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Hi all, I plan to use Map4PDA and Location-Based Services on my Q. If I already have unlimited "Sprint Vision"/Data via the SERO plan, will I be charged extra for Location-Based Services?
i currently work for sprint/nextel. the current service that will work for it is a gps program "Telenav". its 9.99 per month and you have to register from their site for the service to be activated. if you see yourself using it regularly, then it might be worth it. check here TeleNav GPS Navigator that should answer some questions for u. good luck
So your a Sprint employee eh? Why am I not surprised you telling him this then... lol
Do you realize that if go to the TeleNav - Always find your way! website / Products / Supported Devices / Sprint and check the phones listed the Q isn't yet listed as compatible?
There's apparently a firmware issue with the Q that's preventing software from using the built in A-GPS receiver and Sprint/motorola haven't released a patch for it yet. At least not that i'm aware of. If I'm wrong about that please do tell use where to download the firmware patch from.
Heck for that matter Telenav doesn't even support the Q with an external bluetooth GPS receiver at the moment, let alone the Q's built in A-GPS! They're supposed to be working on a solution though.
I've also heard Motorola has a buggy beta DLL in developement that enables NMEA com port access to the built in A-GPS receiver. If they actually release that alot of GPS based apps that are designed around NMEA com port access to GPS coordinates would work...
Last edited by Motoqicus : 04-11-2007 at 12:05 PM.
The Motorola Q is now listed along with other Windows Mobile devices. HOWEVER!!!!! It is a TOTAL JOKE!!! You need to purchase a GPS receiver for it to work. Hey, I have a GPS receiver and get Live Search or Maps for PDA for FREE!!! Live Search does what TeleNav does for free.
The whole point of getting the TeleNav service is so you have GPS directions WITHOUT having to carry arround extra equipment. The Q has a built in GPS just like other phones WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
I think perhaps you are letting your hate for Sprint get in the way of the facts!! Maps for PDA and Live Search do not come close to doing everything TeleNav does. Not even close. The two programs you mentioned will give you maps with directions but does not give you turn by turn voice directions. That is what TeleNav is designed for and does extremely well. TeleNav is like installing a Garmin or Tom Tom unit in your car except it uses a independent GPS receiver and you Moto Q for the video and voice. You are trying to compare apples to oranges.
As for the GPS issue, just about every mobile phone today is manufactured with GPS that gives emergency services the ability to locate the phone but most do not have the capability of a full GPS receiver. A few do, but most don't.
A-GPS, or assisted GPS, a form of location detection in which cell phone towers help GPS satellites fix a cell phone caller's position.
My comment about hate for Sprint has nothing to do with anything. I have been a Sprint customer for over 10 years with 4 phones on my plan. I have not changed as I have not been able to find a cell company with a better network. I have tried.
My comment was directed at companies in general not taking the extra effort for their customers. My comment should have been directed at TeleNav for not putting out the effort. TeleNav is not going the extra mile to write drivers to get the GPS info from SmartPhones and Pocket PC Phone editions. The GPS in those phones are just as good as the ones in the supported phones. I can dial ##33284#, then select GPS Data and get the my lattitude/longitude. Why can't TeleNav write a code that gets that info so I don't need to carry around a GPS device? Is it that they just don't have Windows Mobile experiance?
So again I ask what's the problem Sprint and TeleNav. Don't we count?
Live Search does give me turn by turn directions but not voice. BUT at $120 PER YEAR (plus additional hardware, plus $300 per year for the Internet Connection) TeleNav should do much more. There are several mapping software programs that do everything that TeleNav does without the monthly charges. I have NavTeq for my Dell (paid $149) and it is BETTER than NavTeq with no Monthly charges at all and works no matter what the cell coverage is. The Motorola Q is a Pocket PC device with all the necessary hardware to operate as a GPS Navigation unit. It just needs software.
I am willing to pay the $9.99 a month if I don't have to carry around a GPS reciever. Otherwise there are much better and cheaper software options available.
With my NavTeq (same as what is installed in most cars) or GoPilot or any other map packages, the maps are available even when you are out of Cell Phone range. That is the big problem with TeleNav, Live Search, Google Maps, etc. If you are out of range, you are out of luck. But with the NavTeq or GoPilot the maps are on the device and you do not need any cell service for your navigation.
Again, the main advantage of TeleNav is that all you need is your phone. Since the TeleNav service for TeleNav requires a separate GPS device, it no longer has any advantage over the NavTeq or the other GPS Mapping systems. In fact it is at a disadvantage as it requires a cell conneciton.
I think you are comparing apples to HORSES when you attempt to compare TeleNav to Garmin or Tom Tom. There is NO comparison. I was at least close in my comparisons.
Sorry for the long response, but the Apples to Oranges comment needed a detailed reponse for users that don't have experiance with GPS navigation on Windows Mobile devices. I bought my Dell Axim x51v three years ago specifically for GPS navigation. It's GREAT.
The reason the built-in GPS does not work with software like TeleNav has nothing to do with the reluctance or the inability of software vendors to write proper drivers. The built-in GPS has been disabled by Motorola from the factory for everything other than emergency 911 use. This was probably done to save battery life, which is already at a premium. I have used an HP iPaq hw6515 which DOES allow you to use the internal GPS antenna (use it with TomTom Navigator 5) and it would eat through the battery like it was candy. On a Q I would imagine you could probably navigate for less than an hour before the battery life would be exhausted.
However I do agree that there are better options than TeleNav, but it's all about what works for you. I use Route66 with my Holux GPS receiver and prefer that to paying a monthly fee.
I wondered about this after receiving the response from Jim stating that the GPS could be used. Everything I had read said that AGPS did not have the ability. Jim said it did but software companies like TeleNav for some reason wouldn't take advantage of it. I did a little research last night and discovered that what Jim and you said is correct. The ability is there but is is not available to us. In fact one article stated that the GPS in a phone if turned on would probably be better than most systems because the response time is quicker. Reading that it was turned off made me wonder if Sprint was responsible but that didn't make sense to me because Q's on other networks don't have the ability either. So you must be right, it must be Motorolla.
Here is my question. There are other phones that have the function enabled. Understanding that the Q aready has a battery charge life issue, I sill wonder how the other phones are able to make it work. Are their batteries that much better that it makes it worthwile. Also, since I primarily use the Navagation system in my car and my phone could always be plugged in, then isn't the battery issue really a mute point? Wouldn't it make sense to give the consumer the ability to have it turned on if desired understanding the battery demands? Couldn't this be a selling point? Are there other reasons Motorolla might have the function turned off?
Since I aready have a GPS receiver it won't make a lot of difference to me but I would like to know the reasons. Still very satisfied with my receiver and TeleNav but when my years subcription is up I will certainly check out the other options you have mentioned. My wife tried her's out for the first time a couple of days ago and came home really excited about it.
I think we are looking in the wrong direction. If you notice, all the Windows Mobile based phones (not just the Q) have their internal GPS data blocked from the Windows Mobile OS. The GPS devices have the same capabilities as non Windows Mobile phones, but the access is blocked. Also, the GPS Control panel is removed from SmartPhones and I believe Windows Mobile Phone Editions. So this is happening at the OS level. For some reason, they don't want Windows Mobile based phones to be able to use the internal GPS.
Now don't run off and blame Microsoft. The vendors and manufacturers make the decisions as to what is and what is not included in the Windows Mobile edition that is put on your phone. That's why you need to get your updates from the Manufacturer and not Microsoft. Even on the Q the OS is differant between Verizon and Sprint. But there is something going on with the GPS device we don't know about.
Most Windows Mobile GPS mapping software is looking for a serial stream (Bluetooth or USB) to determine and track the current position. They want to have a Serial Port Number (Com1:, Com5:...) to connect to. The internal GPS re3ceivers on these phones do not seem to generate an outgoing stream, but, it does store and update the location. I am hoping somebody will write a driver that grabs the GPS data and simulates a serial port tranmission of the data so GPS mapping software can use it. Until then, we just need to carry around a separate GPS device.
"For some reason, they don't want Windows Mobile based phones to be able to use the internal GPS."
Usually a financial reason involved in this kind of decision. What would happen to the industry that produces and sells Mobil GPS receivers? Could be some back scratching going on here.
I'm way over my head in tech knowledge here and you guys seem to be very savvy with this. If it is blocked, should it be that difficult for someone to develop software to unblock the GPS? Hackers seem to be able to get into everything now a days. Should this be any different?
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