Quote:
Originally Posted by skysurfer
The latter is not true. Set your phone to 'Device only' instead of the default 'High accuracy'. The latter is not a high accuracy at all and some apps even can't handle that. Device only os only dependant on satellites and not on cell coverage at all, so it just works like an etrex.
Even on the plane above the ocean, when the phone is held near a window, the GPS works flawlessly.
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Yes, that was exactly my point, read it again. GPS is accurate, but in phones it will suck battery power pretty quickly, and thus cannot be used for very long, if you expect to use it as a phone again without recharging. I have had my Android phone hang because it is constantly searching for a tower signal, and it rapidly drains the battery. You can turn off the phone network to extend battery life, forcing it to become a GPS device. Assisted GPS, which is what the supposed high accuracy tower triangulation positioning is called, is preferred (and usually default) for phones because it uses much less battery power than pure GPS positioning. In tests I have done, Google Maps is not very accurate, it can get to say within 5 metres in areas with multiple towers in range. Which is fine if your looking for a coffee shop on a certain street. In areas where Assisted GPS cannot work, the phone is forced into pure GPS mode, and here is where accuracy improves significantly, but if it is still searching for tower signals it will usually hang.
Yada Yada, it does not really matter in relation to Ian's question and his home location.