GPS Enabled Phones — Your Phone Knows Where You Are

Have you ever been lost without a map? Perhaps you have a map but you still don’t know where you are. GPS enabled phones can track your location and give you accurate directions to your destination. GPS stands for “global positioning system,” an emerging technology that lets your phone communicate with a satellite mapping system to determine your location.

A GPS enabled phone is most useful for giving emergency operators your location when you are using your cell phone. Landline phones provide your home address when you dial 911. Until recently wireless phones couldn’t transmit an address to the emergency operator. Now, thanks to GPS technology, E911 enable phones with a built-in GPS chip can give your map coordinates to the operator. While GPS systems don’t work in all cases at all times, having a phone with built-in GPS adds a larger degree of security.

GPS technology is just starting to become available for everyday non-emergency uses. NexTel offers a new service for location enabled phones that helps users plan routes and find directions. Audible directions are given over the speakerphone, ideal for handsfree safety while driving. Motorola’s ViaMoto™ service offers several innovative ways to use a GPS cell phone as a positioning device. The service is currently available only to NexTel customers but plans are in the works to make ViaMoto available through other carrier plans.

While GPS technology is still in its infancy, imagine being able to travel from Irondale, Alabama to Prescott Valley, Arizona or even Russellville, Arkansas, always knowing exactly where you are and always finding the right directions! GPS is already being used this way in Japan and Europe. It is only a matter of time before full location-finding power is available to anyone with a GPS phone.

Also see; cell phones.

Author Notes:

Greg Marsden contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.cell-phones-n-plans.com. A cell phone industry resource that features service plan comparisons, cellular phone reviews and articles.