Commentary
Will The Lack Of GPS On The iPhone Make Its Version Of Google Maps Useless?
The iPhone is the gift that just keeps on giving. This weekend, just when you thought it was safe to go to the beach or have a BBQ, an AT&T manual for the iPhone was leaked. The leaked manual supposedly details all the features of the iPhone. But one feature -- the lack of GPS -- is sending some Mac fans into a frenzy.The iPhone is the gift that just keeps on giving. This weekend, just when you thought it was safe to go to the beach or have a BBQ, an AT&T manual for the iPhone was leaked. The leaked manual supposedly details all the features of the iPhone. But one feature -- the lack of GPS -- is sending some Mac fans into a frenzy.Here is a look at the lack of GPS:
More Mobility Insights
White Papers
More >>
- How To Regain IT Control In An Increasingly Mobile World - by BlackBerry
- Red Alert: Why Tablet Security Matters - by BlackBerry
Reports
More >>
- Mobility’s Next Challenge: 8 Steps to a Secure Environment
- Time to Move: How to Ensure 'Mobility' Translates to 'Agility'
Webcasts
More >>
- Maximize ROI with Database Consolidation onto Private Clouds
- The ABC's of Cloud Computing in the Midmarket
- iPhone will not support the TeleNav solutions currently offered by other AT&T devices - GPS is not part of the iPhone feature set.
If this is true, it's really disappointing. AT&T offers a GPS service, called TeleNav, and it's a real shame that the iPhone won't be able to use it, or any other location-based service. U.S. carriers have been flocking to launch GPS and location-based services in the last few months. In fact, just last week Sprint launched a new mobile product search application that uses location.
I had hopes that the iPhone would combine some form of GPS with Google Maps, giving users access to all kinds of new mobile location services. But without GPS or some other form of location, the iPhone simply won't be able to deliver when it comes to location. While that user interface looks cool, how will location searches work? Without GPS users will have to rely on AT&T's EDGE network for data response to search queries, making Google Maps searches much slower.
There are already handsets on the market that combine GPS with Google Maps. For example, Helio's Drift offers Google Maps and a built-in GPS module (and it only costs $225).
Without GPS, the iPhone's version of Google Maps is little better than the desktop version, except that it might be harder to use -- I'll reserve judgment on the iPhone's usability until I actually get my hands on one.
What do you think? Will the lack of GPS impact your decision to buy the iPhone? Or is this rumor without merit?
Related Reading
 |
To upload an avatar photo, first complete your Disqus profile. | View the list of supported HTML tags you can use to style comments. | Please read our commenting policy. |
|
T-Shirt Giveaway: Each week we're selecting one great comment from our readers. The author of the comment will receive an InformaitonWeek Community t-shirt. So get posting! |
Subscribe to RSSResource Links
This Week's Issue
Technology Whitepapers
- Mobile BI: Actionable Intelligence for the Agile Enterprise
- Creating the Enterprise-Class Tablet Environment - by Yankee Group
- The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet's Good Bones - by BlackBerry
- Red Alert: Why Tablet Security Matters - by BlackBerry
- New Visual and Wizard-Driven Paradigms for Exploring Data and Developing Analytic Workflows
Featured Resource
This white paper focuses on the critical need to manage outbound content sent via various avenues including email, Instant Messages, text messages, tweets, and Facebook posts. Read More
