[Jeremy Smith @ Sep 18th 2007 12:32PM]

Wait a second... since when is cell phone coverage "more widely available" than GPS?

[Lawrence @ Sep 18th 2007 12:37PM]

Phones with a cell chipset are more widely available than phones with a GPS chipset. This is partly due to the fact cell phones are just a device with numbers on it if they dont have a cell chipset

[Neal @ Sep 18th 2007 12:43PM]

They mean GPS on a cell phone. You have more coverage for all phones than you have phones with GPS built in, so it makes more sense to use tower triangulation (which still places you withing several hundred yards of accuracy, which is fine for looking for the nearest pizza place, gas stations, etc) than to leverage GPS which few phones have.

That said you can already download Live Mobile for both WM5/6 or a Java version for other O/S's and use it now without the triangulation and voice recognition. I love the app, you have to just manually zoom to where you are, then do a "search nearby" from that map spot. Likewise you get traffic in most major cities on it, sat imagery or road view, driving directions (which also can be set for fastest route that takes traffic/construction/sports events into account) and one touch calling for businesses that your searches yeild. Been around longer than the iPhone too, for some reason there is never marketing around good MS products that are not Halo franchise.

[Dan Ross @ Sep 18th 2007 1:13PM]

ermmmmmmmm

I think you'll find it means that all phones can be used for the triangulation method, whereas only selected phones have GPS hardware built in, you doiylum!!

[jason @ Sep 18th 2007 5:36PM]

At the end of 2005, all cell phone carriers were required to provide the ability to trace cell phone calls to a location within 100 meters or less.

To comply with FCC requirements, cell phone carriers decided to integrate GPS technology into cell phone handsets, rather than overhaul the tower network. However the GPS in most cell phones are not like those in your handy GPS receiver that you take hiking. Most cell phones do not allow the user direct access to the GPS data, accurate location determination requires the assistance of the wireless network, and the GPS data is transmitted only if a 911 emergency call is made.

http://www.travelbygps.com/articles/tracking.php

[chris @ Sep 25th 2007 1:57PM]

@jason
"To comply with FCC requirements, cell phone carriers decided to integrate GPS technology into cell phone handsets, rather than overhaul the tower network. "

Thats complete shit. aGPS has *nothign* to do with real gps. Its location based entirely on the towers themselves and nothign to do with satellites.. so.. pretty much they did the exact opposite of what you say they do.. instead of putting battery heavy GPS technology in phones, they overhauled the tower networks.. lol.