Arne Hess from the::unwired has again given us a treat.  Today he shows one of the features of the Samsung SGH-i780, the  A-GPS receiver and has a video that gives a pretty good look at its functionality.

Standard GPS receivers must download data from GPS satellites. This is difficult and can take several minutes. A-GPS dramatically improves the performance of GPS receivers by providing them with data that they would ordinarily have to download from the GPS satellites. With A-GPS data, GPS receivers can operate faster and more reliably.

The end result? Significantly better performance particularly when either in an area where signals are weak or if you are surrounded by tall buildings.  

To use the i780'S A-GPS receiver, the mobile phone radio needs to be turned on. In flight mode, A-GPS cannot be used. The i780 indicates in the phone application if the A-GPS receiver is in use or not. On the left a screenshot with A-GPS off, on the right A-GPS on and in use:

You definitely want to head over to watch Arne's video where he uses Google Map Mobile to find himself:

Click here for a Windows Mobile optimized Video Stream (1341 KB)

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