GPS turns cellphones into powerful navigators
If there's anything more useful than a GPS navigation device, it's a GPS device that also lets you order pizza.
Global Positioning Systems are built into millions of cellular phones - 175 million worldwide, according to the research firm Berg Insight. And that number will be well over half a billion in another five years.
In the United States, the GPS phone boom was kicked off by the Federal Communications Commission, which wanted to ensure that emergency workers could find people who place 911 calls from their pocket phones. Two of the nation's leading cellphone providers, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless LLC, decided to comply by putting GPS chips in their phone handsets.
At first, this phone-based GPS was good only for calling the cops; consumers couldn't make use of the technology. But now a number of software firms make downloadable programs that convert GPS-capable phones into powerful navigation tools.
Cellphone companies that once rejected GPS technology, including AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA Inc., now offer GPS-capable handsets so their customers can run these programs.
But not every GPS program can run on every phone, so consumers should contact their phone carriers to confirm compatibility. Also, ask if you need to subscribe to a data plan along with the standard voice service. For example, Verizon doesn't require a data plan subscription for GPS service, but Sprint does.
Verizon's VZ Navigator was among the first phone GPS programs aimed at consumers when it was rolled out two years ago. The software, developed by Networks In Motion Inc., of Aliso Viejo, Calif., provides turn-by-turn driving directions delivered in a natural-sounding human voice. It also lets you quickly locate the nearest bank, movie theater, or hotel, and even serves up the phone number so you can call ahead.
VZ Navigator costs $9.99 a month, or $2.99 if you just want to use it for a day. An upgraded version due out this month will include a feature to warn you about traffic congestion.
People who belong to the automotive service club AAA would be better off with Network In Motion's AAA Mobile software, for Verizon, Sprint, and Alltel phones. It's basically VZ Navigator with cool features for AAA members. The software can guide you to businesses that offer AAA subscriber discounts. It also lets you instantly call for AAA roadside assistance if your car breaks down.
The software not only places the call, it also transmits your exact location to the AAA call center - just the thing when you're stranded on an unfamiliar stretch of road. AAA Mobile costs $9.99 a month.
TeleNav Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., offers TeleNav Navigator, another versatile service with some features not found on Network In Motion's products.
For instance, there's a nice little feature that lists nearby Wi-Fi hotspots, and shows whether they're free. The on-screen maps can be viewed in 3D mode, which gives a driver's-eye view of the road ahead. And TeleNav Navigator can spot traffic jams along your route and suggest alternate driving paths. You can tell the software in advance to choose the least congested route, rather than the shortest one. TeleNav Navigator costs $9.99 a month and is available for a variety of phones from all the major cellular carriers.
Garmin Ltd., the major producer of GPS devices for motorists and hikers, is also peddling phone software. Garmin Mobile, available from Sprint at $9.95 a month, offers many of the features delivered by rival products, though it ran noticeably slower on the Samsung mobile phone we used in a test.
Garmin also makes a $99 micro-SD card that plugs into a variety of smartphones, converting them into GPS devices. There's no monthly fee to use the SD card system, because it doesn't tap into the cell network. But users will need to buy annual map updates, priced at $60. With phone-based GPS, the cell provider handles all updates, at no extra charge to subscribers.
Still, Garmin's product sidesteps one of the big drawbacks of cellular GPS: the need to stay within the cell company's service area. Cellphone navigation systems use a combination of GPS satellite signals and data received from cellphone towers. Drive to a rural location not served by your provider, and your phone-based GPS will stop working. Not so with Garmin's SD card, which uses GPS signals only. It will work anyplace with enough open sky to pick up the satellites.
Boston's uLocate Communications Inc. has developed one of the most engaging applications for phone-based GPS. It's called WHERE, and though it lacks the sophistication of competing products, it's just about irresistible.
WHERE is actually a software development platform that lets companies write mini-GPS programs, called widgets, which you can then download onto your phone. Each widget does one or two simple things. For instance, a widget called GasBuddy will direct you to neighboring service stations with the lowest prices. Another widget offered by car rental company Zipcar tells you the nearest place to rent one of their vehicles. Ticket seller StubHub has a widget that lists local entertainment events and tells how to get seats. Want to buy a TV? A widget called ShopLocal will serve up a list of new models, and show you where to buy them.
A couple of dozen widgets have been created so far, with more in the pipeline. Some are educational, including one that shows nearby locations that have been written about at the Internet reference site Wikipedia. Others are just nuts, like Digging To China, which calculates where you'd be if you popped up on the opposite side of the planet from where you're standing. (Bostonians would turn up in the Indian Ocean.)
Yes, there's a highway navigation program, but it's primitive compared to rival products. If that's why you want GPS phone software, pick something else. Still, Sprint, Alltel, and AT&T subscribers can download and run all the widgets they want for just $2.99 a month. Eventually, uLocate hopes to support the WHERE service through on-screen ads, and then offer it at no charge. And if there's anything better than GPS, it's free GPS.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.
