Navizon virtual GPS system now iPhone-friendly
By Darren Murph 
posted Sep 19th 2007 7:31PM
posted Sep 19th 2007 7:31PM
[Via Shareloc's Blog]
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With this software, my iPhone picks up my address..... from three years ago. Since I've moved to a different part of the country, it's interesting to see that the Wi-Fi-based tracking location is the exact street I lived in way back when, but it does NOT see that I am not there, and haven't been in years. Weird. Is this just a (crazy) coincidence, or is the iPhone stalking me (although with an address that hasn't been accurate in three years)?
Is any company working on a true add-on GPS module?
Maybe just working on getting existing bluetooth GPS modules to hook up? (meaning some GPS software for the iPhone). I suppose companies like TomTom may already be working on it.... especially now that the iPhone is headed to Britain.
I'm sure companies would love to make GPS for the iPhone but they need the greenlight from Apple. On the iPhone you can't even send a picture to a friends phone via bluetooth so what chance do you think there is of pairing a GPS receiver?
umm gizmodo ran this story much earlier today...i didnt see but did you cite them?
since when is engadget a scholarly research paper?
actually they did cite thier source...my bad engadget....dude blow it out your ace
Yea - wtf does engadget need to cite gizmodo if they both stole it from yahoo - you douche bag. Here's the nickle I owe yer mom for blowing me.
"Yea - wtf does engadget need to cite gizmodo if they both stole it from yahoo - you douche bag. Here's the nickle I owe yer mom for blowing me"
That is TOO funny, I almost pissed myself. Great Stuff
I tried this today and when it worked, it is crazy cool!!
The program sometimes reports no signal. Other times it shows exact location.
Thanks Navizon.
Why does Engadget have to cite gizmodo if the source they used was yahoo? You don't go around seeing every newspaper cite the newspaper who printed about a particular story first.
but gizmodo was incorrect in saying that it was completely free, which it is not.
I'd still like to see useful 3-rd party GPS software on the iPhone.
I'm still sticking with my i730 (soon an i760...), my own choice in bluetooth GPS receivers, and my own choice in GPS software.
Talk about a poor substitute. Just buy a real phone with real GPS instead.
You have to agree with that.
Features that are built-in or original are way better than something that emulates it.
I don't understand why some of you are so spiteful. If you don't like the iPhone, read another article. But to take time out of your day to post a comment on something you hate.... seems like a bizarrely bitter way to spend your day. Deal with the fact that not everyone shares your opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own.
Anyway, anyone else encounter strange errors with this software? And I agree, a hardware GPS linked with bluetooth would be a better solution, but this software one is cool for now.
Agreed that built-in would be even better. I can wait, though.
Virtual GPS....sort of like a Virtual V8 :-)
Too bad GPS is mostly useful in places where you have no wifi access.
Tried it. I didn't find my location :(
cool cool but is hacking your iphone illgal and what about apptapp
this thing is creeping me out, it found my location fairly accurately using wifi. Can someone explain to me how it knows the coordinates of my wireless router???
it knows by locating the smell coming out of you a-hole
I wonder how long the hackers will have to be the sole providers of features that should have been included in the first iPhone before Apple implements them in the next release.
lol T-Mobile
my home router!! In toronto!!
I am very glad that the iPhone is [semi] freed from AT&T. If I didn't move to Japan I might have bought one... There are no iPhone equivalents in Japan.... yet
Ohh Manhattan? Better watch out on those subways, especially now that we all know where you are
It works better in Manhattan I will tell you that.
GPS is only accurate to a couple of blocks in the city.
I work in the business, I know.
Great concept, but not working on my iPhone ... first attempt froze my iPhone (hard reset needed), second attempt tells me it cannot connect to the server ...
Oh and what use will this be if it always has to be in contact with their server using WiFi? (versus EDGE)
Using the data from the Fieldtest.app (identifies tower etc) we (iPhone users) should be able to make a similar app and database with tower locations - Mobile Positioning (thanks ex-Ericsson colleagues!) is based on just the cellphone towers and the radio signal ... so why can't we build that ourselves for our iPhone?
(p.s. anyone out there willing to get other programmers started programming on the iPhone? Or pointers in the right direction?)
it worked when i was at school. now at home, i've tried locate a few different times, consecutively. It told me i was in CT, then AZ, then Kansas, while connected to my wifi at home. Can't locate you on Edge. I wouldnj't pay $25 for this.....
I found it interesting that the picture showed a hookup to TMobile rather than AT&T.
It didn't work at all for me. Disappointment abounds... It just tells me it can't find my location
Try turning on wi-fi even if you don't have, or are not near or connected to an access point. I got the same message ("cannot find my location", but then all worked fine once I turned on WiFi even though I couldn't connect to any of the access points (due to security).
Check out Loki.com, it does the same thing using Skyhook Wireless API. I haven't tried it, but I think it is free and is only for windows mobile users.
WiFi has to be turned on, even though it does not log into the access point. IP location is semi-accurate ~70% of the time. The other 30% you can end up with ridiculously off base results.
Worked for me, about 2 blocks off the first time, and at work, it's nearly a mile off (i work right near a Army National Guard air station, and it put my location on a runway/tarmac area.
Otherwise, it's pretty accurate, I'll check it out more this weekend when i'm running errands around town.
Oh, and GPS is accurate within a few meters, but the cheap/low power units in cell phones only get a few city blocks (i'm in the "real" industry, and I used to deal with military encrypted GPS before our government wisely removed the encryption requirements (wisely for economic reasons, not national security reasons).
Yeah, this wifi/cell tower triangulation crap needs some work...it shows my position as being in Brisbane Australia. I've never been there, and I am decidedly in Chicago at the moment. I won't keep it on my iPhone even if it were free.
I am using firmware v 1.1.1, though...some seem to be saying it doesn't work on this particular release.