THE man in the Verizon Wireless commercials wearing thick-rimmed glasses may be constantly asking, “Can you hear me now?” But the most commonly asked question over mobile phones might actually be, “Where are you now?”
The combination of global positioning systems and cellphones may make that question moot. Cellphone carriers are now mandated by the Federal Communications Commission to provide location information for 911 emergency use. Many now have G.P.S. chips that can pinpoint the phone’s location to within a few feet, though others rely on triangulation, a technology that approximates location based on proximity to cellphone towers.
Even some phones without G.P.S. can help you navigate. The iPhone from Apple, for example, cannot precisely locate you or track you as you drive. But its Google Maps feature can be used to plan a route by entering a start address and a destination. It displays directions or a map.
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The combination of global positioning systems and cellphones may make that question moot. Cellphone carriers are now mandated by the Federal Communications Commission to provide location information for 911 emergency use. Many now have G.P.S. chips that can pinpoint the phone’s location to within a few feet, though others rely on triangulation, a technology that approximates location based on proximity to cellphone towers.
Even some phones without G.P.S. can help you navigate. The iPhone from Apple, for example, cannot precisely locate you or track you as you drive. But its Google Maps feature can be used to plan a route by entering a start address and a destination. It displays directions or a map.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
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