Samsung Releases GPS Phone

Fletch writes: "I received an email from Samsung today announcing the release of 'America's First GPS Phone.' The phone does appear to have some neat GPS-based services, such as restaurant and traffic info. Those of you with privacy concerns need not worry. According to the manual (p122, large pdf file) the user does have the ability to turn the 'Position Location' off. (it will be automatically turned back on when/if an emergency call is made)." The manual doesn't say whether the phone initially defaults to "Tracking On" or "Off".

To save everyone from downloading that PDF file, here's the relevant section (innovative capitalization and punctuation in the original):

"America's First GPS Enabled Wireless Phone Designed to Support Location Based Services of the Future Imagine having a phone that can use GPS technology to provide you with....

• Driving directions
• Traffic service
• Entertainment/services location
• 911 emergency location services
• Location of family/friends

Location services for 911 calls are not currently available. While these services are not available today (or) (are still under development), this leading edge phone has the technology required to support such network based services upon their launch.

Settings

The settings allow you to turn the Position Location ON or OFF. If the option is turned OFF, the Sprint PCS Network cannot locate your position using the Position Location feature. This option is automatically turned ON when an emergency call is placed, then turned back OFF when the call is completed.

To turn Position Location ON or OFF:
1. Press for Main Menu.
2. Press for Locator.
3. Press for Settings.
4. Read the Position Location disclaimer by using the Up & Down arrows.
5. Press to display the Setting screen.
6. Press the Up or Down arrows to cycle between the available choices.
7. Press to Save and exit.

Comments

A New Era of Phreaking

[Renraku]

I'll bet you could hack the phones to relay a different GPS coordinate than they're located at. Imagine prank calling someone and they do a trace, only to see that you're somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...

Re:A New Era of Phreaking

[Dufffader]

A simpler solution would to make the call indoors. I don't remember how many times I made a call in the open with LOS to the GPS satellites (at least 3 required for position right?). Does that also mean that GPS info will not be available for majority of the 911 calls made?

Super-tightly targetted advertising...

[Consul]

Okay, you have a Samsung phone that can pinpoint your location (should you choose to let it)...

In Portland, OR (I used to live there), they have some of these electronic billboards that can cycle through a set of animated advertisements. Imagine having a number of these everywhere, that could automatically change their ads based upon who happens to be standing around or driving by...

Scary or kinda cool (from a tech standpoint anyway)?

Stolen phones

[WyldOne]

And with a bit of work could lead the cops to your stolen phone/goods. Would be nice to have a GPS modem as well for tracking stolen hardware.

World's First ... So We'll Give it Two Pages

[telstar]

I find it strange that this phone boasts that it's the world's first GPS-enabled phone, yet the GPS features only take up two pages of text in the manual, and one of those is the title page.

Also, the manual mentions that if you've got GPS features turned off ... it turns them back on for the duration of any emergency calls. Aside from 911, how would the phone know what constitutes an emergency phone call?

My guess

[trilucid]

is that tracking is turned on by default. Why do I think this?

I'm sure I'm NOT the only one (by far) who thinks this way, but here goes anyhow: They have a huge opportunity to collect detailed market data if they leave it on by default. For now, this probably isn't a huge deal, but you can bet they'll get very good very quickly at mining the data.

Next thing you know, you wake up one morning to a mailbox full of pizza coupons (sent by various partners to your cell provider), due to the fact that you skipped into a Pizza Hut the night before to say hi to a few friends.

Just FYI, I'm not trying to be truly extreme here. I personally love the possibilities opened up by this technology (gotta get me one of those). I'm just typically a bit wary of the marketing implications of anything like this. Thoughts? Flames? Please send on, I'm looking for other perspectives here.

Mapping Reception Areas.

[stuffman64]

Here is a thought. Have people voluntarily turn on the GPS tracking feature (not me). When the user makes a call, have Sprint monitor the strength of the signal and the location of the reciever. If you do this enough, with enough people, you can make an accurate map of signal strength across the country.

Then, when RadioShack tells me that SprintPCS will work in XX area (which I know is not the case most of the time), I can show them a map and say, "In fact, no. Look at the map!"

Location release questions

[Stuart Ward]

Firstly in the GSM world the [PDF] Benefon has been out for a couple of years now, not a big seller and has some limitations. GPS only works with line of sight to the satellites so the GPS will not work indoors and where you have limited view of the sky, i.e. in cities with tall buildings.

More interesting are the issues around release of location information, how would /. Readers respond to these questions?

Would you be prepared to release your location when making calls, in much the same way that your phone number is currently released. Your location could only be read by those with appropriate equipment. We will probably be required by law to release this information on all emergency services calls (999, 112 911)?

1. No, I would not want my location released at all. (except emergency calls)
2. No, Normally not released, but I would be able to release it by selecting an option when making a call.
3. Yes, but only to services approved by (My network operator).
4. Yes, released on all calls, except when I specifically specify not to release the location.
5. Yes, released on all calls.

Would you want the location of callers calling you (who have released their location) displayed on your phone display?

1. Yes, display the grid reference of the caller.
2. Yes, display the direction and distance of the caller from my current location.
3. Yes, display the nearest town name to the location of the caller.
4. Yes, but only if the information was provided free of charge to me.
5. No, I would not be interested in this.

. Would you allow the release of you current location to a caller who is calling you?

1. No, I would not want my location released at all.
2. No, Normally not released, but I would be able to release it by selecting an option.
3. Yes, but only to services approved by (My network operator).
4. Yes, released on all calls, except when I specifically specify not to release when answering the call.
5. Yes, released on all calls. .

Would you allow the tracking of your phone to enable (My network operator) and other companies to extract statistical information on your movements for providing information on traffic congestion and other services. All identification information would me masked so it would not be possible to identify you from this data?

1. Yes. I would trust (My network operator) to manage this information securely.
2. Yes, Only if I then had access to the traffic information.
3. Yes, but I would want to select who received the information about me.
4. No, I would want to opt out of this sort of service.
5. No, I don't think (My network operator) should collect or release this information..

Would you want (My network operator) and other companies to send you information messages about events happening near to you?

1. Yes, only when I requested them.
2. Yes, as soon as they happen and I am in the area.
3. Yes, but I would want to select which companies information I receive.
4. No, I would want to opt out of this sort of service.
5. No, I don't think (My network operator) should collect or release this information..

Would you be interested in a find a friend service. The network would look thorough a list of your friends numbers to see if any of them were near you. Only friends on your list would be able to find you?

1. Yes, I would not mind my friends knowing I was nearby.
2. Yes, but I would want to be able to disable the service, so I could not be found.
3. Yes, but I would want to know who was looking for me before releasing anything to my friend.
4. Yes, but I would only expect to pay if the system found a friend for me.
5. No, I would not want this sort of service.
6. No, I don't think (My network operator) should offer this sort of service.