The future of GPS?

Article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2008-01-22-skyhook_N.htm

GPS is all the rage these days. People pay extra monthly fees for GPS navigation on their cell phones. Many cars now come equipped with a built-in GPS system. These devices use GPS chips that receive signals from satellites. But now that Wi-Fi is popping up everywhere (homes, schools, restaurants, malls, etc.), why not take it a step further and use Wi-Fi signals instead of satellite signals for location-mapping? That's exactly what Skyhook Wireless founders Michael Shean and Ted Morgan have done.

Now the iPod Touch and the iPhone, which both come with built-in wireless capabilities, can use Wi-Fi signals to tell the owner their location. The devices now come with Google Maps as well, so the user can get directions using Wi-Fi instead of GPS. In order for this technology to work, Skyhook maps out Wi-Fi access points and adds them to a database. Then when an iPhone or iPod Touch user taps an icon on their device, it finds the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot and locates it in the database. Then it shows the location on the device.

This new technology has pros and cons. The advantage is that it is a low-cost alternative to GPS navigation on mobile phones. Most carriers require an extra fee to use GPS navigation on their devices. Verizon, for example, is $2.99/day or $9.99/month. But if you have a phone that is Wi-Fi-enabled, you could use wireless signals for navigation and avoid the GPS charge. This is assuming that Skyhook expands it service to other phones/carriers. The disadvantage is that Wi-Fi navigation will not be as accurate as GPS navigation. If you have a phone with a GPS chip, the satellite picks up the signal from your phone and can give you the exact location. Wi-Fi navigation, however, is giving you the location of the hotspot, not your device. If you are not right next to a hotspot, or if you are but it is not listed in the database, your location will be a little off. Also, Wi-Fi navigation will not work in rural areas where hotspots are few and far between. At least using GPS you can be in the middle of the desert and still get directions. Nevertheless, Skyhook's idea is very innovative, and if nothing else makes another neat little feature for the iPhone. :)