How to use / activate eGPS

[Dude-007]

My HTC Diamond is supposed to have eGPS which should facilitate quick acquisition of position. I also read that with eGPS one should get a fix indoors.

However, I'm finding that my regular Garmin navigator (an eTrex Vista HCx) gives me faster acquisition times. And works better in the home.

So is eGPS an over-hyped gimmick? Or do I have to do something to get it to work? Or must the local cellular network be upgraded to support it?

Please help.

[smogdragon]

Google maps uses it by default on my device.

[Alfredos]

The Diamond has AGPS not EGPS

[Dude-007]

The Diamond has AGPS not eGPS

Thanks. So the Diamond has AGPS which seems to be overhyped :)

Maybe my next phone will have eGPS ...

[JanDaMan]

what program are you using to get a gps fix? google maps gives me a fix pretty quick but tomtom takes longer... i think it i have google maps open in the background and then open tomtom i get faster/better reception... :)

[MJNewton]

google maps gives me a fix pretty quick but tomtom takes longer...

Are you sure Google Maps isn't getting its fix quicker by virtue of it using triangulation of Tx towers, and not GPS from the outset?

Mathew

[kidinspace]

A GPS from what I understand means it downloads a "database" of some sort from the web and saves it to the phone, said "database" is a kind of location guide of where the GPS satellites are, thus enabling it to get a faster fix.
By default I think it updates itself every 7 days, don't know if you can change that never bothered to look, but i update mine manually probably sooner than that - maybe every 2 days or so.
Program on the phone is "Quick GPS" incase you hadn't run it yet.

Google maps is ridiculously slow in my opinion at getting a fix especially when i compare it to TomTom 7 which I'm running on the phone and it can get me a fix from cold boot to 8 Satellites or more in under 10 seconds, every time without fail.

Windows Live Search however is still slower than TomTom 7 but is quicker at getting a fix than Google maps in my experience, problem with Google Maps and Live Search I believe is although it may seem slow at getting your location it might not be, reason being is because it has to download the piece of map it needs for where you are, the time delay I believe is in it downloading the map and processing it to screen - not actually getting your position, I think it has your position quickly enough but it can't display it because it doesn't have that part of the map yet.... catch my drift.

- maybe I'm wrong on this one but thats my opinion.

Someone on here will probably disagree with most of the above, but there you go.... It probably explains this in the Phones Manual but I'm a typical arrogant male and refuse to read manuals...unless it's a Haynes Manual for my car which I read every night before I go to bed. :)

Happy Days!

.G.

[mike_sendrove]

#6: errr... that is eGPS!

[smogdragon]

The Diamond has AGPS not EGPS

Sorry mate, correct me if I'm wrong, Google maps tells me my position (it's not very very accourate indeed) without using gps data (for use gps data it asks me to check a specific option). Isn't EGPS the technology that gives u the posistion using GSM antennas ?

[flashmp3]

Sorry mate, correct me if I'm wrong, Google maps tells me my position (it's not very very accourate indeed) without using gps data (for use gps data it asks me to check a specific option). Isn't EGPS the technology that gives u the posistion using GSM antennas ?

First Google maps is very fast to find position cause it uses GSM antennas. EGPS permit to use both GSM antennas + classic GPS. Diamond was to be eGPS but finally not. It is just A-GPS. But as mentionned before, if you want to get a fast fix with TOMTOM or iGO use Quick GPS before (take less than 10 second to download gps datas) then launch your gps soft it will fix in less than 15 seconds.

[MJNewton]

#6: errr... that is eGPS!

No, the Diamond does not support eGPS.

Google Maps uses its own system which, for all intents and purposes, works in a very similar way - namely triangulation of transmitters cross-correlated with its own database of surveyed transmitter sites.

It is worth noting that eGPS is a trademarked term (owned by CSR) covering a very specific hardware implementation of transmitter triangulation - it is not the first nor only system to do this.

Mathew

[JanDaMan]

Are you sure Google Maps isn't getting its fix quicker by virtue of it using triangulation of Tx towers, and not GPS from the outset?

Mathew

no no i'm talking about the actual GPS fix is fast, not the approximate signal tower thing (which is instant)

[MOBGangsta184]

When the Diamond and Touch Pro were initially unveiled they touted eGPS, why is it not included? If anyone doesn't believe me just look it up on google.