Database Develop

Google Maps Problem

Every time I use the Track Location feature, it fails. I've uninstalled and reinstalled and it still won't work. It takes me to San Francisco instead of Chicago(which is where I live). It used to work the week I got the wing (about 2 weeks ago). It's pretty much stock. I don't use any ROM's and have even performed a clear storage. Any help would be appreciated. I have done a search.
Still isn't working.
It tells me to check the GPS settings. I haven't changed them nor do I know how.

Have you tried with a GPS receiver? (If you have access to one)
I have found that the track location feature while sometimes is surprisingly accurate most often is only close enough for a general location. Good for a local search but not close enough to pinpoint my location with accuracy.
But discrepancy that is off by states I have no idea. IT gets your location by triangulating from the cell towers, maybe there is a glitch in that area that is unidentified. It isn't something you could ask your provider about (actually they might have an answer or be able to help but I wouldn't bet on it), even though they might be at fault. You might see if you can report it as a bug to the google mobile maps team and see if they will respond.
Vectre

Im A People said:
Every time I use the Track Location feature, it fails. I've uninstalled and reinstalled and it still won't work. It takes me to San Francisco instead of Chicago(which is where I live). It used to work the week I got the wing (about 2 weeks ago). It's pretty much stock. I don't use any ROM's and have even performed a clear storage. Any help would be appreciated. I have done a search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a different phone radio firmware. Mine used to fail when I used the newest Radio. It's either that or the information about your towers has been set up incorrectly on google's servers. Find someone in your area with a phone that you can install google maps on and try to see if the problem is still there. If it is, contact google about it.

That just happens sometimes with Google Maps.
I live in germany and sometimes Google Maps says I am somewhere in France or Spain (one time even somewhere in the atlantic or pacifik...)
Just wait some time and try to locate again (don't restart google maps).
If that doesn't help, walk around a bit and try again.

[Q] Navigon Working on Captivate?

Has anyone tried Navigon on their Captivate? I remember seeing some speculation that apps that rely on Google Maps may have bad tracking due to software. Just curious how well Navigon performs before I plunk down the cash.

the new version of Navigon that came out yesterday, actually runs on a map pack you download. It even says to make sure your on wifi in the app description on the market.

My GPS on my Captivate hasn't been as bad as some. While using Google Nav, I'll occasionally get the dreaded blue circle, but for the most part, it keeps me on the road.
I bought this yesterday and had it download the maps. I used it for a 30 minute drive to work and it worked good for me. It kept me on the road, didn't lag and had accurate maps (since they're NAVTEQ like Garmin uses). Halfway here, the app did close and restart itself and I had to re-select my destination. Not sure what happened there, but I'll try it on my way home again too.
Its got some nice features. It announces street names like Google Nav (CoPilot doesn't do this I don't think). It has Google Live Search for POIs, which is a HUGE plus for me instead of relying on a static database. Has red light camera alerts and quite a few other features.

i use navigon on daily basis and i love it. better than any other navigation software for android.

Just got the Navigon app. Love it!!!
Here's my take: all features aside, it seems to be better at dealing with Samsungs funky GPS than Google Navigation.
With Google navigation, I'd be driving and all of a sudden it'd think I was a block laterally and it'd wreak *havok* on my turn by turn directions. This is called losing a lock.
With Navigon, didn't happen in my 30min test in downtown Chicago. my phone acted just like the iPhone I had before it.
I don't think this app fixed GPS. I think it just knows how to deal with crummy hardware / drivers
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Also guys its on sale on for 2 weeks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Installed tonight...45 min drive...quick/basic eval...
There are features I like about this, and in my basic test tonigh, I have not been able to test some of the 'fancy' features mentioned above. Here are some initial thoughts:
The Good
Much more pleasant voice
I loved the fact that it put up a speed limit sign in upper right, showing the speed limit of the street I am on. Updated immediately when SL changed
As others above said, it seems to definitely handle the funky Captivate GPS better
Seemed to get directions faster, and update faster when not following directions, than Google Nav
It does have a Google Search for POIs, although I found it did not bring up a complete list. For example I searched for Walmart. There are 2 in my town, and it brought up only the one closed to me, which is a much smaller one than the other
The Ugly
It did not consistently say street names. In fact most of the time it didn't
If you moved to another app, or if my music player came in front, the NAV stopped working. When I switched back to it, it had to re-load or something (had a wait type message) and then had to reroute
When playing through my Motorola 505 through to radio, the voice played on both the phone and BT, and this phone (maybe all Android phones, I don't know) has a delay at teh bluetooth, so it sounded like an echo
The map had almost none of the streets named as you drove. It just listed the next turn street listed. It didn't even indicate what street you are driving on.
My comparison software would be Google Nav, of course, and also TomTom on Winmo, which I used over the past 3 years. There are features in Navigon that are not in either of those, but for the basics, it doesn't, IMO, come close to Google, nor my OLD TomTom.
My need for this would really be only to have a backup solution should I go somewhere that I cannot receive data for Google. I am undecided whether to keep it or return and hope TomTom is better, whenever it comes out.
I must admit though, one thing that this product, I belive like the others above, may not put me on wrong streets like happesn with the Google Nav. But then, I haven't tested it that much yet.

google has 24 hours refund. is it really easy for refund? i wanna give navigon a try

I just returned mine a couple hours ago.
Typically, you get a notice right when you uninstall "Your account will be credited", or something like that, but I didn't. So it had me worried.
but in about 5 min I received an email from Google Checkout that my account would not be charged.
Its as easy as uninstalling the app.

I decided to give it a shot. It never found me on my entire drive home. I'm running a fresh install (as of this morning) of Cognition 2.2 beta 9.1.3.
I told it to display map, and it just had some random map scene and a red bar across the top that had GPS in all caps. After a while, I hit the menu key, GPS-Info, and it has my Lat and Long at all zeros.
Not sure what to do other than take solace in knowing I'll have a working Navigon in my future Android handsets. I was too trusting of it and didn't test it within the initial 24 hours, so there's no refund button.

When I tested with it, it was a bit slow to get a hook, but I kicked off GPS Status, and it got a hook pretty quick, then Navigon did too. After that, the few times i used it, it hooked up OK.

my complain is that it has no ROUTE listing! i probably going to uninstall it and get refund. let say i dont want to use freeway 101 and use freeway 80 instead. but you cant! cus there is no route listing!

netnerd said:
my complain is that it has no ROUTE listing! i probably going to uninstall it and get refund. let say i dont want to use freeway 101 and use freeway 80 instead. but you cant! cus there is no route listing!
Click to expand...
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When I first put in my destination it gives me a list of 3-4 routes and I can select the one I want, otherwise after about 10 seconds, it defaults to the My Route (orange) one.

jdsemler said:
I decided to give it a shot. It never found me on my entire drive home. I'm running a fresh install (as of this morning) of Cognition 2.2 beta 9.1.3.
I told it to display map, and it just had some random map scene and a red bar across the top that had GPS in all caps. After a while, I hit the menu key, GPS-Info, and it has my Lat and Long at all zeros.
Not sure what to do other than take solace in knowing I'll have a working Navigon in my future Android handsets. I was too trusting of it and didn't test it within the initial 24 hours, so there's no refund button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried other GPS apps to get a lock? That is more like a phone/ROM issue than an app issue. Try Google Maps, or download GPS Status from the Market and try that one.
I'm on Cog 2.2 Beta 9 and it works here. If you turn on all the location assists in the settings, it should help you get a faster lock. You could also check out the Jupiter files in the Dev forum. Get v006 and copy the 3 files and reboot...it might help.
Some people have no luck getting a lock without messing with settings or files, and using a different app usually doesn't change that.

HD7 GPS issue???

I notice my Bing Maps doesn't show the right coordinates of my location. What could be wrong?

You could be standing indoors or somewhere where there's not a good enough GPS signal, or you may have location services switched off.

jtphl said:
I notice my Bing Maps doesn't show the right coordinates of my location. What could be wrong?
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You are not alone. I started a thread where I called it =garbage. I don't want to generalize just in case it's a hardware issue on my part but it always shows my location in a different city and when using the GPS on maps it seems to always be trying to catchup.

GPS settings
How can we tell if the GPS has locked on to any satellites...or for that matter, if it's even on??? There doesn't seem to be any direct mention of GPS in the settings menu...just a general option to turn location services on or off. Am I missing something here...or does ms not think that giving users direct control over GPS is important?

JoePR31 said:
How can we tell if the GPS has locked on to any satellites...or for that matter, if it's even on??? There doesn't seem to be any direct mention of GPS in the settings menu...just a general option to turn location services on or off. Am I missing something here...or does ms not think that giving users direct control over GPS is important?
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Totally agree with you. My guess though is that when the circles radius is just a couple pixels from the central point then its GPS; since GPS is accurate to a couple feet and A-GPS when the radius is about half the screen. Again just guessing but I really do wish there was an option.

alabij said:
Totally agree with you. My guess though is that when the circles radius is just a couple pixels from the central point then its GPS; since GPS is accurate to a couple feet and A-GPS when the radius is about half the screen. Again just guessing but I really do wish there was an option.
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I believe you're right about the meaning of the radius of the circle in the stock map app. But, it probably isn't as obvious in other kinds of apps that use GPS.
I'm gonna shoot ms an email regarding this...and I suggest that anyone else that agrees that this is less than ideal do the same. Its too late to have them do anything about it in the upcoming January update, but if they hear enough complaints about it, maybe they'll do something about it in the update after that one.

Personally I'd rather Ms did NOT add in any such options. I have the option to use or not use location services, that's enough. Apps that can utilize GPS will switch the circuit on and use it while they're the active app. As soon as you switch away, the app tombstones and GPS switches off, to save battery life. That's just the way I like it, nice and simple. No need for an option of any kind there. It just works.

Jim Coleman said:
Personally I'd rather Ms did NOT add in any such options. I have the option to use or not use location services, that's enough. Apps that can utilize GPS will switch the circuit on and use it while they're the active app. As soon as you switch away, the app tombstones and GPS switches off, to save battery life. That's just the way I like it, nice and simple. No need for an option of any kind there. It just works.
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Jim, if the battery on my HD7 were more robust, I would agree with you. But it's not...so I don't. I would like the option to utilize only tower/WiFi triangulation...and to be able to enable my GPS only when I need my location to be precisely determined.
You are right...it does just work...which was more than I could say for my Vibrant's GPS for quite a while. But, access to any setting that could help me milk some more life out of my battery is access that I want.

GPS ?!?
I have both the HD2 and the HD7. The HD7 with services ON show my location over half a mile away from my office. This is consistent and constant. It shows me in the middle of a hwy norht east of my office. My HD2 not have this issue. It pinpoints my location, tells me in meters how accurate it is and tells me how many satellites it is in contact with. It will actually follow me accurately around the building inside and out. What's the problem with the HD7?? Seems like it is a step backward to me in this regard!

HD7Sol said:
I have both the HD2 and the HD7. The HD7 with services ON show my location over half a mile away from my office. This is consistent and constant. It shows me in the middle of a hwy norht east of my office. My HD2 not have this issue. It pinpoints my location, tells me in meters how accurate it is and tells me how many satellites it is in contact with. It will actually follow me accurately around the building inside and out. What's the problem with the HD7?? Seems like it is a step backward to me in this regard!
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Click to collapse
How wide is the circle around the dot? It may be using the Cell tower / WiFi to determine your position and therefore be very inaccurate.
What country are you in?
I guess it's possible that the actual maps are wrong and are showing the incorrect map overlay for your country?

after reading this thread i tested my HD7 with the bing map and its accurate, showed me where i am i changed to aerial map to confirm it...
i believe the data (3G) have to be connected, i am on unlimited data plan so its on all the time, wifi do not work as i tested with the wifi after that and it showed my location far away from my home...

this should fix everyones issue Go to setting and select find my phone check box both opitions and now try bing maps again. you will also notice well driving bing maps will keep a better track well your moving

did that and it now works perfectly, previously it was over a mile off my actual location

Me living in Thailand, whenever my HD7 connected to WIFI (no matter where), the current location always changes to San Jose. I have no idea why this happens ?

pongpatara said:
Me living in Thailand, whenever my HD7 connected to WIFI (no matter where), the current location always changes to San Jose. I have no idea why this happens ?
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Mate, this issue was happen to me in Bangkok too,
I try many apps to fix this, but the result was same..
I see my location was stand in somewhere on the sea at Europe.
That's suck...
Make them REAL MS !!

hd7 no gps please help
gps dosent work on google maps when i flash back to old rom gps works

As far as I know location services do not use GPS exclusively. It uses GSM cell and tower info as well to speed up approximation and let enough time for GPS satellite locking. GSM cell data is stored in internet databases (do not know where and how) but if there is a mislocated tower (e.g.i Thailand) your location might be determined in a wrong way.
To keep it simple M$ hidden this mixed mode location service. I don't know what happens if you switch off location service in settings and use a GPS application for locating yourself. Is there a difference? Might be.

[Q] *sigh* I have had enough... Does this phone have a real GPS receiver or not?

I'm getting sick of ignorant people saying stuff like "oh yeah your GPS works as long as you have a data or wifi signal."
NO. THAT IS NOT GPS. That is the cheap triangulation signal method via cell towers that just about ANY phone can do. If you don't know the difference between GPS and cell tower triangulation then do not bother contributing to this discussion.
Real GPS uses satellites. You know, the ones in space. Nothing else.
Tomtoms don't use a cellular signal, they use GPS.
If you have real GPS, you can pinpoint almost perfectly where you are in realtime, and even accurately track your velocity, so long as there is a clear line of sight to the satellites. If your location is "bouncing back and forth", then you do not have GPS enabled. Period.
I would like to know, once and for all, was HTC lying on their phone specifications in saying that the HD7 has GPS or not?
My old HTC Touch HD had it. Why on earth does this HD7 not seem to have it?
Has anyone here ever actually managed to verify that a true GPS receiver even exists in this phone?

There is a GPS reciever in the phone or it wont be able to pinpoint your exact location in Bing Maps.

fazkaz said:
There is a GPS reciever in the phone or it wont be able to pinpoint your exact location in Bing Maps.
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Click to collapse
I have never had bing maps pinpoint my "exact" location though, only maybe to the nearest 20 metres. And the pointer doesn't seem to move as I move, which suggests to me it isn't using satellites at all...

You seem to be confused. To clear up your misunderstanding, read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
FWIW, I use the GPS radio on my daily 6km runs. My old Holux devices (CF-Card, USB external), used to take 30-60 seconds to grab a 3D fix. My HD7 does it in just 15-seconds. If a data connection is available, AGPS will acquire a 'quick fix' first, then based on that position determine which satellites it should look for, elminating the old trial and error method. Hence, a 'true' gps connection is acheived immediately after the AGPS system does it's job.
Bing Maps is just simply a built-in GPS client for the hardware radio and firmware.
To those concerned about data roaming charges, a data connection is not required to use the GPS radio, but is necessary to use downloaded maps, etc. As the newly released Navigon system stores maps on your device (1.6-2.5gb!) it will run independent of a data connection.
Cheers

I understand perfectly what A-GPS is. However I have yet to see my HTC HD7 actually acquire a satellite signal.
Is there anything in the phone that actually indicates when it has acquired a signal from GPS satellites?
What I believe to be the case is that this phone never actually uses GPS signals, at any stage. I believe it simply uses the cellular towers to triangulate your position, and you never get anything more accurate than that.
I would happily be proven wrong. Or if you could show me somewhere on the phone which says "now receiving from (6) satellites" like my old HTC used to do, I will happily stand corrected.
Bing maps has never ever been "GPS accurate" in my experience, and I have had the phone for just under a year now.

What about the Navigon select app that some German carriers implement on their HD7s, isn't that satellite GPS signal ?

i'm using navigon navigator,that show me speed,exat position,and many other info:hd7 HAS A GPS RICEVITOR!!!

I used Bing maps navigation the other day to find a junk yard about 2 hours from where I live and it was pretty accurate. Even merging onto another highway showed the cursor right where I was. After the initial routing pretty sure I was out of signal since I had no service way out in the sticks yet Bing maps never lost the route. I wa pretty satisfied.
But your right real gps shouldn't need a data signal at all like navigon select. Maps are stored locally.
Sent from my HD7 T9292 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

Heofz said:
I understand perfectly what A-GPS is. However I have yet to see my HTC HD7 actually acquire a satellite signal.
Is there anything in the phone that actually indicates when it has acquired a signal from GPS satellites?
What I believe to be the case is that this phone never actually uses GPS signals, at any stage. I believe it simply uses the cellular towers to triangulate your position, and you never get anything more accurate than that.
I would happily be proven wrong. Or if you could show me somewhere on the phone which says "now receiving from (6) satellites" like my old HTC used to do, I will happily stand corrected.
Bing maps has never ever been "GPS accurate" in my experience, and I have had the phone for just under a year now.
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I'm going to back this post up 100% on my end. I stand outside of my building and have NEVER had my bing map... and it shows me 3 or 4 blocks away from my actual location. I've actually had this question sitting on my end for quite some time now.
I, personally, don't believe that the HTC can be used as a true GPS. It just uses the cell towers like mentioned above.
If somebody could actually prove this, other than saying... IT HAS GPS BECAUSE IT SHOWED ME DIRECTIONS AND ACCURATE DIRECTIONS TOO.... Turn by turn directions though Bing is fine.. but it's still not a true GPS location being used.
Would downloading a GPS program like the 35$ garmin one actually give me a different reading on my map? Would it actually work if I have no cellular signal like a true GPS, and work off of a GPS signal?

@NachoNut and @Heofz: Do the apps in the marketplace that provide system information tell you if the phone is using triangulation or actual GPS? You could also try tweeting @windowsphone, @winphonesupport, @attcustomercare, or @htc asking about it. They're generally pretty responsive

I can't verify the exact GPS hardware, but the "system view" app from the WP7 marketplace shows "GPS location" on my HD7 and reads out to the 100th's place in latitude and longitude and ALTITUDE. You would not be able to read altitude via cell tower triangulation.
I think the issue gets confused because many of the location aware programs will use the triangulation method first while waiting for the GPS to get a reading. For instance, in Bing maps, your location is shown in a wide circle but as GPS locks in the circle shrinks down to a much more accurate location.
Even AGPS cannot get down to +/- a few meters without other outside assistance or references though.

download tools for wp7 app from the marketplace. This has a gps reciever app. Put your phone in airplane mode, and then check if you get a location... I'd do it, but my phone is currently updating to mango.

Not entirely sure what this rant is about to be honest. Just because bing maps is sh!t (which surprise surprise we all know...) doesn't mean that the inbuilt GPS receiver in the phone is useless?! Have you tried Gmaps yet?
As an alternative, why not download WinPhone Info for Mango and it will give you your exact location.
I use the GPS functionality quite often for work, because I have to see lots of different customers in London, on foot. Anyone who knows London, knows how narrow the streets are and how tall the buildings are. Worst case scenario for GPS, yet it works every time and it's very quick to find my location. Even though I think the rest of the phone is underwhelming, this is actually one of the features that works fine. If only Bing was up to Google Maps standards!

I'd like to know the best positioning for the handset it's set for 'line of sight view'.
I go cycling round the park often and I must admit it does not seem as accurate as it did with my old HD2. Could it just be down to construction.

It's the rom. I switch to Telstra rom and my gps is working fine now. The gps on tmobile rom never be able to track my location

Mine used GPS as it came from T-Mobile... in Airplane mode it received the location etc,. but maps can't update because they need a data signal to load their data. It does indeed have a TRUE GPS satellite receiver in it.

Shortly after the mango update, using the free GPSInfo app I managed to get it to tell me it had acquired a satellite signal rather than data only. It gave me altitude readings etc as well as accurate speed info.
Hurrah!
Now all I need is software equivalent/better than tomtom and I'll be a very happy bunny

I was using Navigon Select 2.0 / 3.0 on my HD7 on my holiday to Spain during the summer; for a whole two weeks I had the data connection disabled, and there was no phone reception in some of the mountaineous areas, yet the GPS functioned absolutely perfectly, getting the position quickly and accurately. So yeah there is definitely a proper GPS in the HD7.
My own recommendation for navigation on the HD7 (whether you have access to data or not) is Navigon Europe / USA (ie version 4 of Navigon Select). It's a bit pricey but is price-matched with proper navigation apps on iOS and Android. It does all the usual offline navigation that you would expect with proper POIs, rerouting, etc, but if you let it at your data connection it will also retrieve traffic data, Google Local business results, etc. You can also pin destinations to your Start screen (Home, for example). Absolutely brilliant.

pin point location works fine for me on bing... shows my house on arial view... and while on the move bingel and gmaps both work...
i dont understand why ppl are complaning..

Me too
This has a GPS, but it doesn't lock on very well (or sometimes ever) for me. I am using the T-Mobile version so that may be the problem. If you use the GPSInfo app, it will tell you if you are using AGPS or if you have actually acquired satellites. I have been able to acquire satellites a couple of times, but mostly it just sits there on AGPS mode. I was starting to really like this phone, but the GPS thing might just be a deal breaker for me.

GPS?

The ifixit teardown indicated the possibility of a GPS capable chip in the 7" model.
Anyone load a GPS app and see if you get any results?
Thanks!

Google Maps location doesn't work, and I have been unsuccessful sideloading any of the GPS apps I have available. All fail on install.

What about one of the free GPS apps on the Amazon app store, like:
http://www.amazon.com/EclipSim-GPS-...ps&ie=UTF8&qid=1348158531&sr=1-1&keywords=gps

bleclair said:
What about one of the free GPS apps on the Amazon app store, like:
http://www.amazon.com/EclipSim-GPS-...ps&ie=UTF8&qid=1348158531&sr=1-1&keywords=gps
Click to expand...
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Hmm well interestingly enough that one installed. It took a while, but it gave me a coordinate read out as well (see screenshot, I blanked out my location but you can see what I mean). I'm not familiar with that app, so I don't know if it uses Wifi at all for determining location. It does have an option for "do not launch if GPS is not enabled" though and that is set by default. Yet, it works. You have my wondering now, I'll keep playing with some of the other apps I'm a bit more familiar with and see if I can get them to install.

The OS build might not have adequate drivers to run the GPS. This might get fixed once we get a different ROM....someday.

I have google maps up and running, though I believe it is functioning off wifi location, the location is off a little. I installed GPS satellite app and it launches, gives me data but does not show that it is picking up any satellites.

alkemist80 said:
I have google maps up and running, though I believe it is functioning off wifi location, the location is off a little. I installed GPS satellite app and it launches, gives me data but does not show that it is picking up any satellites.
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I got GPS Test Plus installed and see the same. It doesn't find any satellites, but it is indeed finding my location based on Wifi. Acurracy of only about 200 feet. Think we are SOL for now.
UPDATE: I am playing with it more (it has a handy green light when it has GPS signal) that is yellow with WIFI off, and Green with it on. Seems to indicate it only uses Wifi for location.

even if gps is on the chip, maybe there's no antenna ?

So far no joy on getting any sort of GPS working. I bought a TomTom BlueTooth GPS module and it will not pair with the Fire HD. I get a message saying that the BlueTooth device is not compatible. None of the apps to make it work will even install.
Amazon apparently went all out in preventing people from using GPS. From what I understand the Nook will allow you to use a BlueTooth GPS.
FWIW, I tried using Google Maps on the way to and from work the last few days, and it is starting to get pretty good at finding my location via WiFi. Most of the time it was showing me within a block of my actual location, and sometimes it was actually tracking me accurately, even showing me driving up to an intersection and stopping right at the intersection. It seems to get better every time I take the same route.
I did discover that the Fire HD has a magnetic compass and accelerometer. But the compass is not very reliable.
I have a sneaky suspicion that there were some lawyers involved in these decisions...

Amazon took it really out of their way to lock down their tablets. They don't want people to use anything that doesn't rely on their services. Such as maps, either it be google, Bing, tomtom, anything not made by them. Amazon never activated voice search, the potential is there (apk in system files) but until they make it used through their ecosystem, KFHD will probably never see it. They even make it annoying to change the keyboard. Supposedly according too their website, BT only works with headphones. That is a complete limitation and annoyance.
As for GPS, I can see it somewhat irrelevant on a device that is wifi only and was omitted, though I do enjoy it on my N7. Something, I believe it was hootsuite would constantly annoy me about location services when I had it turned off, as they claimed it was turned off via twitter and had no options and I had it off in my twitter. Location services on the KFHD killed my battery for some unknown reason.

alkemist80 said:
As for GPS, I can see it somewhat irrelevant on a device that is wifi only and was omitted, though I do enjoy it on my N7.
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How so? With Maps you can download your entire city to use offline. If you start Navigation while online, and give it a couple of minutes to cache the info, it will take you all the way to your destination offline. I tested this on a 5 hour trip, and the audible turn-by-turn took me all the way to the destination, even though in some places the map itself was blank, and it didn't know the name of the street or exit. "Take the exit on the right" instead of "Take exit 6" It was even able to do some limited rerouting offline (which is something fairly new)
Besides, now I have a MiFi and a phone with a portable HotSpot. .On long trips, however, I turn off the MiFi while underway unless I need a major reroute, or need to find something. On a long trip a few weeks ago, my wife called from our tax accountant's office and needed some info from an old bank statement. I was out in the middle of nowhere in Alabama, and I though I was going to have to drive to Birmingham to find a Wells Fargo. So I fired up the MiFi, and asked my N7 "Google...where is the nearest Wells Fargo?" and it found one in a small town less than 10 minutes away and led me straight there.
Driving in Atlanta drives me insane. Now with the MiFi and Google Maps, I can see where the stop-and-go traffic jams are and get around them.
Irrelevant??? Not hardly!
I REALLY wanted the GPS to work on the Fire HD because the pitiful speakers on the N7 aren't loud enough to hear turn-by-turn directions in heavy traffic or heavy rain, or while the radio is playing. And the washed out screen on the N7 makes it hard to make out the streets (white and yellow on off-white) They stand out much better on the Fire HD's screen.

Not everyone tethers data through their phone or device. Most cell phone plans still require additional payment services. I refuse to pay another $35-$40 a month just to tether data. If I want to use GPS, then I use my phone or my Garmin Nuvi, though I prefer google maps since they are mostly up to date.
Caching maps, ok, but you need to know exactly where you want to go. Without data, the GPS is useless unless you are using a strict GPS app to determine location only. Amazon took it out to reduce costs. While it's nice to have, it's irrelevant to their entertainment device, they don't want you to use maps anyways.

question
Would it be possible to make a hack to enable spp bluetooth profile on KFHD. Because the tomtom bluetooth gps receiver uses that profile.
I have to completely agree with drhanley i wish i could have at least bluetooth gps on the kindle fire hd.
Drhanley have you seen in the android market bluetooth spp app make an app from the market could enable the spp profile needed for tomtom gps receiver ????????