GPS works abroad?
Hi everyone.
Probably a silly questions for many of you "gurus" of the iphone, but it just occurred to me this morning.....
I've got the 1st gen iPhone and I am planning in getting next week the new 3G S.
I live in the UK, but I'm planning to travel to a few different countries in Europe, and I was thinking if the GPS of the iPhone will work abroad too or not.... And if it does (which I imagine it will), is it completely independent of the 3G connection/mobile carrier (O2 here, AT&T in USA,...)/mobile reception towers, or is it dependent, therefore it I turn off Data Roaming while abroad, it won't work, or if I use it, I will be charged for Internet/data usage??????

And following the same thinking.... (you might not know, as the apps are not out yet), but the turn by turn GPS apps (TomTom, etc...) will they be dependent then of the 3G signal and you will be charge abroad if you are using it????
Thanks in advance.....
(Can't wait for my new flashing iPhone 3G S!!!!
)
Probably a silly questions for many of you "gurus" of the iphone, but it just occurred to me this morning.....

I've got the 1st gen iPhone and I am planning in getting next week the new 3G S.
I live in the UK, but I'm planning to travel to a few different countries in Europe, and I was thinking if the GPS of the iPhone will work abroad too or not.... And if it does (which I imagine it will), is it completely independent of the 3G connection/mobile carrier (O2 here, AT&T in USA,...)/mobile reception towers, or is it dependent, therefore it I turn off Data Roaming while abroad, it won't work, or if I use it, I will be charged for Internet/data usage??????


And following the same thinking.... (you might not know, as the apps are not out yet), but the turn by turn GPS apps (TomTom, etc...) will they be dependent then of the 3G signal and you will be charge abroad if you are using it????
Thanks in advance.....
(Can't wait for my new flashing iPhone 3G S!!!!


Comments
Some apps may need a 3G connection (at some point to get data, whatever). The iPhone 3G accesses from time to time to update map data. Some apps may include all of the data.
You should check before you buy and go.
Hopefully the Tom-Tom deal WILL load the maps independently, like all other Nav. units, and there will be zero charge for use.
If your carrier allows international data roaming and if you don't take any precautions, it will be terribly expensive.
Sometimes carriers sell special short-term international data roaming plans, say, 20MB or 100MB of data per week. This is the most appropriate option.
P.S. Even if TomTom application is on-board one, i.e. stores all maps on the iPhone, it will employ their IQ Routes service transparently, which will need data exchange over 3G. So will traffic information and other services. Best is to buy short-term data plan.
After a two week holiday in France with moderate usage my monthly O2 bill can easily be £120 +. It's tough but then you have to remember we actually have a great deal in the UK with O2's all you can eat data plans.
Obviously you might not call a £100+ phone bill expensive.
International data roaming without special data plans: 0.09 eur for 10KB, i.e. >9 eur for 1MB
Data roaming plans proposed by Orange
----------------------------------------------------------
3 MB useable during 7 days since the date of activation - 5 eur (1,70 eur/MB)
20MB useable for 7 days - 20 eur (1,00 eur/MB)
100MB useable for 7 days - 75 eur (0,75 eur/MB)
Special iPhone data roaming plans
----------------------------------------------------------
10MB per day - 5 eur/day (0,50 eur/MB)
Maps app sends and receives ~400KB of data, when determining the current location first time (if previously cached map should be discarded and reloaded). Consequent map updates take less, sure.
Personally tested 3MB, 20MB and 100MB plans with iPhone; in quite moderate usage (determining current locations, no continuous guidance, local weather, e-mails, some web surfing) . 3MB were consumed entirely, 11MB of 20MB were consumed, 17MB of 100MB were consumed for 7 days.
With everything turned ON, but Data Roaming turned OFF... of course "Maps" won't work, as they need info from Google... but even just running the "Compass" app, the Lat/Lon never updates... I can be outside staring at the Arc De Triumph (so in wide open view of the satellites) but while it gets a perfectly good signal from Orange, the GPS coordinates don't update until I turn Data Roaming ON (and get charged.)
Seems odd to me... I realize acquiring a position without the "assistance" of the cell network will take longer, but no need to disable GPS completely when data is turned off!
Ah, un petit bug sympa! Marketing 2 applications as "Maps + Compass" doesn't necessarily mean they shouldn't work without one another.
Paris's not gonna let you out, dude.
Ah, un petit bug sympa! Marketing 2 applications as "Maps + Compass" doesn't necessarily mean they shouldn't work without one another.
I'm already out!... no plans to return... Once you've seen the Louve, the Tour Eiffel, the Arc,, Notre Dame ... it's just another big dirty city
But the Compass app shows Lat/Lon along the bottom of the screen (no map required) ... but it shows the location where I last had data turned on... I can walk around Paris all day in plain view of the satellites, but because I have the 3G data pipe turned off, it shows the Lat/Lon of Houston, TX. No reason it can't update that info without a data connection. (Well, apparently there IS a reason, I just don't know what it is!
I'm already out!... no plans to return... Once you've seen the Louve, the Tour Eiffel, the Arc,, Notre Dame ... it's just another big dirty city
What is $#@$ big? Paris? It's all encircled by Périphérique, and that's all, there's no Paris outside.
I don't understand, why I always fail to explain to anglo-saxons, that they should wait until September, then grab those partners of theirs, then come to Paris just to walk, to drop into some café maybe...
There's truth in what you said. I removed from there many years ago.
But the Compass app shows Lat/Lon along the bottom of the screen (no map required) ... but it shows the location where I last had data turned on... I can walk around Paris all day in plain view of the satellites, but because I have the 3G data pipe turned off, it shows the Lat/Lon of Houston, TX. No reason it can't update that info without a data connection. (Well, apparently there IS a reason, I just don't know what it is!
Absolutely. This is the issue on Apple side.