iPhone not a standalone GPS device!

[za9ra22]

Personally, I'd be willing to give up instant access to my Michael Jackson catalogue (that is if I had it -- sorry, not a big fan of MJ) to be able to do GPS anytime, anyplace. I have all the songs I care to listen to on my iPhone, almost all of my 11 screens are filled with apps, and I still have enough space left on my measly 16GB unit to load maps of US, Canada, and half of Europe.

What you may personally be willing to give up, or pay for, is not much of a factor in a mass-market device. The manufacturer has to decide what the market wants in general in order to design and sell profitable devices. Selling cellphones jammed full of map data for any possible market the user might want to go would be of interest to a small number of people - including you - but not a profitable enough number.

That's why after-market applications are available, so that those who want something specific can find a solution that fits their needs, and not require everyone else to have to pay too.

 

[akadmon]

And you want an iPhone app to GeoTag photos from a camera?

How about just use one of these?

Seems you have not read my original post carefully. I own an app (PlaceTagger) that makes it possible to geotag photos taken on any digital camera. The problem is it won't work without a network connection because it insists and showing me where I am on Google maps, when all I need it to do is record my coordinates at any given time for use later when I get to a computer. See my post #8 for an explanation of how the app works.

 

[eawmp1]

Cell phones are like Swiss Army knives. The individual tools on the knife are inferior to dedicated use tools. An iPhone doesn't take as pictures as a camera, nor as good video as a video camera, surf the web as well/easily as a true comuter, and doesn't do GPS as well as a dedicated GPS device.
If it isn't going to meet your needs in a particular area (e.g. GPS), then you are going to have to lug around the appropriate tool.

 

[gloss]

Seems you have not read my original post carefully. I own an app (PlaceTagger) that makes it possible to geotag photos taken on any digital camera. The problem is it won't work without a network connection because it insists and showing me where I am on Google maps, when all I need it to do is record my coordinates at any given time for use later when I get to a computer. See my post #8 for an explanation of how the app works.

I understand that, and I'm saying that since there isn't an app that does want you like, simply, you could probably do it easier with an Eye-Fi card.

 

[kdarling]

Some notes on the posts above

Please look up the facts. This is completely untrue. The assisted part is the wifi and cell tower enhancing triangulation. A-GPS is more accurate than regular GPS because of this.

None of that is correct. A-GPS is about GPS. In the iPhone's case:

1) The assisted part of A-GPS is getting satellite information that would normally require minutes to get.

2) WiFi and tower locating are not A-GPS, because they don't involve GPS. They are simply alternative locating methods used for first approximations and when GPS fails.

3) It is not more accurate than regular GPS once it gets going, because it IS regular GPS at that point.

The iPhone GPS chip is aGPS, but it will work just fine without a data connection.

Note that the chip itself is full GPS. The software around it can ask for assistance (A-GPS) to help with first lockon.

The term A-GPS can mean much more than just satellite info, though. Not all A-GPS can act as regular GPS.

Dumbphones especially, can have A-GPS, but are not designed to act standalone. Some require network server assistance to calculate their initial or later positions. Ironically, these phones can actually be more accurate than regular GPS, because their servers will apply local atmospheric and echo correction data.

So you're telling me that the cost of accessing Google's maps is not rolled into the price of the data plan? I don't believe that. Why would Google give this away?

In the usual Google manner, in return for ads or tons of user search information. Just knowing how many people look for maps to appliance stores in certain locations, for example, can be important when selling ad space.

Google has contracted with TeleAtlas (now owned by TomTom) for their maps. In return, they pay TeleAtlas and also provide user feedback for editing map contents. (Your Google feedback goes to TeleAtlas for future updates.)

 

[dejo]

akadmon, I'm with aristobrat. Have you tried contacting PlaceTagger's developer?

 

[alFR]

I'd appreciate if someone could point me to an app that will do geotagging without needing a network connection. That is all I really need. I've given up on city maps (hey, there is always the paper ones ).

Sure, it's called the Camera app. Just take a single photo with your iPhone each time you move to a new location, that photo will be tagged with the GPS coordinates that you can later apply to all the photos you took on your Canon at that location.

 

[aristobrat]

Sure, it's called the Camera app. Just take a single photo with your iPhone each time you move to a new location, that photo will be tagged with the GPS coordinates that you can later apply to all the photos you took on your Canon at that location.

Good call. TUAW also did an article on that:
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/16/mac-101-geodata-copying-in-iphoto/

 

[skwoytek]

Take All your photos with your Canon but take one photo with your iPhone which will Geotag that location. Then when you get on your computer just copy the geotag to your Canon photos. iPhoto makes it easy.

If the time is synced between your iPhone and your Canon, iPhoto will put the photos into events which will make it even easier to copy the geotags.

EDIT: Darn, should have read to the last post.

 

[MadGoat]

Howdy, I'm a placetagger user and I can assure you that it will work
without any data and just using the iPhone's built in GPS.

While you wouldn't be able to see the maps, it's still saving your coordinates on the DB.

Now mind you, if you putthe phone in airplane mode, you won't be getting any GPS signal since that mode effectively shuts down anything but the most basic iPod functions.

Try ejecting your SIM card and using the app. You'll notice that it should be working.

 

[Fibbons]

.

 

[JBaker122586]

Howdy, I'm a placetagger user and I can assure you that it will work
without any data and just using the iPhone's built in GPS.

While you wouldn't be able to see the maps, it's still saving your coordinates on the DB.

Now mind you, if you putthe phone in airplane mode, you won't be getting any GPS signal since that mode effectively shuts down anything but the most basic iPod functions.

Try ejecting your SIM card and using the app. You'll notice that it should be working.

You should also be able to just turn off data roaming, and your phone won't connect to any of the foreign towers.

 

[akadmon]

Howdy, I'm a placetagger user and I can assure you that it will work
without any data and just using the iPhone's built in GPS.

While you wouldn't be able to see the maps, it's still saving your coordinates on the DB.

Now mind you, if you putthe phone in airplane mode, you won't be getting any GPS signal since that mode effectively shuts down anything but the most basic iPod functions.

Try ejecting your SIM card and using the app. You'll notice that it should be working.

I'd like to test this before I leave, without ejecting the sim card (I don't even think I have the silly lil hook for removing it!). I know how to disable 3G in Settings, but is there a way to disable EDGE also (short of Airplane Mode, which, as you made me aware, also disables GPS)? I'd have sworn there was a way to do this in 2.2, but I can't find such a setting in 3.0.

 

[eawmp1]

Doesn't Compass give you latitude and longitude on the bottom? Couldn't you just write it down?

 

[akadmon]

Doesn't Compass give you latitude and longitude on the bottom? Couldn't you just write it down?

I don't have a 3G S, and besides, what you suggest is just too tedious. I'm going take at least a couple thousand photos while in Europe.

And as for previous suggestions to take an "anchor" photo with the iPhone and use its geotag to tag the photos taken with my Canon, that's not much better. I want to know the exact location the photo was taken, not just the name of the city, and to accomplish this I would have to remember to take an "anchor" photo every 100 feet or so, and then spend time copying the tags. Possible - yes. Efficient use of my time - no.

 

[scootaru]

I'd like to test this before I leave, without ejecting the sim card (I don't even think I have the silly lil hook for removing it!). I know how to disable 3G in Settings, but is there a way to disable EDGE also (short of Airplane Mode, which, as you made me aware, also disables GPS)? I'd have sworn there was a way to do this in 2.2, but I can't find such a setting in 3.0.

SIM card removal is simple. You can use either a straightened paper clip or staple. You can even use .5 or .7 mm lead from a mechanical pencil. Put it in the hole and the SIM pops out.

 

[Stunod7]

Try using a different photo tagging app that doesn't load a map at all and just logs the raw GPS coordinates along with the date and time.

This should help sort it out... Less going on always equals better performance.

 

[akadmon]

SIM card removal is simple. You can use either a straightened paper clip or staple. You can even use .5 or .7 mm lead from a mechanical pencil. Put it in the hole and the SIM pops out.

Got it -- thanks! Still, I wish I wouldn't have to remove the SIM card to make absolutely sure I won't incur data charges while overseas (don't quite trust the "Data Roaming OFF" option). Knowing me, I'll probably lose the SIM card.

 

[aristobrat]

I'd like to test this before I leave, without ejecting the sim card (I don't even think I have the silly lil hook for removing it!). I know how to disable 3G in Settings, but is there a way to disable EDGE also (short of Airplane Mode, which, as you made me aware, also disables GPS)? I'd have sworn there was a way to do this in 2.2, but I can't find such a setting in 3.0.

If the "DATA ROAMING" setting is turned "OFF" (which it is default), why would you have to worry about disabling 3G/EDGE?

 

[akadmon]

If the "DATA ROAMING" setting is turned "OFF" (which it is default), why would you have to worry about disabling 3G/EDGE?

I dunnno -- I may be paranoid, hence the need for belts and suspenders. Just don't want to come home to a $500 ATT bill.

Now is there a way to turn off the phone features (short of turning off the phone, ofc)? I plan to use the phone only to make calls out when I absolutely have to. Unfortunately, unless incoming calls are blocked, I will be charged roaming ($2.29) even when I don't answer the call, every time the phone goes into voicemail while it is on (which ATT considers to be completed connection).

 

[scootaru]

Got it -- thanks! Still, I wish I wouldn't have to remove the SIM card to make absolutely sure I won't incur data charges while overseas (don't quite trust the "Data Roaming OFF" option). Knowing me, I'll probably lose the SIM card.

Data Roaming turned off is simply not enough. You also have to turn off all push notifications including push email and visual voicemail. Apparently, those things bypass data roaming and charges can accrue.

 

[aristobrat]

Data Roaming turned off is simply not enough. You also have to turn off all push notifications including push email and visual voicemail. Apparently, those things bypass data roaming and charges can accrue.

Hmmm. Wonder how they know where to push notifications to (or send visual voicemail to) when the phone's not registered on the data network in the first place?

 

[kkat69]

I know that, but this is true only of the photos taken by the iPhone.

Maybe this has been said, but I got lost in all the A-GPS/GPS/BLABLA junk.

When your taking a photo with your canon, take another shot with your iphone, your leg, the grass, inside of someone's skirt, heck don't matter, it'll be geo tagged, then transfer that meta data to your good photo.

pretty simple and cheap solution.

 

[akadmon]

Data Roaming turned off is simply not enough. You also have to turn off all push notifications including push email and visual voicemail. Apparently, those things bypass data roaming and charges can accrue.

Precisely.

Apple -- please just give us a way to switch the damn iPhone to iPod Touch mode (with GPS)!

 

[akadmon]

Maybe this has been said, but I got lost in all the A-GPS/GPS/BLABLA junk.

When your taking a photo with your canon, take another shot with your iphone, your leg, the grass, inside of someone's skirt, heck don't matter, it'll be geo tagged, then transfer that meta data to your good photo.

pretty simple and cheap solution.

See post #41.