Aug
10
One of the most difficult things to figure out about the 3G iPhone is how the Google Maps app has changed since the original phone. The addition of GPS is interesting but probably not all that useful yet since most people use a GPS for the spoken turn by turn directions. However, you can find some cool uses for the GPS if you can figure out how it works.
The big thing you should know is that the little location button in the lower left of the screen must have a blue background in order for the GPS to track you. Touch the location button once and it turns blue and shows activity. In this mode, it will try to locate you and then track your progress, shifting the maps as you move. Touch the location button again and it turns gray. In this mode, it’s inactive and your maps will not scroll with your movements. Simple but not obvious.
Something that many people don’t understand is that the GPS needs a reasonably clear view of the sky in order to lock into the satellites. Recently, a friend showed me that his iPhone GPS wasn’t working and when I pointed out that he was standing in a cement room…well, the light bulb went on. If you don’t have a nuvi or tomtom or some similar portable GPS then how would you know?