iPhone 2.0 beta gets geotagging?
By Paul Miller 
posted May 22nd 2008 10:41AM
posted May 22nd 2008 10:41AM
[Thanks, SuperSaf]
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True. I love how Apple gets praised for having breakthrough technology, (or praises themselves) and they get away with it because the general public just doesn't know any better.
I'm the general public becuase I haven't seen any phones that would use geotagging, let alone FOR YEARS.
I could take a wild guess and say N95 does it though...
This is nothing. Pretty much any WinMo phone with GPS does geo-tagging. At least my TyTn II does. It's only a big deal if you're an apple fanboy.
hrt - Is Apple claiming this is breakthrough technology? Is Apple claiming they're the first to bring it to market? Is ANYBODY saying they're the first to bring it to market?
Your comment makes absolutely no sense.
Every Helio since the Drift - including Ocean, Heat, Fin and Mysto - has had geotagging of both pictures and video with auto upload to Flickr and YouTube.
GPS-enabled Google Maps, too...
I'm getting here after 17 comments, and only one of them is positive. Even the original post says that Apple is late to the game. So, why are you saying that everyone is praising Apple for this feature?
I like them because they're including alot more features than I paid for, and I will get them for free. But this feature, in particular, doesn't make me say that Steve Jobs is a god or that Bill is going to be asking Steve for a loan once Microsoft flops. Get real.
Oh yeah, isn't there a feature to turn off Apple-related posts? Do it instead of complaining, please.
Apple is really late to the game, Nokia are only just (literally) about to launch their first phone with geotagging built in (the N78)
You can do it on the N95 but you need to find and download the right app
I can't assume this is real, but it would be nice!
Yeah, I suppose it's only a big deal if you're a normal person and doesn't want to carry around any WinMo phone capable of this (HTC, etc.) that was easily TWICE the size of an iPhone, or maybe you didn't want to pay $800 for an 8gig N95. So yeah, to the majority of people, 2008 is going to start being their first introduction to 'geotagging' and GPS on their phones.
Haters, we see you out there and we have geotagged your corny neighborhood. It's OK to not buy an iPhone if you don't find it to your liking.
"you didn't want to pay $800 for an 8gig N95."
Not everyone lives in the US. Europeans have been enjoying free Nokia N95 8GBs for a while now.
I lol'd @ "corny neighborhood"
oh, the images that conjures...
Can anyone say GPS?
"GPS"
What do I win?
you win a nice steaming pile of...
mashed potatoes.
I sure hope this uses GPS and not Google's cell triangulation process.. because if they use Google, those geotags are going to be miles off the mark most of the time.
very nice
Is it just me or does it look like the battery icon has lines in it? like a graph sorta thingy.
that would be the poor aliasing of the images.
Also, the options icon in the lower right has changed from an eye symbol to a curling paper symbol.
I don't get it
"Camera" would like to Narfle the Garthok.
Don't Allow Ok?
I don't understand how the camera would want to do something... Just take the damn picture...
Ha. Coneheads! A friend of mine always used that phrase to refer to smoking weed.
The camera does just take the damn picture. What it's asking for is permission to pull data from another app. It's called a security feature, it has nothing to do with the iPhone's ability to just take pictures.
All I want is cut and paste.
wasn't there a whole apple commercial about vista's allow/deny? now they put it on the iphone...
Oh good catch!
Uhhh no there would be an option to "ask everytime" or "always allow" that's pretty much how it always works with stuff like this.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm really glad if Apple's going to be asking me first before sending my exact location who knows where.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm really glad if Microsoft's going to be asking me first before giving admin privileges to who knows what.
I can't wait for this thing.
I can't wait for this thing to just go away.
From the photo, it looks like its getting bad phone and date reception. They should work on that before all these fancy doodads..
Sorry to pour water on the fire, but Mobile Google Maps has had approximate locationing for quite a while now. It bases your location on your local GSM transmitter. Work's quite well on my N82.
So I suspect they are just updating the Google Maps App to work like it's JavaME brother. I do think they are doing Geotagging, but I suspect it isn't GPS.
why in the bottom right of the first screen is the icon indicating that its about to open up to see the other options (list, satelite, maps etc) but also a pop up has come up. hmmmm
The true problem is that the average consumer DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY and APPLE capitalizes on their stupidity.
I remember three years ago when I was a store manager at BBY - i'd get the most ignorant, uninformed customers who'd come in shopping for a birthday gift asking me "whats the difference beween an ipod and an Mp3 player"?
I would ALWAYS steer them away from ipods and towards Toshiba's Gigabeats or Creative's Zen using radio tuner and replaceable batteries as a hook. I personally cost Apple at least several million dollars in sales over the few years I worked there.
I don't appreciate the way they sell their products to unknowing customers and get away with it just because of the fashion fad cult lore. Therefore I ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
(mac fans - the low rank button is above and to the right)
I am sure you personal crusade really made a difference to Apple. how about you let your customers try each device, and let market opinion take its course? I mean the fact that you steered people in the direction of ANY Creative MP3 product makes me feel kind of bad for those consumers. Yes, I had a Zen, and yes it was a piece of garbage.
What a small life.
^lol
"I mean the fact that you steered people in the direction of ANY Creative MP3 product makes me feel kind of bad for those consumers. Yes, I had a Zen, and yes it was a piece of garbage."
You should have got a Zen Vision: M then, couldn't be happier with mine
And Best Buy wonders why people hate their employees.
Your job is to direct a consumer to the best solution based on their needs, technical level, and budget. You job isn't to take some irrational hatred of a company and pass it on. iPods are successful because most people have an easy time using them, along with iTunes to get music onto the device. They weren't the first MP3 (digital music player would be a better term) device on the market, but they were the first to help bring the concept down to a level people could understand. Do I own an iPod personally? No. I enjoy the advanced features my Rio Karma still offers above the iPods, but I'm not going to sit here and direct someone clueless with tech away from one just because of my personal preference. And neither should a Best Buy employee, especially a manager. Sure, offer them alternatives, but present the devices honestly, and not deceptively.
people like flashpoint are the reason why I don't shop at BBY anymore... and I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment.
"The true problem is that the average consumer DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY and APPLE capitalizes on their stupidity."
Then explain the alternatives and let their judgement of needs decide. I don't personally own an iPod (in fact, I'm a bit anti-Apple), but I have recommended them to friends simply because it'll work best for them.
Flashpoint is doing his job and what consumers expect when they seek advice from the electronics salespeople that presumably know more than just the product marketing buzzwords.
When you go to a store you should get an honest opinion of what product is best, for your needs and for your dollar. To think that Flashpoint has this deep hatred of Apple is probably an overreaction. It sounds to me like he hates that marketing drives many people’s decisions vs. true product pro’s and cons and Apple does a very good job marketing. But like I said earlier, the advice provided by the salesperson should not just be regurgitated marketing speak on behalf of the manufacturer.
While the iPod may have the marketing edge, the Zen, Gigabeat, and Zune all have some very hard to beat technical and functional advantages over the iPod. So he pointed the customer in the direction that he felt would serve them best and give them the most for their money… that is unless they tie their ego to how trendy their MP3 player is.
[off topic]
Just a question, is the 2.0 firmware already jail-broken (or will be soon)? or will we have few days/weeks until we can get our hands the new firmware and the 3G iPhone (if released). Does it depend on any sort of new boot loader or different kinda locks on the 3G iPhone?
Thanks.
[/off topic]
pwned
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/29/video-of-the-iphone-pwned-project-in-action/
I'm gonna call BS on this one. I've been using Beta 5 for weeks now, and I haven't come across this even though I use the Google maps and camera a lot.
Did you not notice the build number? It's newer than Beta 5. Oy, are you really a developer if that's not the first thing you looked at?
Is it because your iPhone doesn't have a GPS ??? :D
This feature is just for the new iPhones with 3G and GPS.
Honestly Paul, what exactly is your problem? Is Apple *claiming* to be the first one to bring this feature to the market? No? Then why the snide commentary? Is it a problem if Apple includes features that people might like? Because as far as I can tell, that's all they're doing. Should they be chastised for that? Here I was thinking adding new features was actually a good thing.
Flashpoint, you hate Apple and you're a moron, we get it. No need to keep reminding us.
I think we should create a fund for Zak, so he could earn a penny every time he defends Apple. We could have a millionaire pretty quickly...j/k ;-)
/agree
I like how when I make a point all you can do is insult me instead of countering the point I made. To me, that says my point is actually a pretty good one since nobody seems to be able to counter it.
If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that I'm not defending Apple, I'm condemning stupidity. There's a difference.
Here's a solution: don't call people morons.
Flashpoint IS a moron. Do you really disagree with that? Furthermore, the point I was making was in the first part of the post, not the last part. And you still haven't been able to counter it. Thanks for proving me right... again.
I think what everyone here is trying to say is that Steve Jobs presents his products as novel, when on most occasions they aren't. In fact, most Apple products are improvements on old ideas, although they come with arguably one of the best industrial designs. I mean seriously, if you watched the iPhone keynote, he acted like having your music muted when you received a call was something only he could have thought of and was simply AMAZING *BOOM*. He did that same thing with calling numbers in emails. So...NO, Apple isn't claiming they are the "FIRST" to the market, but they are definitely acting like it.
In terms of innovation and being "first" with the iPhone I'd say:
1. Use of capacitive touchscreen, atleast I've never seen that in cellphones.
2. Proximity sensors + Accelerometer use.
3. Intuitive UI
Nomi: Really? When did Apple say 3G in the iPhone was novel? Can you show me a link? yeah, that's kind of my entire point. Apple never said it was novel, did they? Nor did Jobs present it that way. Ever. At all.
So where did that sentiment come from? It came from the idiot Apple-hating monkeys on this board. Funny how that works, isn't it? Steve Jobs himself specifically said that Apple takes current technologies and improves them, or makes them easier to use. This is not new information or a revelation of any kind.
And no, Jobs did not act like it was something only he could have thought of. That's your bias interacting with reality. Jobs acted like it was a cool feature. That's because it is a cool feature. He did NOT say Apple was the first one to think of it or do it. Can you see the difference there, between your perceptions and reality? All I do is stick to reality. it works for me.
All you apple haters calm yourselves, apple doesn't get it's brownie points for implementing new technologies, they get them for making them user friendly and non-threatening to those who are less tech-inclined.
Case and point, my dad made his own website on a Mac.... his VCR most definitely still blinks 12:00 and will forever unless i do something about it. So lay off the hate and appreciate that apple doesn't just implement a technology and let the user figure out how to wade through the jargon/configuration/setup, instead they offer a pop-up (if the screen shots are real) that, yes, any idiot, can decode and figure out how to use.
Electrical tape fixes that.
I'm just amazed he still HAS a VCR...
what is a VCR?
My N82 does this. It's fun. If you have an N-Series device with GPS you can download the app that adds the feature for free from the Nokia Labs.
Woops, any english profs. gonna bash me for case and point.... I know... should be case in point, sorry.
Apple keeps adding new and marginally useful features, yet keeps dropping on the ball on the holy grail - MMS.
You think MMS is the holy grail? Obviously you've never heard of email. That's understandable, email is a pretty obscure technology. And since all iPhones have an unlimited data plan, why would you use it anyway? Better to get charged separately for MMS. That definitely makes more sense. And sure, why not - adding 3rd party app support is "marginally useful".
MadMike, a point I tried to make on the other iParse article.
The point being that you haven't heard of email either? Look, it's not Apple's fault that other phones/OSes have terrible email clients while the iPhone has a good one. It doesn't make MMS better than email, and it certainly doesn't make it cheaper.
Zak zak zak zak zak ZAK: Listen, just cause you like to force everyone to email your damn phone doen't mean that everyone else wants to pay 10-45 cents + data charges to do it.
Now if Apple would develop something that converted a text message that you would receive into an email for you, that would be nice. So we can't all just complain and not provide solutions. Solutions is what makes a product better. So lets hold Apple's hand here in making the iPhone less of an iPhail.
Zak: Maybe I have friends who do not have E-mail on their phones and who still like to send MMS messages.
Again, maybe in the future MMS like USPS Mail will fade away forever, but for now, it's still very much alive.
I agree with you MadMike....hey Zak are you being paid by Apple or something???Anything that is not on the iphone is obsolete or what...are you trying to say this...there are thousands of people who send MMS...and many iphone users miss that feature too.
Oh right, because MMS doesn't cost anything to use. Oh wait... yes it does. Email, however, is free on the iPhone. Sorry, does that not fit in with the way you think things should work? Is it Apple's fault you're being forced to use inferior technology because your data plan sucks?
MMS is crap, and it's going to go away like the floppy drive did, once everybody starts following Apple's lead and implements better email clients and unlimited data plans. "I have to pay for email" is not the same thing as "MMS is a better technology". Place the blame where it belongs, not on Apple.
Zak zak zak zak zak ZAK: Listen, there are enough non-iPhone users to keep MMS going for years.
And.... that makes my point less valid how, exactly? As I said in another post, the answer is for phone software and hardware companies to better support email, not for more people to support inferior technology.
I mean MMS is the holy grail? Really? Do you always strive for mediocrity?
The upside to adding MMS support would to be increase revenue. I hear them Apple people like the green backs. Thats why you gotta buy a $600 phone that the doesn't have features LIKE MMS that the free phones give you.
Sure, if by $600 you mean $400. And let's not get into the "iPhone is so expensive" argument, because seriously - N95. Conversation over.
And maybe you haven't heard, but the iPhone can actually send pictures via email. Real easily. With no associated costs and unlimited data. So why does the iPhone need MMS so badly again?
Oh right, to compensate for people whose phones have terrible email support or crappy data plans. Yeah because that's the business Apple is in. Catering to people with other manufacturer's phones. Yeah gosh, now that it's all spelled out like that, it makes perfect sense.
Ya I what if I need to send pictures to someone who doesn't have a smartphone. OR OR OR what if I wanted to send a picture to someone with and iPhone and I only had MMS. Also, your floppy argument is essentially flop because if you remember when the iMac came out (how old were u 5?) ppl were really scratching their heads. My friend bought one and I laughed at him for ages until he finally bought an external and could get some work done. I still remember when we had to do anything that needed DATA from another SOURCE, he'd say "sorry can't do it on my new green iMAC, lets go to my pc in the other room, but oh look guess what, I HAVE A BUILT IN MIC, do you have one?". FAIL
Also, on another note, not everyone can own the latest technology. A little legacy support is required if all you have is
It ate my comment...argh, me not an Apple hater, but a fan-boy hater. Cheers ;-). You should go to Gizmodo, where they praise the Jesus phone, or w.e they call it.
Email people's numbers. I have all my friends I regularly MMS's phone numbers set up as email contact too.
1234567890@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Alltel: message.alltel.com
AT&T/Cingular/Legacy: mms.att.net, txt.att.net, mmode.com, mms.mycingular.com, cingularme.com
Dobson/Cellular One: mms.dobson.net
Helio: mms.myhelio.com
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd: mms.three.co.uk
LUXGSM S.A.: mms.luxgsm.lu
NetCom (Norway): mms.netcom.no
Nextel: messaging.nextel.com
O2 Germany: mms.o2online.de
Orange & Regional Oranges: orangemms.net, mmsemail.orange.pl, orange.fr
PXT New Zealand: pxt.vodafone.net.nz
Sprint: pm.sprint.com, messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: tmomail.net
Verizon: vzwpix.com, vtext.com
7on,
That only explains one way. If they are not technically inclined people, like nextel users, they are not going to mms to my email. They get a picture or funny video and they send it to everyone on their address book in 3 simple clicks.
It would just be better if apple would get its head out of its ass and enable the F^&%ing MMS already.
In Soviet Cupertino, Steve tells you how to communicate!
Must be a legit shot.. there are only 2 bars of service.
Why does virtually every iphone screenshot have wifi on and not edge?
You really have to ask that question?
I'm guessing because they were/are all taken at home, or at a business/office where someone was working/developing on/for the device, etc, all of which most likely have wifi.
I guess it only makes sense that you would Geotag the photos you take on the iPhone. This basically tells you "if you want to actually make out what your looking at since the camera is shit, go here".
And it appears that the iPhone get's Vista's UAC! ;)
Yipeedoo; my phone hasn't done this for 5 years! Hey why didn't Engadget post on that 5 years ago?
I don't know what can be done in photoshop but could someone have used something like that to make this. The battery does look kinda funny.
I think you use Photoshop to shop photos.
ZAC, here is a lesson in computer technology and business:
MMS is a simple way to send a photo from one phone to another. Sending it via email to another phone is not nearly as simple. The reason Apple has been successful in the past is because they have been able to simplify computer technology for the masses. (ie: point and click OS UI, the ipod mp3 player, imac) Technology should be simple and useful... a lot of geeks out there do not understand that. Apple is also the leader in video chat and it doesnt surprise me. Video chatting will be common pretty soon and Apple would have simplified that too.
Franc - see what I did there? I misspelled your name with a C, even
though it's spelled correctly right in front of me - Condescension is
not going to work on me. Sending pictures via email on the iPhone damn
well IS that simple, and if you had ever tried it you would know that.
So where is the problem really?
Yes, the problem is that nobody else, hardware or software-wise,
seems to be able to implement email worth a damn, and/or the data
plans suck and don't make email feasible. However, why is that
Apple's fault? Apple was the first one to stop using floppy drives,
and everybody bitched about it at first, but do you need floppy
drives any more?
Lack of good support for email does not mean inferior technology
suddenly becomes better. Apple did it right, and the others didn't.
I'd say the answer is not for more people to use MMS, but really for
email to be better implemented and supported on other platforms.
Zak....dude emailing is simple from any smartphone...from my phone(SE P1i) I can send any document or photo or sound file on my phone or memory card...can you do that on the iphone without jailbreaking it....oh no you cannot
and ya...my phone also has an additional feature of sending MMS which you can receive on most phones and oh not the iphone...without even paying $20 for the data plan
so...you see Zak...dont just go about justifying things
next...if the new iphone doesnt have GPS...how would you justify that
are you a close aid of Steve Jobs or what???
Vidit, do you work for Microsoft or something? Why is it any time there's an Apple-related thread you always have something negative to say?
Anyway, you missed the point. The point is why would you use MMS if you can use email?
Zak....the point is email vs mms...which comes from nowhere in this forum related to "MAPS"...did you miss the point this time
now...again saying that i use SE P1i...which uses Symbian OS...do i sound like working for microsoft???
but cutting at people, who point out problems with apple products, does point at you working for apple.
and please do not try to justify how and why does apple not include functionality in their products
Yes, I know it has nothing to do with MAPS. However, I wasn't the one who brought it up, I'm responding to somebody else whining about the iPhone not having MMS. Go back and read the other comments and get caught up.
And you're not making any sense. I'm not allowed to have an opinion contrary to yours without being an Apple employee? How does that work? You have an opinion contrary to mine, so you must work for Microsoft. See how I'm using the same logic there?
And of course I can justify why the iPhone doesn't have MMS. It's because Apple made email work so well on the iPhone, in terms of usability, functionality, and feasability (unlimited data plan). In case you haven't noticed, there are more people using email than MMS. You only MMS to other phones, but with email you can send to other phones or to anything else that can receive email.
That sort of provides its own justification, I'm not sure why I need to clarify it for you. MMS is crappy technology, and it will go away as soon as other phones and their OSes and apps and data plans provide better support for email.
Zak...do you ever read??? you can find in this thread itself i mentioned how another phone works better with emails than an iphone and has mms functionality too (so you said usability and functionality)...i can have a $15 unlimited data plan on my phone as well (is that what you termed as feasibility)
and if i buy a $5 messaging plan from AT&T (giving me 200 messages...same as the iphone) i can send 200 MMS without spending another cent...it costs $20 and i guess additional functionality of MMS...now will this come under "feasibility"
but for you i guess there is only one phone...so no point telling you that there are others as well and that the features that iphone is coming up with are already available on older handsets
Yeah... you still don't get it. People are complaining that the iPhone doesn't have MMS. My point is that it doesn't need MMS for reasons that I have outlined a few times in this thread already.
The phone you use has nothing to do with the point I've been making. Here's the question you need to answer: If you can use email and MMS on your phone, why would you use MMS? Answer that question.
...
Well said +1
It doesn't say "GPS" anywhere on the screenshot...my phone (SE P1i) has google maps which does the same thing and it doesnt have GPS either. Google maps has a functionality to approximately find the current location may be using the cellular network or something.
My friend has an HTC P3300 with GPS in-built...Google maps loaded on his phone says "Use GPS" to find current location.
I am amused how Engadget terms it as "GPS-based" and everyone gets excited that Apple's gonna launch something new...guys this is an old technology.
In the grand scheme of things, yeah, this is "old" tech (as it pointed out in the article). I haven't seen anyone saying otherwise. It's only "something new" in terms of features/functionality available on the iPhone.
There will be no true GPS Chip on the 3G iPhone, Apple wants to make money, there is no need to add this feature as iPhone sells well without it. Maybe 3.0 iPhone may have it, but right now for $50 you can get the GPS interface in the coming month.
http://gomite.com/
Apple goal is to make people buy using iTunes, so they will focus on Music and Video rentals, rather no revenue by adding GPS device.