I've had an idea for a GPS android/iphone app. It may already exist, which is great, but if it doesn't I might want some development pointers.
I use a second phone just as a GPS, it has no sim-card so can't use A-GPS for inital location. Similarly, any phone in the middle of nowhere will suffer the same thing. And then it takes 15-20 mins to find its position, using up the battery.
So my idea is simple. Before switching the phone off overnight say, I want to save current GPS location to a file. Then when its turned back on, i want to reload it as a known position, so the GPS receiver has a rough idea where it is and can locate specific satellites.
Think it could work? I seem to remember my doomed Mem Map Adventurer GPS had the ability to manually guess at position by scrolling through the map, and that would speed up initial location.
[quote=ir_bandito ]
So my idea is simple. Before switching the phone off overnight say, I want to save current GPS location to a file. Then when its turned back on, i want to reload it as a known position, so the GPS receiver has a rough idea where it is and can locate specific satellites.
That's the way most stand-alone GPS receivers work (well - they know what satellites to look for) and I assumed that was also the case with the systems built into Smartphones. My Desire(s) get a lock pretty quick when they've not been moved since last switched on.
My Desire(s) get a lock pretty quick when they've not been moved since last switched on.
But is that connected to the network, using A-GPS?
My phone (HTC Hero) takes 15-20 mins to find a signal. I've found I can speed it up by using my wifi at home initially for location, but for that is has to be outside to locate satellites, but close enough to the house to still have wifi.
Pretty sure that most GPSs work just by remembering where they were last to try and find the satellites first and then if that doesn't work (eg you've moved far from where it was last on) it then cycles through a list looking for other satellites.
Some phones' software is crap and means that the GPS takes ages to lock on. Some apps work better than others too IME (though it shouldn't matter).
it then cycles through a list looking for other satellites.Some phones' software is crap and means that the GPS takes ages to lock on. Some apps work better than others
All this.
Which is why I want an App that will let me, or any user of any phone who needs it, save and reload current position (possibly from a list of favourites eg) manually, to give it a kick-start.
any Apps out there that do this?
How do you write an app? Anyone written one?
[quote=ir_bandito ]My Desire(s) get a lock pretty quick when they've not been moved since last switched on.
But is that connected to the network, using A-GPS?
My phone (HTC Hero) takes 15-20 mins to find a signal. I've found I can speed it up by using my wifi at home initially for location, but for that is has to be outside to locate satellites, but close enough to the house to still have wifi.
Is it connected - no. If it hasn't been moved since last switch-on then I get a lock within 3 minutes (often less). That's the same with my olde original Desire and my One S.
Thing is ir_bandito, I'm assuming that the GPS is written into android and as such, unless you root it, you won't be able to change that part of it - eg an app requests a GPS position from the phone and then the phone supplies a GPS position to your app, your app doesn't actually control the GPS or tell it which satellites to look for.
What phone is it out of interest anyway, I reckon it's more likely to be poor software than a fundamental problem.