GPS without the S – Adding GPS Capability to Non-GPS Cell Phones Free

Google has done it again. I love using Google Maps on my cell phone. I look at it as a poor-man’s GPS for when I don’t have my Mio210 GPS device with me.

Why “poor-man’s”? Because if you don’t have a GPS-enabled cell phone, Google Maps can’t auto-update the map screen based on your movement, but if you’re mapping directions, you can manually page forward to the next action step on the directions (hitting a key will jump to the next “turn” or “exit”, etc). It’s usually good enough and better than wandering around aimlessly in towns that you’re unfamiliar.

Now, Google has basically done the best with what they have. End result: Your non-GPS enabled phone becomes a GPS-enabled phone (kind of). Here’s how. . .
With the crude information they get from the data-connection from your cell phone to the cell phone tower, they actually have approximate location data from where your cell phone is. Thus, they can move the scroll the map screen along the route based on the cell phone towers that you are using at any given moment to communcate with the cell phone network. Does this make sense?

Here’s a quick video overview of the new GoogleMaps MY LOCATION auto-updating GPS-ish feature:

Quite amazing. Other than mapping, there aren’t that many location-based services out there that are practical and useful. And once you experience this semi-GPS feature, you won’t be drooling that much anymore over those fancy new “GPS-enabled” phones on the market.

You can get the new GoogleMaps for Mobile by using your mobile web browser to go to http://www.google.com/gmm or texting “mylocation” to 33669