Yes, Your Phone Has GPS - But You Can’t Use It

Wade Roush of Technologyreview.com writes, “I just got a Treo 650 smartphone to replace my three-year-old Treo 300. (The 300 was a loyal servant, but its non-replaceable battery was dying.) I’m loving the new gadget. Among its many features (including a replaceable battery), it’s compliant with the FCC’s E911 requirement, under which all cell phone manufacturers and wireless carriers must roll out technology by the end of this year that allows 911 operators to locate people calling from cell phones.

To do that, the folks at Handspring/PalmOne included a GPS chipset in the Treo 650. There’s even a little icon on the screen that shows you the feature is working. (I think you can turn it off if you desire some geographical privacy.) Cool! You’d think that this would allow me to use my phone like a GPS navigator, which would in turn enable all sorts of intriguing location-based services.

Not so fast. According to a subject expert at PalmOne support, GPS and E911 aren’t close bedfellows yet. Meaning, in essence, that the carriers (including my carrier, Sprint PCS) don’t want the device manufacturers to offer any location-based features that they themselves don’t control…”

Full article: Yes, Your Phone Has GPS - But You Can’t Use It