Frustrated by the performance of GPS on your current Sony Ericsson phone? Well, if you’ve got the latest software and a device carrying Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S2 or S3 processor, you’re in luck. Alongside bright new darlings like the Xperia S and Xperia ion, all will be able to hook up to GLONASS, Russia’s very own interpretation of GPS. Support on another global positioning network will increase the total of satellites orbiting around you from 31 to 55 — more ways to find exactly where you got lost. GLONASS support has already launched on smartphone luminaries such as the iPhone 4S and the pocket-stretching Galaxy Note, but we’re very happy to hear that the extra functionality will arrive on older Xperia handsets. According to the developer’s own testing, the GLONASS assistance often improved accuracy by as much as 50 percent and should similarly reduce the chances of us being outed as map illiterates. You can grab more info on all the GLONASS goodness at the source below.

Snapdragon-toting Sony smartphones to get extra global positioning help from The Other GPS originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re not quite ready to take up ASUS on its refund offer (or if you simply don’t live in the UK), you’re probably holding out for additional updates to dry your tears. Fortunately, Asus hasn’t forgotten about you and your ilk. Early this morning, the Transformer Prime quietly received an OTA update that not only unroots the tablet, but also kicks the slab’s GPS version up to 6.9.13. The folks on the XDA developers forums have restored their roots easily enough, and seem to be reaping the benefits of updated GPS drivers, as well. Engadget’s own tests lean on the positive side — lounging indoors, in a spot where GPS reception was previously all-dark, we snagged sight of 12 satellites on a freshly rebooted Prime with WiFi disabled. Although the response seems generally positive on the XDA developers forums, not everybody is seeing our success. Either way, this update certainly didn’t make things worse; a step in the right direction to be sure.

Transformer Prime quietly gets GPS update, root killer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“I prefer using a GPS unit, not my phone, when I’m driving around LA. The best traffic I’ve seen is via Google Maps, since it shows surface traffic for streets in Hollywood. Navteq HD Radio maps (which is what I use now) doesn’t show this kind of information: it’s only for highways. There aren’t any highways between Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but there’s a ton of traffic, which you’re blind to when using a standalone GPS. Is there an easy way to get surface traffic data on a GPS unit rather than forking out for a phone / tablet and $30/month data plan? Thanks!”

Ask Engadget: best live traffic standalone GPS? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Russians have GLONASS, and the EU will eventually have Galileo, so China’s probably been feeling left out of the GPS party so far. Not for much longer though, as the switch for its home grown Beidou system has just been flicked on, providing location and timing data to its home turf. There are ten satellites already in place and six more to follow next year, by which time, most of the Asia Pacific will be covered. The rest of the globe will be taken care of by 2020, once all of the planned 35 satellites are sent up. So, while we may not see something like iPhone support right away, it might be handy to study the Interface Control Document the Chinese government’s put online anyway, y’know, just in case.

Continue reading China begins trial operations of home grown Beidou GPS system

China begins trial operations of home grown Beidou GPS system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve gotta hand it to Verzo. It’s not every day that a manufacturer lowers the price of its flagship smartphone in explicit response to consumer feedback, yet that’s exactly what the Americano Czech company has done today, with a new pricing and packaging scheme for its Kinzo Android handset. Previously marketed as a single, accessory-laden package for $459, the 4.3-inch device is now available in two bundles: the Verzo Kinzo Plus GPS, and the standard Verzo Kinzo pack. The former, priced at $384, includes offline navigation capabilities and a cardholder, while the latter ($349) does not. According to the company, the prices are in effect as of now, and “will stay that way.” Best of all, anyone who bought the Kinzo at its original price will now be able to recoup the difference, courtesy of Verzo. But don’t take our word for it — check out the above video to hear it straight from the source.

Verzo repackages Kinzo Android smartphone, offers lower prices in response to user feedback (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We spied a mystery FCC listing just the other day, filed under a no-name company but bearing some unmistakable Lenovo markings. Now we have another unidentified device bearing the same branding and, according to our friendly neighborhood tipster, this is the company’s 7-inch IdeaPad, which might be (internally) dubbed the A1-07. It’s said to be powered by a TI OMAP3621 processor (which also drives the Nook Color), features a 7-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen, a Broadcom GPS unit, 3G wireless with a SIM slot, and room for a microSD card as well. A 3,700mAh battery supposedly keeps things juiced, both front- and rear-facing cameras are on offer, and it’s all wrapped in a glossy plastic styling that makes it look a little like a TouchPad with some bare metal highlights. It also features three buttons up front that we’re hoping don’t mean it’s been relegated to Android 2.x. Now, the image above (and the second one, below) have obviously been crudely modified to hide something, and we can’t be sure of what we’re looking at here, but it’s interesting enough for us to pass these along. Have a gander and let us know what you think in comments.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading Lenovo’s 7-inch IdeaPad caught by Mr. Blurrycam?

Lenovo’s 7-inch IdeaPad caught by Mr. Blurrycam? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a few years but iriver just released an updated version of its NV GPS navigator with SPINN UI. Wa… wait a second, that’s a Samsung logo. Sorry, this is the Samsung SENS-240, a hybrid car navigation system / tablet that plays nice with your Android-powered Samsung smartphone or, uh, tablet. According to Akihabara News, the SENS-240 uses Bluetooth to take over your voice, data, voice search, and even “video features” from your smartphone when driving. You can then control the SENS-240 using your smarpthone or tablet as an “advanced” remote when idle. The details behind how this works, or why you’d want to do it, is a mystery. We do know that the SENS-240 comes packing 256MB of RAM, USB-host mode, and an SD slot in addition to a 1.43GHz processor (of unknown origins) said to be powerful enough to handle 3D maps, video, or DMB TV on that 7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. Oh, and it’s Korea-only for now.

Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember when you took your driving test and and had an inspector second-guessing your every stop, turn, signal and lane choice? State Farm’s new Driver Feedback app is like having said individual with you all the time. Simply put, it uses your smartphone’s accelerometer and GPS to gauge your acceleration, braking and cornering habits (sound familiar?) and spit out a score, letting you brag to your (parents / significant other / stranger / the family dog) just how safe and secure you are. State Farm claims it doesn’t collect any information and won’t adjust your insurance rates based on your score, which is a bit of a bummer if you ask us — wouldn’t it be nice if you could earn some cash back for perfecting your heel-toe? Either way, you’ll find it for free in the iTunes App Store.

Continue reading State Farm app uses iPhone sensors to grade your driving habits, oh joy

State Farm app uses iPhone sensors to grade your driving habits, oh joy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We like it when the accumulated speed data from GPS devices helps us avoid traffic incidents and school zones. As it turns out, though, there are some other uses for the same stats. Dutch news outlet AD is reporting that such data captured by TomTom navigation devices has been purchased by the country’s police force and is being used to determine where speed traps and cameras should be placed. TomTom was reportedly unaware its data was being used in such a way, but if the police would only agree to sell the data on the location of its speed cameras and traps back to TomTom, why, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Update: TomTom has issued a statement, which we have embedded after the break. To be totally clear all this data is being collected anonymously and the police have no idea exactly who is speeding, just that speeding has taken place.

Update 2: We have an English-language video from TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn embedded after the break. In it he says that the company will “prevent that type of usage” of the navigation data going forward. So, no need to turn off the ‘ol GPS when you’re late for work tomorrow morning.

Continue reading TomTom user data sold to Dutch police, used to determine ideal locations for speed traps

TomTom user data sold to Dutch police, used to determine ideal locations for speed traps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By now you’ve no doubt heard about a certain iOS database file called consolidated.db. It made quite a splash yesterday when a pair of researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, from O’Reilly Media announced the “iPhone tracking software” the duo had “discovered hidden on the phones.” Here’s the problem: they didn’t discover it, at least not originally. The file, known to hold large amounts of geolocation data collected from WiFi access points and cell-towers, has been probed by forensic experts ever since the retail launch of the iPhone 4 back in June of 2010. Hell, Sean Morrissey and Alex Levinson published a physical book on the topic back in December 2010, entire excerpts of which can easily be found on Google. So either the team from O’Reilly is being disingenuous with its claims or it’s being lazy.

Regardless, the story laid dormant for months until the O’Reilly team was able to visualize the data in a very personal way. Running the team’s open-source iPhoneTracker software to see the detailed locations of our worldly travels is absolutely fascinating. Imagining the same data file in the hands of a stalker, misguided detective, or a jealous lover is downright creepy.

But how is it possible that an issue like this has avoided the tech community at large for more than a year? And more importantly, what can you do about it? Read on to find out.

Continue reading The iPhone tracking fiasco and what you can do about it

The iPhone tracking fiasco and what you can do about it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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