GPS on the 3G iPhone

There are rumors and only rumors about the 3G iPhone that is almost definitely coming within the next two months, but they if most of the rumors are true the 3G iPhone will be amazing.

The first question is whether or not the 3G iPhone is going to be a complete rework or simply a mildly updated version of the best phone ever made. As with any technology though, there is really not much since in coming out with a mildly updated device a year after the original launch. There has been such growth in the industry that if the iPhone isn’t completely revamped t will be light years behind the other competitors as far as hardware is concerned.

The feature of most concern to me today is the inclusion of GPS on the 3G iPhone. Without the GPS, the iPhone will quickly be moving behind the pack with all of the other Blackberrys and PDA smartphones coming with it standard. With that in mind it would be hard to believe that Apple would let the others get ahead. They are always on the leading edge of technology and design so it only makes sense to include the GPS.

We will have to wait until June 9th most likely to know for sure what will be on the new 3G iPhone, but I am sure Apple will have plenty of exciting news for everyone on that day.

iPhone Gets the 1.1.3 Update

As you all know the iPhone got its new update and it is a big one. If you want to still use the jailbreaking and third party software you need to wait until the iPhone unlocking community comes up with a way to unlock it.

The new update looks like it is a god one with a lot of additions to the Google Maps which we wanted from the start. It is still hard to understand why Apple did not include GPS on the original iPhone, but this cell tower/wifi triangulation thing will have to suffice for now. I will have to do further testing to see how accurate it actually is.

Does anyone think that $4 for a movie rental is a fair price. It is a great function that Apple is adding to iTunes, Apple TV, and the iPhone, but it seems a bit much for a movie rental that you have to watch on such a small screen unless you have Apple TV or your computer is hooked up to the TV. If anyone can charge that much leave it to Apple. I still download music from them sometimes even though it is a lot more expensive than other places. They just provide you with peace of mind when it comes to quality I guess.

iPhone Faster Than It Has Ever Been

The iPhone is actually faster now after the new firmware update.  Before the update the iPhone ran at 400 mhz and after the update it runs at a whopping 412mhz.  I know what you are thinking, who cares right.  Well no one should actually.  That is really not significant enough to notice anything in my opinion, but it does clue us into another less know fact about the iPhone.  It actually has the ability to run at over 600mhz.  This would make it one of the fastest out there.  It seems that Apple slowed the clock speed down so that the iPhone could conserve more energy and the battery life would be longer.  This seems like a great idea, but don't you think it would be an even better idea to let the user decide what is more important.  Well, then again that is how it works for everything about the iPhone.  Most people would have taken the 3G capability for less battery life.  Most people would probably take the GPS for an extra $50 and less battery life, but Apple does not want the user to decide for this first model.  They wanted everything to work flawlessly even if that means sacrificing a few things that people would love to have on their iPhone.  I love Apple, but sometimes they really make me mad.  This is the best product out there right now in terms of cell phones and yet I still crave more.  I have to start being more content with what I have or I am really going to dig myself a hole with all of these gadgets.

GPS For The iPhone

Finally companies are making an effort to make GPS available on the iPhone. This is not a great option, but it is a start. The program is called Navizon, and it works without having any GPS receiver. I have not tried this program yet as I have taken the installer program of of my iPhone until the next major update so that they can get everything working good again, but there are already user responses to the program.

The program works by using cellular towers and wi-fi to triangulate the position of the iPhone. This is a great idea in theory, but it sounds like this is not very accurate unless you have lots of wi-fi signal all around you. Also, I don't believe that there is any real attempt to make a navigation system out of this program. The application can only tell you where you are, but it will not be able to give directions based on where you are. This is a disappointment for me, but it may be useful to some.

All in all this is a good step in the right direction and hopefully soon we will see a true GPS system for the iPhone with a GPS receiver and full program.