Find Your Way with a GPS Cell Phone

Trivia question: if you have an emergency while on the road and call 911 from your cell phone, do you have to tell the operator where you are or can she locate you automatically? Answer: if your cell phone has been manufactured after 2005, she can almost certainly locate you automatically thanks to a FCC rule that went completely into effect at the end of '05.

The directive, called E911 (short for Enhanced 911), mandates that all new cell phones support location identification technology, meaning that when you dial 911 from your mobile, the public safety answering point (PSAP) can locate you as accurately as within 60 yards of where you are. The main technology that makes this possible is GPS--or Global Positioning System.

Essentially, GPS technology works this way. Your cell phone emits radio waves that are picked up by orbiting satellites. It takes three satellites to work together to locate the handset, using a geometric technique called trilateration: the phone's waves create a spherical signal around each of the three satellites, and where these spheres intersect on the ground is the location of the cell phone.

Phones pictured from left to right: 1) Motorola v325, 2) Samsung a990, 3) LG Chocolate, 4) Motorola i580, 5) Motorola RAZR v3m, 6) Motorola i760

Besides this important role in helping locate wireless 911 callers, GPS technology has some great commercial applications when linked to cell phones. So, although practically all new phones have basic location identification technology that satisfies the E911 directive, some known as GPS phones include advanced features that give the user some unique benefits.

GPS Phones Give Driving Direction, Location Services
One of the most popular application of GPS phones is providing the user with turn-by-turn driving directions--both in the form of spoken pre-recorded indications and in the form of a map on the phone's screen. Until a few years ago, this technology was only available on luxury cars (remember the movie The Out-of-Towners?); now, it is as inexpensive and convenient as a GPS phone and a plan that supports it. Some of these services have become so advanced that when you miss a turn, the phone instantly finds the next best route to your destination and takes you from there.

A GPS phone can also be a great tool in the hands of a hiker or outdoors person who can know exactly where he is without the traditional aid of a map and compass. The only caveat is that in order for the GPS service to work, the phone must be physically located within the carrier's service area--in other words, if you are lost in the wilderness and your phone doesn't have a signal, you better have that old-fashioned map and compass as a backup, or it's al fresco time.

Also, many parents are finding GPS technology to be a convenient and non-interfering way to keep tabs on their kids' whereabouts. For instance, Sprint's Family Locator Service uses GPS technology to locate the kid's phone and give parents the location information both in map and text format on their own handset--as long as both phones are GPS enabled.

Among the increasing number of other applications for GPS phones is the location-specific weather alert. The weather information service pinpoints the location of the subscriber--using GPS technology--and sends him or her a targeted weather alert in the form of a text message.

Getting GPS Cell Phone Services
So what does it take to have GPS service? The two essential things you need are a GPS-enabled cell phone and a service that supports it. Although practically all new phones now have the basic E911 location identification feature, only a few models are fully GPS enabled. As of the writing of this article, Nextel, Sprint and Verizon are the carriers offering GPS cell phone services. Nextel and Sprint's GPS services include most features mentioned in this article, while Verizon offers a family-locator called Chaperone.

If this technology sounds interesting to you, typical cost (beyond your regular cell phone service) is within $10 a month, which is not a lot considering the great benefits you get from it.

About Wirefly

Launched in 2003, Wirefly (www.wirefly.com) is an online leader in one-stop comparison shopping for cell phones, wireless service plans and wireless accessories. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Simplexity, Wirefly is an authorized dealer for every major cellular carrier, including Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. Wirefly also offers discounts and services not available in retail wireless stores, including real-time online order status and tracking, and the guaranteed lowest price – online or anywhere else -- on cell phone devices from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, LG, BlackBerry and many other cell phone handset manufacturers. Wirefly.com has been named Best of the Web by Forbes magazine as the “best all-around number portability portal” and “Best in Overall Customer Experience” by Keynote Performance Systems. For more information on Wirefly, its wireless products and its services, visit www.wirefly.com.

Launched in 2003, Wirefly is an online leader in one-stop comparison shopping for cell phones, wireless service plans and wireless accessories. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Simplexity. (NASDAQ: INPC), Wirefly is an authorized dealer for every major cellular carrier, including Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. Wirefly also offers discounts and services not available in retail wireless stores, including real-time online order status and tracking, and the guaranteed lowest price – online or anywhere else -- on cell phone devices from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, LG, BlackBerry and many other cell phone handset manufacturers. Wirefly.com has been named Best of the Web by Forbes magazine as the “best all-around number portability portal” and “Best in Overall Customer Experience” by Keynote Performance Systems. For more information on Wirefly, its cell phones and its services, visit www.wirefly.com.