the cellular network infrastructure. It will usually get you to within a few miles of your actual location.

This simply allows for your phone to trianglulate and share its location with the network, which can provide it to apps on your phone.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[KB3MMX]

I keep GPS off using the Android "Power control" widget.
When I need to use navigation or some service needing GPS, I can
simply turn on GPS with one click.

Another nice feature to the Android power control widget is it allows
simple one touch control of WiFi, Bluetooth , sync, GPS and screen brightness.
It's a great way to save battery life by shutting off unnecessary features.