Navizon brings virtual GPS to all

It's not like a Bluetooth or USB GPS sensor will exactly cost you an arm and a leg these days, but monies is monies, and Navizon's new "software only GPS" solution sounds like it'll do the trick just fine. It's not an exactly new idea, but Navizon is really bringing GPS to the peoples with their "peer-to-peer" solution that uses WiFi base stations, cell towers and actual GPS users to triangulate location data for users. The Navizon API can now be embedded straight onto a webpage, giving web developers new nefarious ways to track users, or perhaps even offer fancy functionality if they're feeling particularly magnanimous. There's also a mobile API, and a "reward program" for devices that are packing their own GPS functionality and contributing location data to the system. Sounds like a good time for all, but we'll be interested to see how this works out in practice.

[Gennaro @ Oct 10th 2006 9:04AM]

Great, now all we need are implantable RFID chips, or an RFID implanted in our new upcoming REAL ID, and voila, the government has a fix on you whenever they want.

[shmengie @ Oct 10th 2006 9:30AM]

i, for one, welcome our new...umm...uhh...well now, i'm not sure exactly what sort of overlord it is i'm welcoming. but, by golly, i sure do welcome them!

[ramond @ Oct 10th 2006 5:44PM]

Hmm engadget doesnt have a link to the actual page to try it out. Its here:
http://www.searcharoundme.com

[engdgt.9.nikster @ Oct 10th 2006 10:29PM]

A GPS chip at volume costs, what, 50 cents?

I want GPS receivers in every gadget that I have.

[John @ Oct 11th 2006 1:26AM]

Probably. But even at 50 cents, your GPS chips won't work indoors, which is where I'm at 90% of the day.

[ccb @ Oct 26th 2006 4:56PM]

50 cents?!?!? maybe in several years. Right now, you're off by 15X for leading chipsset. Do the math, then multiply for 5 to get consumer pricing, and you're have a sense of what it costs, not even including antenna and the like.