kazi221

Ok, im new to the whole pda thing, but im a cellphone and computer wiz... Now my question for you all is this, I use nextel, all of their phones coming out have built in GPS, and i have seen on ebay the cables to connect the axim to a cellphone. Now this is my question if i buy the cable that would go from my gps enabled phone to my axim, is there a way for me to have a program on my axim that will utilize my gps on the phone? Any help would be appreciated.

This concept would be awesome amd save me alot of money.. Thanks in advance

Howard2k

GPS enabled phones? Wow, haven't even seen them.

I would speculate that if the phone will output a "standard" signal such as the Garmin or NMEA type signals then it's just a matter of finding the right cable with the right connection...

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kazi221

Nextel already have some GPS phones the I58 and I88... They are going to release their new falcon series phones soon, which most or all will have built in GPS.
I have found the cable on ebay to go from the Axim to a V60 (v60 is same data interface as the nextels and all new motorolas) So now i was just wondering, what kind of program works good on the axims, i am getting mine tomorow so im assuming that it will have PPC2003, if anyone has any recommendation i would appreciate and i guess i will contact the software developer's tech support and see if itll take the phone as an input device.

PickPocketPC

Purely speculation, but I doubt you would have much luck. The 'GPS' capability in cell phones is non-standard, and (at least the way Verizon has implemented it) not particularly accurate. When I bought a cell phone for my son last year, i got one of the earliest GPS enabled units (a samsung) because if he ever called 911 they'd be able to 'trace' the call. At the time, Verizon said the GPS was accurate to around 100yds. That's much better than nothing in an emergency, but lousy if you're looking for driving directions!

kazi221

Quote:

Originally posted by PickPocketPC Purely speculation, but I doubt you would have much luck. The 'GPS' capability in cell phones is non-standard, and (at least the way Verizon has implemented it) not particularly accurate. When I bought a cell phone for my son last year, i got one of the earliest GPS enabled units (a samsung) because if he ever called 911 they'd be able to 'trace' the call. At the time, Verizon said the GPS was accurate to around 100yds. That's much better than nothing in an emergency, but lousy if you're looking for driving directions!

I am determined to figure it out, i found this on the nextel webiste

"Using GPS with Map Software

You can use your phone’s GPS feature to provide approximate location data to a laptop computer or similar device that is running interactive map software such as that made by DeLorme or Microsoft. This way, if your phone has good access to GPS signals, your approximate position on a map can be made available as you as you travel in a vehicle.

To do this, connect your phone to your laptop (or other device) with a data cable and set your phone to transmit data (see “Getting Started”). Your phone then provides your approximate location to the device running the map software, which displays your location on a map. Your phone provides an updated location every second and the map software displays your changing location on its map."


So i got excited thinking i was gonna be able to do it.... however i then found this on the site... looks like Pickpocketpc is right

"Even where adequate signals from multiple satellites are available, your GPS feature will only provide an approximate location, often within 150 feet (45 meters) but sometimes much further from your actual location. Advice on how to improve GPS performance is provided in “Enhancing GPS Performance”. "

Ok so now my question is, whats the accuracy of an actual GPS unit that i would be using, im assuming its better then 150 feet.. Hopefully the new phones coming out will have a better GPS built in.

PickPocketPC

Judging from the navigation system in my bosses Acura - dedicated GPS units must be accurate to a few feet (5-10 at most).

JakeRich

Most GPS units are accurate to about 15m (50 feet), although with WAAS/EGNOS you can get that down to 3-5m (18 feet), although lock-to-road can make it look more accurate than that. If you want a scientific GPS unit, the accuracy can get to 1-3 cm (1 inch), but that is very, very expensive.

jefbenet

i know this may seem like a dead topic but i'm trying to accomplish the same thing right now. my girlfriend has a nextel i88s and i just purchased one myself (eBay @ $69). i have used the standard serial cable available from nextel to connect from the phone to my sony vaio laptop and it worked like a charm! the phones menu gives you the ability to turn NMEA output on or off. with the NMEA standard output turned on the computer receives the necessary signal and tracks it on the software. I successfully used it with microsoft streets/trips, as well as a few others that i tinkered with.

the accuracy for the phone itself when standing still will give a fix of accuracy down to 25 feet. i wasn't sure how well i could trust the details it was giving me until i took a few random readings with the phone and a high dollar garmin unit that my police department uses (good friends of mine). i was pleased to find the similarity between readings from the non-waas enabled phone to the waas enabled garmin - the readings were 95% the same!

now, getting the phone connected to the axim x5 may be a different story, but i'm gonna try it. thinking about going with the gomadic cables everyone speaks so highly of.

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