Using Your Cell Phone as a PC GPS Receiver

Alright, I've searched the internet and this forum intensively and have found a lot about getting your location via the GPS built into your phone. This is cool, but isn't really taking the tool of your phone's built in GPS far enough.

I make a lot of long road trips and have a laptop permanently in my car with Microsoft Streets 2006 on it. As we all know, MSS2006 supports GPS receivers to offer navigational-style driving. So it only makes logical sense we should try and link our GPS phones with a program that supports a GPS receiver.

I've been messing around in the Service Menus (on my VX8500, hit 0 and the menu and then another six 0s for the code) and turning certain GPS and GPSOne options on and off and testing if MSS detects the phone as a GPS receiver and have not made any progress so far.

If anyone can offer up any advice or methods to try, I'll be willing to help out with this hack. Also, I'd like to know if the GPS being used will cost airtime (if so I'll just use it at night lol - free nights) or if its cost-free.

Thanks in advance.

-tigr

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the gps in the phone is for THEM to find YOU...they dont have it set up to be end-user friendly yet. You can do like me and get a $35 usb gps receiver from ebay and use MS streets and trips or Delmorme or whatever you wish.

Originally Posted by tigrfire

Alright, I've searched the internet and this forum intensively and have found a lot about getting your location via the GPS built into your phone. This is cool, but isn't really taking the tool of your phone's built in GPS far enough.

I make a lot of long road trips and have a laptop permanently in my car with Microsoft Streets 2006 on it. As we all know, MSS2006 supports GPS receivers to offer navigational-style driving. So it only makes logical sense we should try and link our GPS phones with a program that supports a GPS receiver.

I've been messing around in the Service Menus (on my VX8500, hit 0 and the menu and then another six 0s for the code) and turning certain GPS and GPSOne options on and off and testing if MSS detects the phone as a GPS receiver and have not made any progress so far.

If anyone can offer up any advice or methods to try, I'll be willing to help out with this hack. Also, I'd like to know if the GPS being used will cost airtime (if so I'll just use it at night lol - free nights) or if its cost-free.

Thanks in advance.

-tigr

If you really felt so inclined, you could write a Java based application that translates the "location services" and spit out NEMA via one of the ports (assuming that the serial port/blue-tooth port is accessible through any API), and then your maps program shouldn't know the difference. you would have to fake some of the data, as i don't think the phone would know which satellites it's looking at, etc. (NEMA spits out a lot more than just lat/longs)

This sounds like a fun project, but few things to note. The "location services," although sometimes referred to as "GPS" on some of the marketing materials, is not truly GPS. (although I think there may be a handful of some phones that have a true GPS receiver) The Location services are simply done by calculating the differential timing from the various carrier signals embedded in CDMA protocol from each tower. Each tower has one or more very precise GPS synced clocks. This timing is crucial to CDMA is embedded in the signal. So all you need to know is the LAT/LONG of each tower, and your phone can calculate it's own location based on that signal by detecting the latency differences of each tower. From what I understand however, since this is an indirect way to achieve GPS, the accuracy is only good to a few hundred feet. (not enough to tell which side of the road you're on, etc that a commercial GPS receiver will give you)

Perhaps one day phones will have MIMO built in, (just like the new 802.11n spec) providing better coverage as well as more precise location based services.

Karl

Originally Posted by teamneon

the gps in the phone is for THEM to find YOU...they dont have it set up to be end-user friendly yet. You can do like me and get a $35 usb gps receiver from ebay and use MS streets and trips or Delmorme or whatever you wish.

This is true about GPS.
What I use is a java app called Gmaps (its free)

Lots of good replies here, so I've got some questions.

1. Does the VX8500 support java apps? I'm not sure but I'm guessing it doesnt.
1a. If it does support java apps, it doesnt seem like you can install GMaps using the WAP method or, if you can, it doesnt seem that you can navigate to GMaps using the VX8500 interface. Any suggestions on this?
2. Does GMaps pretty much accomplish what karl mentioned? If it does, that would be cool (even though I cant get it to work..yet)

Originally Posted by tigrfire

Lots of good replies here, so I've got some questions.

1. Does the VX8500 support java apps? I'm not sure but I'm guessing it doesnt.
1a. If it does support java apps, it doesnt seem like you can install GMaps using the WAP method or, if you can, it doesnt seem that you can navigate to GMaps using the VX8500 interface. Any suggestions on this?
2. Does GMaps pretty much accomplish what karl mentioned? If it does, that would be cool (even though I cant get it to work..yet)

I have never been able to get anything on the phone usig the web (other than paying for it)
instead I put everything on my phone via usb data cable.

Originally Posted by tigrfire

Lots of good replies here, so I've got some questions.

1. Does the VX8500 support java apps? I'm not sure but I'm guessing it doesnt.
1a. If it does support java apps, it doesnt seem like you can install GMaps using the WAP method or, if you can, it doesnt seem that you can navigate to GMaps using the VX8500 interface. Any suggestions on this?
2. Does GMaps pretty much accomplish what karl mentioned? If it does, that would be cool (even though I cant get it to work..yet)

I believe the VX8500 is a java based phone. you can use bluetooth, a usb cable or (should be able to) download it off the web/EVDO.

I'm pretty sure the interface on the VX8500 is flash based but the rest of the phone I don't know. How do you install java apps using a usb cable? I have one and know how to use it with bitpim, but even if I transfer the jad or jar file over, don't I have to do something to run it?

would this work on my lgvx9800, i have the minisd 1gb and the usb cord for it, Would it work like just with the phone alone? or do i need to purchase something?

Will it work with my verizon lg vx 5200pp?
If so, how do I get the application on my phone using the usb data cable?
I currently use the program BitPim to load images and ringers but there is no place to upload applications. Is there other software that I need?

has anyone here used the gmap application ont heir phone?

I've used it and here's more on gmaps:

You could always just download VZ Navigator from Get It Now. This will allow you to use the GPS in your phone for road maps, instructions, etc. There is a 15 day trial period, or $3 for a day's use, or $10 monthly subscription. If you did this, you'd have immediate results and you wouldn't have to worry about going through and programming anything.

i will try out gmaps on my vx8500 and see if it works
i upload through the USB data cable using BitPim
first i have to figure out where to upload though

btw the vx8500 DOES SUPPORT java

Originally Posted by spum

You could always just download VZ Navigator from Get It Now. This will allow you to use the GPS in your phone for road maps, instructions, etc. There is a 15 day trial period, or $3 for a day's use, or $10 monthly subscription. If you did this, you'd have immediate results and you wouldn't have to worry about going through and programming anything.

I can save $10 a month by not using it!

i was searching for the same thing. there is an appication called extgps for s60 mobile phones, but haven't tried it yet myself.it's free, google it around