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Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint GPS Test
- Thread starter pablo.station
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- samsung epic 4g
Adrift
Android Enthusiast
Pretty cool, as you can see the Captivate has aGPS on, and knows kinda where the reviewer is (massive circle), where as the Epic is locked with actual GPS but seems to only be locked on with a few satellites. Accuracy of maybe 10meters? It works but is not great I suppose, still that lock-on was damn fast.
Adrift
Android Enthusiast
MarvinTheParanoidAndroid
Member
It doesn't seem like the Epic's actual screen size is very much bigger than the Captivate
mrvirginia
Android Expert
that was a faster lock-on than my Evo tbh.
That's because they're the same size.
I guess this makes me feel more confident about the Epic's GPS abilities, but I certainly hope Samsung dials it in better with the fix coming out in Sept. My concern is, will they just find a fix for the Captivate and Vibrant, and leave the Epic as is, calling it good.
novox77
Leeeroy Jennnkinnns!
Yeah, I have an Evo too, and I've never seen a blue circle appear around my location once the GPS has a fix. But before we jump to conclusions, it could be that the software version of Google Nav is different than the one on Evo, and it could be that the Evo's doesn't have that feature.
Anyhow, I'm pretty satisfied by this video. I think it proves conclusively that there's no major issue with the GPS on the Epic.
TheAndroidWorks
Android Enthusiast
It is good to see that the Epic definitely has an improvement over there other S phones. I think a better test might be to run mytracks for a period of time and see how the accuracy of the measured datapoints compare with the devices!
latinmaxima
Android Expert
nice showing!
According to Engadget, Samsung told them:
"We have tested and validated both Network Assisted (indoor) and Autonomous (outdoor) GPS on the Epic 4G."
Sure sounds like what you see in the video is what you'll get. A fast lock, but still inaccurate. I hope the Captivate fix isn't like what I see in the Epic video. That's just crap accuracy. The blue dot spans 2 streets at times!
Here is his full review
Samsung Epic 4G GPS Test » BriefMobile
Samsung Epic 4G GPS Test » BriefMobile
Thanks for posting this. For my purposes, I feel the Epic's GPS will be good enough, but I'm still disappointed they couldn't bring it up to current standards.
i really hate to say it, but dietcoke was a little right about this. and i'm mad too because i plan on moving to either new york city or boston in the following months and i'm going need an accurate gps to get around and was considering the epic
i'm in atlanta right now with the evo and it's gotten me everywhere i've wanted to go. hopefully more gps videos come out though for the epic. it's not bad but when you're in a city, a wrong turn is a pretty big deal
i'm in atlanta right now with the evo and it's gotten me everywhere i've wanted to go. hopefully more gps videos come out though for the epic. it's not bad but when you're in a city, a wrong turn is a pretty big deal
haha, i hate driving in new york. i went in a square 5 times behind a fish truck before i finally found the on ramp
i'd be walking for the most part like i was today and the gps found my location and gave me quick walking directions, no problems.
so that's important for me, especially if i'm walking as a wrong turn walking can lose 10-20 minutes and a new employer won't like that
haha, yeah i hope more reviews come out this weekend or so as i have it pre-ordered at sprint.
i'm thinking i might just make a friend sign up for a sprint account so it's cheaper and i'll get to play around with it and test it out myself and then return which ever phone i don't like the most
i'm thinking i might just make a friend sign up for a sprint account so it's cheaper and i'll get to play around with it and test it out myself and then return which ever phone i don't like the most
MarvinTheParanoidAndroid
Member
One of the commenters in that review indicated that "his Epic never had more than four" satellite connections. So I wonder if there is a setting that allows you to connect to more GPS satellites for more accuracy, or less satellites for less power consumption?
aGPS accuracy is 5 to 10m. aGPS is GPS with assistance in initially locating the satellites, but then fix from the satellites.I'll take a 5-10m accuracy over 2500-3000m (aGPS) anyday.
with 200m to 3000m accuracy you are talking about land based tower triangulation which is the minimum requirement on all smart and dumb phones in the US and also available on properly programmed phones to location based applications.
No that would not save battery power. you don't really "connect" to satellites, as the communication is not duplex, but open way, you receive the information from satellites with your GPS radio but do not transmit to satellites. You don't use more battery by receiving the proper number of sats (11 satellites is a typcial number for smartphones on a clear day with no obstructions, and 8 would be average). Four is not very accurate and temporarily dropping one will kill your fix.
Actually their wording there means Engadet has no understanding of GPS terms. Autonomous is exactly synonymous with standalone GPS which means the device does not require or use an network connection to even locate the birds.
Network assisted is aGPS which uses SATELLITES.
Standalone or Autonmous GPS = no network connection needed at all. Accuracy 5 to 10m.
aGPS = Network is used to download ephemeris and Almanac to more quickly locate satellites. The sat data is then what is used to produce the fix. Accuracy 5 to 10m.
Tower Triangulation = Terrestrial towers are used to determine fix, usually calculated on provider side, and then sent as an estimate to phone.
I don't give engadet's "test" any credibility, we will know soon. I plan to do comparative tests with Epic, Touch Pro 2 and Treo Pro, all starting from flushed caches, then warm and hot starts at the same time in the same locations.