I thought I was going to pick up a Turbo but...

[bsweetness]

According to these sites, these phones don't have standalone GPS. They all have A-GPS only. They don't have S-GPS

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - Full phone specifications
Samsung Galaxy S5 - Full phone specifications
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - Full phone specifications

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 specs
Samsung Galaxy S5 specs
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 specs

For those first set of links, they all say "Yes, with A-GPS..." That means they have a standalone GPS chip and A-GPS (along with other forms of positioning that a device might have). It doesn't mean that location is just done only via A-GPS. Look up pretty much any Android phone on GSM Arena (going all the way back to the Original Droid...which they only have listed as the international Milestone version), and you'll see the same phrasing.

For the second set of links, they all say "GPS, A-GPS..." That clearly notes GPS.

Having a standalone GPS chip is a requirement set down by Google in order to have access to Google apps and the Play Store. They all have standalone GPS.

 

[FoxKat]

Ninja'd by the bsweetness...

Didn't know about the Google Apps thing, but the 911 thing is I believe a law...

 

[bsweetness]

Ninja'd by the bsweetness...

Didn't know about the Google Apps thing, but the 911 thing is I believe a law...

9-1-1 is a great point too. That one didn't even cross my mind.

 

[PowrDroid]

For those first set of links, they all say "Yes, with A-GPS..." That means they have a standalone GPS chip and A-GPS (along with other forms of positioning that a device might have). It doesn't mean that location is just done only via A-GPS. Look up pretty much any Android phone on GSM Arena (going all the way back to the Original Droid...which they only have listed as the international Milestone version), and you'll see the same phrasing.

For the second set of links, they all say "GPS, A-GPS..." That clearly notes GPS.

Having a standalone GPS chip is a requirement set down by Google in order to have access to Google apps and the Play Store. They all have standalone GPS.

Same phrasing on GSM:
Moto Droid Turbo: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
Samsung Galaxy S5: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou

Same phrasing on Phone Arena:
Moto Droid Turbo: GPS, A-GPS
Samsung Galaxy S5: GPS, A-GPS

So if "Yes, with A-GPS" means they have a standalone GPS chip, why are people saying the Droid Turbo does not have one?

 

[bsweetness]

Same phrasing:
Description of Droid Turbo GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
Description of Galaxy S5 GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou

So if "Yes, with A-GPS" means they have a standalone GPS chip, why are people saying the Droid Turbo does not have one?

Because they were going off incomplete information. The original specs only listed A-GPS, which worried some folks. Since then, it's been shown that the Turbo does indeed have standalone GPS.

 

[bsweetness]

Here's the latest Android Compatibility Definition Document (it's for 4.4 - Google hasn't posted one for 5.0 yet). It lists hardware requirements that must be met in order for a device to be officially compatible with Android and have access to Google apps.

7.3.3. GPS
- Device implementations SHOULD include a GPS receiver. If a device implementation does include a GPS receiver, it SHOULD include some form of "assisted GPS" technique to minimize GPS lock-on time.

Google uses the IETF standard definitions for the document, so "SHOULD" means that "there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a particular item, but the full implications must be understood and carefully weighed before choosing a different course." So, while a manufacturer could try to argue their way out of GPS, Google isn't likely to let it fly. They've said on many occasions that Android hardware needs standalone GPS in order to be able to have access to the Play Store and Google apps.

Of course, since Android is open source, a manufacturer could completely ignore everything in that document and still load Android onto their device. But they wouldn't be allowed to use Google apps or have access to the Play store.

So, just like any other Android device that officially has the Play Store, the Turbo definitely has standalone GPS.

Beyond the Android requirements, it's just like FoxKat said:

Furthermore, in order to have A-GPS (Assisted GPS), you have to have S-GPS (Standalone GPS), in which to "assist" with the cellular towers and WIFI locations.

 

[PowrDroid]

Because they were going off incomplete information. The original specs only listed A-GPS, which worried some folks. Since then, it's been shown that the Turbo does indeed have standalone GPS.

Ahhh...got it. From reading this thread I presumed the thought was that it didn't have it, which I found incredible. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

[bsweetness]

Ahhh...got it. From reading this thread I presumed the thought was that it didn't have it, which I found incredible. Thanks for clearing it up.

No problem. We're all here to help.

 

[Ollie]

Glonass..."Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema"

We use dual receiver GPS units (not phones) at work that receive signals from GPS and Glonass in effect giving us access to twice as many satellites in the northern hemispheres.

If a phone doesn't have A-GPS you would have issues mapping an area that has a lot of obstructions like in a city or in a wooded area for example. Indoors as well.

 

[Ollie]

Yes, to have A-GPS you must have S-GPS.

 

[FoxKat]

No problem. We're all here to help.

So true.

 

[FoxKat]

Glonass..."Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema"

We use dual receiver GPS units (not phones) at work that receive signals from GPS and Glonass in effect giving us access to twice as many satellites in the northern hemispheres.

If a phone doesn't have A-GPS you would have issues mapping an area that has a lot of obstructions like in a city or in a wooded area for example. Indoors as well.

When I first started reading that I thought you were having a nervous breakdown! Lol

 

[Ollie]

When I first started reading that I thought you were having a nervous breakdown! Lol

Lol. I'm doing ok so far

I'm looking forward to Russia's new satellite system if they can finish getting it deployed. They have run into huge setbacks that include rockets blowing up on launch while attempting to orbit some satellites and then placing them in the wrong positions when they did have success orbiting them.

The new system will be far more accurate and dependable.

 

[CaptainSS]

Hey .... does anyone know if my phone has GPS?



jk - I couldn't resist