Dutch wrote:
> While dumping the
> alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.ce llular.cingular,alt.cellular.t-mobile,alt.cellular.attws
> bit bucket, I heard Richard B. Gilbert say:
>
>
>>Gordon Burditt wrote:
>>
>>>>Please do not forget who the original poster was and his questions: He
>>>>asked:
>>>>"can I display my own LAT/LON values somehow without a map application ?"
>>>
>>>For some cell phone implementation of "GPS" (this one doesn't involve
>>>actual satellites talking to your phone), your position coordinates
>>>are present at the cell towers and somewhere in the offices of Big
>>>Brother, but not on your cell phone. If a map application can get
>>>your position at all, it has to ask your cell provider to send it,
>>>and that may cost money.
>>>
>>>
>>>>The answer to that is "yes" and it is proven by the amount of freeware
>>>>available for PPC/phones that turn GPS data into lat/long.
>>>
>>>Some phones (and PDAs) have a real GPS that listens to satellites
>>>built in. I suspect that includes a Nextel phone I was testing a
>>>few years ago: it never managed to talk to the satellites because
>>>of one of (a) office building roof, (b) parking garage roof, or (c)
>>>car roof was in the way most of the time, and the coordinates didn't
>>>update for several days. That phone permitted me to display the
>>>coordinates on the screen, along with some info about how many
>>>satellites were visible. This seems to be what the OP is looking
>>>for. I doubt that particular phone model is still sold, but
>>>user-visible GPS is still likely available on some phones.
>>>
>>>On my current phone (Motorola RAZR V3 with T-Mobile), I don't think
>>>the feature is available. This phone doesn't have a lot of memory
>>>for apps or maps, either (about 3 meg).
>>>
>>
>>My Verizon Wireless RAZR V3m claims GPS capability. I don't think you
>>get displays of satellite positions or latitude and longitude but you
>>can get software for it that will prompt to "turn left at the next
>>intersection". Like everything else, I think the software is an extra
>>cost item.
>>
>>The RAZR V3m allows you to install a "Micro SD Trans Flash" memory card
>>which you can use to store photographs, audio recordings, etc, etc. You
>>can't, AFAIK, store them there directly but you can move then to the
>>Trans Flash card. I have a 1GB card in my phone right now. I think I
>>paid something like $15 US for it. The other nice thing is that you can
>>get a USB "reader" for these cards which allows you to remove the card
>>from your camera, plug it into the adapter, the adapter into your
>>computer and you can copy pictures or audio recordings into your
>>computer. If you are so inclined you could probably copy music from
>>your computer to the trans flash card, install the card in your phone
>>and use it to play the music.
>
>
> I regularly move photos, mp3's, etc, back and forth to my V3m's flash
> card without removing it. Depending on which computer I'm using, I do it
> with either BlueTooth or a USB cable. The free "BitPIM" utility is also
> handy for working with files for the phone...
>

Do you have a "Verizon Wireless" phone? The RAZR V3, as manufactured,
has the capability but Verizon Wireless disables it. You can reenable
it at the cost of voiding your warranty!

I bought the phone in order to be able to call for help if I happened to
need the police, fire department, an ambulance, a tow truck, etc. Once
I got my contact list into the phone using Motorola Phone Tools, I was
pretty much done. The camera, ability to play music, games, video are
of little or no interest. I took one "test" picture, managed to
transfer it to my computer via the trans flash card, and then deleted
the file.