iPhone GPS Satellite Navigation

Save money on satellite navigation by
using the tools built into your iPhone.

Having been absent from the first model, GPS features were long-rumoured for inclusion in an upgraded iPhone, but until the 3G variant was introduced, nobody could be quite sure whether Apple’s engineers would have been able to integrate an upgraded communications chip (3G hardware draws more power than the 2.5G chips used in the original iPhone) with a GPS receiver. But Apple not only worked out how to do this without increasing the size and weight of the battery, it also managed to slim down the physical size of the handset itself.

That slimming down has continued with every model released since them, until we find ourselves where we are today. With GPS features built-in, you will always know exactly where you are at any time and, as a bonus, can use your iPhone to plan routes.

By combining information data with maps drawn down from Google’s servers, the Maps application can plot the fastest route between your current location and any other spot (or, indeed, between two
locations even if you aren’t currently standing at your origin or destination). It can take traffic into account, and gives you the option of providing route details for driving, public transport or walking, with journey length and expected journey times detailed.

The navigation features are also used to geotag your photos and videos. This allows you to attach position-defining data to them so that they can then be positioned on maps and, if you’re using iMovie, on graphical globes.