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Cell Phone Tech News > GPS
If you haven't started using your cell phone for GPS, you haven't really started using your cell phone! GPS - or Global Positioning System navigation devices help you know where you are, where you're going, and/or where your friends and colleagues are.

Overview
The Global Position System (GPS) is a widely used satellite navigation system. Many government organizations and businesses depend on GPS for a variety of operations. Developed by the US Department of Defense to support a it's mission, GPS use has been expanded to the civilian sector, where it can be used in surveying, vehicle tracking, mapping, recreational, and other applications.

The GPS system has three sets of components:

  • The GPS operational satellites that transmit data to receivers located on the earth.
  • The control segment is a world wide system of ground stations.
  • The user segment are the actual GPS receivers

    GPS receivers use data from four different satellites to compute x, y, and z position, (i.e. latitude and longitude) as well as time information. Many of the newer cell phones allow the user direct access to the GPS data.

    Cell Phone GPS
    There are two ways to locate a cell phone, via the satellite-based global postioning system; or by measuring the distance from cellular antenna towers to the handset.

    Satellite Based Cell Phones
    A receiver can be embedded, or downloaded and installed into a compatible cell phone. GPS then works by measuring how long it takes the radio signal to travel from satellites to the receiver. Mobile service providers save the users battery duration by sending the handset 'reminders' from a central location center via the network. e.g. the service provider can point out the nearest satellites, so the GPS receiver doesn't have to keep looking for them.

    Motorola produces GPS-enabled phones for Nextel, including: Motorola i205, i305, i530, i710, i730, i733, i736 or i830 iDEN®. Benefon make high-end models that don't interface directly with the web, but allow users to interact with their call centers. Nokia produces several GPS enabled models.

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