wraggster
March 17th, 2011, 23:18
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/03/ipad-maps-triangulation-eng.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/16/iphone-personal-hotspot-transmitting-gps-information-to-tethered/)
You may not have known this, but besides missing a 3G radio, the WiFi-only iPad (http://engadget.com/tag/ipad) also lacks the A-GPS chip that enables exact GPS positioning versus less-accurate WiFi triangulation. Well, according toTablet Monsters, if you've got an iPhone with iOS 4.3 and are subscribed to Personal Hotspot (http://engadget.com/tag/personal%20hotspot), your shiny slate should be able to tap into the GPS chip of it's smaller-screened family member. Reports in theMacRumors forums confirm that people are indeed seeing this added functionality on both iPad 2 and the original. Though the native Maps app is reportedly working perfectly there's talk of unfriendliness in turn-by-turn GPS apps -- though this could have to do with the refresh rate of the transmission. If you're already shelling out for the Personal Hotspot plan this is a nice added bonus, and makes the choice between the 3G iPad and the WiFi one just a little bit easier -- assuming you've got an iPhone of course. Still skeptical? Check out a video of it in action after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/16/iphone-personal-hotspot-transmitting-gps-information-to-tethered/
You may not have known this, but besides missing a 3G radio, the WiFi-only iPad (http://engadget.com/tag/ipad) also lacks the A-GPS chip that enables exact GPS positioning versus less-accurate WiFi triangulation. Well, according toTablet Monsters, if you've got an iPhone with iOS 4.3 and are subscribed to Personal Hotspot (http://engadget.com/tag/personal%20hotspot), your shiny slate should be able to tap into the GPS chip of it's smaller-screened family member. Reports in theMacRumors forums confirm that people are indeed seeing this added functionality on both iPad 2 and the original. Though the native Maps app is reportedly working perfectly there's talk of unfriendliness in turn-by-turn GPS apps -- though this could have to do with the refresh rate of the transmission. If you're already shelling out for the Personal Hotspot plan this is a nice added bonus, and makes the choice between the 3G iPad and the WiFi one just a little bit easier -- assuming you've got an iPhone of course. Still skeptical? Check out a video of it in action after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/16/iphone-personal-hotspot-transmitting-gps-information-to-tethered/