any1 know, is there alternate gps for iphone 3g?
I found that google maps really sux....

Do iphone3g have 3rd party software like garmin gps?

No, but TomTom is planning to release their dedicated software via app store soon, its completed, but theres some legal problems, apparently, apple sdk has this rule that no app made can use the internal gps

weird i know, but thats apple for u

err...if tomtom not to use the iphone internal gps, then what to use? can iphone pair with the garmin gps 10x bluetooth meh? i dun think iphone will work with any 3rd party bluetooth devices, correct me if im wrong..

iphone 3g everything is good,

but wonder why the gps so lousy...must have internet just can connect gps...
gps not only using satelite 1 meh? after get the direction nv navigate ppl to turn or anythng else. Ppl driving how to always view the map?

this gps i vote 0 mark....

register for an unlimited data lah bro.... u can use gps for fraction of price.. and also surf internet too...!!

you have obviously never used a blackberry before...

^he is talking bout iphone. yes, iphone gps is sarks..

Internet connection is needed to display the map, not to get the GPS signal. If all the map are preloaded then there would be no space left for your media or app. We can bypass this by using offline maps provided the phone is jailbroken.

iPhones are meant to be coupled with a data plan, so if YOUR phone don't have a data plan then it's only YOUR phone that sarks, not the iPhone in general. Want a better GPS device, go get yourself a garmin instead of a phone. Sheesh.

sry u are wrong...i hav data plan but if that say now u outstation (oversea) then how?
2ndly gps shud be satelite navigation system, it should not involved internet. If that say now u are in somewhere rural which do not hav 3g coverage then how? Are u going to be lost?

3rdly, iphone gps do not guide u when the turn is coming, are u always view ur iphone maps while driving? Like other gps system will tell u when the turn is approaching. Then in this situation u will alert. If u always view ur maps...i just can say congratulation, 1 day u will kena something bad....

@Ryan
I beg to differ dear ryan.

1st
Did I say YOU DO NOT HAVE a data plan? I said in GENERAL that the iPhone is INTENDED to be with a data plan. And if your (as in general and not referring to you dear Ryan) iPhone does not have data plan then only your (again not referring to you dear sir) iPhone sarks. Do not generalize the iPhone that sarks. BTW my first comment before was not even meant to you.

2nd
It is YOU thats not well verse with the technology behind iPhone. FYI ... iPhone is using A-GPS (Assisted GPS) which is better that GPS alone. It uses GPS and cell tower triangulation for better positioning. If GPS signal is lost then you still have cell tower as a backup. One thing you are correct, GPS system does not involve internet. What you do not get is that the internet connection is use to display the map in Google map, not in finding the coordinate. Please get your facts right. Thats why I said if you have a jailbroken phone then you can utilize the offline map where you do not need any internet/3G connection.

3rd
iPhone were never advertised as a dedicated device for turn to turn navigation. It's sooo typical of people that thinks when a device have GPS then it must have that features. GPS means Global Positioning System, a system to determine where you are. Not a system to give you directions. Those are an add on service to GPS thru software, not the GPS system itself. Now camera have GPS system built in, so they can give you direction where to go?

If Apple or Google decide to give the turn by turn features, they can always do that by software upgrade. The facilities are already there to begin with. And in the future, even company that develope GPS device like TomTom are planning to roll out software for iPhone to enable the features. Please please please dear Ryan ... get your fact straight. iPhone was never meant to be like the OTHER GPS system that you might have wish when it was launch last time. It does have the ability to do so.

Also please read my last comment, maybe you were blinded by rage that you missed it.



p/s - If and ONLY if I get lost, I'll use the thing that god gave me, my brain, so i can ask directions. Malu bertanya sesat jalan.

This post has been edited by frozzbyte: Feb 3 2009, 06:28 PM

i hav do an experiment.
1st case - without internet
gps system could not provide driving direction due to unknow current location.

2nd case - with internet
the driving direction is come out.

both cases are in same location.

How do you explain this?

I also belive the signal do not involve internet. But why in this 2 cases, it showed so big different?

Beside that, not malu tanya when sesat jalan. If that say i travel 500km, so many place i duno, if keep asking, how long times u want waste? If ppl giv the wrong direction how?

Not every country or places hav a very easy sign board to be follow. If that say u take a rural road then how? Even ppl tell u the direction, u also have big chances to take the wrong way.


This post has been edited by Ryan: Feb 3 2009, 06:35 PM

You need the internet to get the ROUTE. of course when no internet how to get the route.GPS in iphone is just merly and addition for you, just incase to find where u are.

as froze said, if you are hardcore traveler, a car gps is the thing for you not the phone gps.

I don't know how to get thru this guys thick skulls. Anyone want to take then baton?

I have better things to do that explaining it again and again in plain english. Please dear Ryan, read my comment SLOWLY and try to UNDERSTAND what i've written. No point for me to continue explaining when its clearly you DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

Just now they said need internet to dl map n signal itself no need. They still said if hav offline map can settle it but even hav offline map u do not hav internet still cant route it rite? Am i wrongly interprete the post before?

i just wonder why must hav internet just can use gps? Coz in m'sia not every places have 3g or edge coverage.

I not hardcore traveler but sometime need travel.

that why its called A-GPS (assisted gps) and not GPS like garmin and tomtom
and first thing first, the phone is not even launched here, what do u expect?

AGPS is a function that requires data connection ( satelite data ) that helps to get signal lockon faster, its an additional function, u can turn that off if u want, garmin and tomtom are merely software provider for the gps hardware. Anyway, most dedicated GPS devices that uses sensitive chips like the SIRF STAR III doesn't even requires AGPS because they can lock down by its own.

Anyway whats lacking in iphone is voiced turn by turn navigation, and the ability to use maps directly from memory and not download off the air is what denying iphone to be as good as a dedicated gps device, i have no idea about the gps chipset in iphone, but reviews says its very good.

TomTom says it will eventually sort things out regarding the law, finger cross on that.


On a side note, i don't understand why are u guys trying to defend apple? apple marketed iphone 3G as a gps device, hence me as a consumer expects at least a gps device that can get me real directional routes, and not one that shows me where am i and google maps directional function is so limited that i wouldn't call it as one



heres what apple marketed about the gps



well thats apple for u, learn it love it or hate it

@dailylulz
I like it when people know what they are talking and make some effort to learn about something.

Also as a side note, I'm not defending apple (not a fanboy also). I'm just explaining to a forumer here why iPhone need the data connection for the GPS (which he never understand) and that iPhone was never a dedicated GPS device. Thats why I emphasize that "if you want a turn by turn voice navigation, then get a dedicated GPS device like garmin" in every comment that i made.

And as for comment that you quoted me

Take note on the bolded words. Yes Apple did marketed

But it never said it's a voice turn to turn navigation system. It will only show you a list of turn to turn directions which are provided by google and not by apple. Apple's main use of the GPS system is for tagging our location thru their location service i.e in searching nearest restaurant location, geotagging photos, etc etc. Yes ... google maps directional function are limited right now but they are improving. Yes ... iPhone's GPS system seems crippled from a consumers point of view but sometimes the consumers POV are not correct in context of the GPS usage in iPhone. Like I said, softwares to take advantage of the GPS in iPhone like voice turn by turn directions either from Garmin, TomTom or even Apple itself is just an add on to it. We also can see the same scenario when iPhone 3G was launch, people condemned it because it does not include a front camera for video conferencing. 3G is a data service and not video call. Video call is just an add on service to take advantage of 3G faster connection. But we hear "Aiyaa what 3G phone la don't have video call".

Yes i know, hence my last comment : well thats apple for u, learn to love it or hate it

But, since apple has been crippling their devices since the earliest ipods, it came no surprise that the gps will be crippled as hell too

Arguably, u can't sue apple over false ads, cause technically they are right, there IS directional in google maps

sigh, how i hate and love apple

Hahahaha couldn't agree more with you dailylulz. Apple tend to do that and yet people still love 'em. Maybe the power of the fruit is strong.

meh for ur spoiler comment, don't u know apple is trying to sue the hell out of palm pre cause of the multitouch and pinch feature?

but i sure hope as hell apple lose, i mean common, a trademark on how to use my finger to operate a device? sometimes i think apple is really retard