Integrated Assisted GPS ?

[planewood]

Can someone explain what Integrated Assisted GPS is and how it works? I just noticed that some Motorola phone advertise this.

[+media601]

Can someone explain what Integrated Assisted GPS is and how it works? I just noticed that some Motorola phone advertise this.

 

Some "GPS" mobile phones simply collect GPS readings and transfer them to a central server for processing. The calculated results are sent back to the phone as location data. some mobile phones, such a GPS enbled Nextel phones, contain GPS chipsets to calculate location, so they don't have to rely on a central server. Before the days of GPS enabled phones, cell phones could triangulate signals from cell towers to determine location. O.J. found that out the hard way.

 

Assisted GPS (AGPS) uses a combination of triangulated cell data and GPS satellite data. The avantage is that if you lose a lock on the satellites you still get a boost from the triangulation. Likewise, if you are not close to three towers, the GPS satellites can shoulder the load. Although phones have been able to use both technologies they have not really been "fully integrated" as yet, meaning they don't always cooperate fully.

 

If motorola is advertising "integrated" AGPS then I would assume the phones can do both GPS calculations and tower triangulation. I would further assume that the two technologies play well together in the same sandbox, but you know what happens when we "assume".