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Apple Disables Egyptian iPhones' GPS
floydman writes "Apparently the Egyptian government is paranoid about its community using GPS devices, to the degree that it demanded Apple remove any GPS functionality from its iPhone 3G.
They claim that 'GPS functionality should be limited to military purposes.' Egyptian blogger Ahmed Gabr brought this issue up in another article, and talks about how this does not make sense, since Google maps and the like can be used. I also happen to know for a fact that most of the modern cars in Egypt have built-in GPS systems."
Can't they just look around and figure out which pyramids they are standing between and go from there?
"I don't have to think. I only have to do it. The results are always perfect, but that's old news." - Meat Puppets
Since Egypt is a poor country, claiming that most new cars have gps is ludicrous.
There seems to be strong correlation between disdain I have for a regime or culture and the retardivity of statements and edicts they make.
Coincidence?
In a country that consists to a good deal of desert and other not too pleasant terrain where getting lost means dying it's a really, really good idea to disallow tools that allow you to find out where exactly you are.
Is it me or is this already beyond stupid and paranoid? What "advantage" could a terrorist/communist/boogymanoftheweek gain from knowing where he is? I guess those people are
a) knowledgeable enough of the area to know where they are.
b) Usually not interested in blowing themselves sky high in the middle of nowhere and
c) Not too picky of where they strike, as long as it causes enough people to get terrorized (hence their description).
So I'm waiting for a really good explanation why a potentially life saving function should be turned of for "security" reasons. I know, "national security" means "whatever keeps the government in power" these days, but shouldn't we at least keep the pretence up that it's about keeping the people safe?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Is this really about wanting to keep citizens from knowing where they are, or is it more about not wanting to have a programmable GPS-enabled device that could be used to detonate a bomb when it nears a specified location?
If the above is the case, it's a pretty dumb approach, since a GPS-enabled iPhone could just be smuggled in. Either way, it would be interesting to know what the real motives behind this ban are.
Wouldn't most governments generally prefer that their citizens be trackable? I can't imagine the Egyptian government is somehow a beacon of light in the world of internal spying, so what gives?
Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
Do they understand that GPS is currently intended for civilian use? The United States, being the owner of the system, can shut it off at any time. One of the primary reasons they will shut it off is in the case of foreign military use.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
Umm..Too lazy to RTFA, but the whole reason why cell phones have GPS is so that emergency services can find you with more to go on than "um..I'm by some trees, there's a kinda funny looking rock next to me..." I wouldn't consider that a military application...
how about population control they go into the desert and get lost they don't want them back.
More than just GPS, Egypt is famous for disabling most human rights for its citizens.
and they're afraid to say what it is that they're afraid of.
Interesting.
I'm sure it has something to do with the Pyramids and geo-caching. :)
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2005/05/09/black-hole
"Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
I'm not saying their point is right, but I can see where they are coming from.
Cell phones have been used for years to remote denote bombs. With the iPhone you easily have a programable bomb denotonator.
Imagine this: Code the iPhone to check GPS coordinates. Then hook up it to the bomb with a while continuiously checking GPS coordinates and then either denotes the bomb at specific coordinates or informs "someone of interest" that the bomb has made it to specific location.
Sounds rather powerful detonator imo. I'll admit I know little about iPhone programming. One has to admit that sounds like a very plausible use case.
I've always said English was my second language. Had Romeo and Juliet been written in C, I might have understood it.
I always thought that camels have built in GPS.
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
Hey! Maybe ex-Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) can go work as a consultant to the Egyptian Government (when he gets out of the joint, that is). He's got a knack for simplifying those hi-tech concepts.
Given that OpenStreetMap Cairo looks pretty complete I'm willing to bet that there are plenty of GPS devices already out there.
It's interesting to watch the trickle down effect of technology and grassroots efforts to harness it, coming fact to face with traditional government regulation, such as amateur cartography being illegal in Russia. I guess personal GPS devices and the internet are pretty subversive.
It's funny to see government PHAIL in relation to technology issues. The UK government basically ignored teh internets until it snuck up and surprise buttsecksed them. They're still very much in the WTF!?! stage right now. I have to wonder whether Machiavelli would have been so clueless.
Just like TCP/IP Protocol.
Where is the "Ignorant" mod tag?
This CLEARLY means that since they removed the GPS functionality from the Iphone that no terrorist will have ANY access to a GPS. It's foolproof! After all... any GPS system can be used to... umm... well, it makes bombs go where you want and stuff! TERRORISTS ARE BAD!!!!111!
Planet Zebeth - Metroid with a twist
I was on vacation in Sharm el-Sheikh last April, and wandered around like a stupid tourist with a Bluetooth GPS and a Nokia N800 around my neck. Nobody seemed to care. We even went through a military checkpoint.
Um, was I doing something illegal?
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Why is this story tagged DRM o_O Disabling a feature for a specific country isn't considered to be DRM, right?
Is that this is due to "leadership minds'" ignorance of the current state of technology. Someone thinks that by doing this, he has acclaimed a certain power to himself only (the government) in this case.
Is he is totally unaware, that most phones (HTC, I-mate, some nokia's) have GPS's in them, and if not, it didn't cross his mind that a simple wifi connection (quiet common in cairo, lived there for a couple of years) would be more than enough to act as a GPS look alike.
Dinosaurs in control if you ask me.
Someone mentioned above that he was walking around with a bluetooth GPS device, well you are not the only one, I was for a couple of years, a lot of other people I know also did.
The question is, how come Apple obliged...thats what does not make a lot of sense to me.
The lunatic is in my head
So where's the outrage at Apple for caving to a foreign, repressive government's wishes to hinder the freedom of the country's citizens? I guess they never claimed they'd do no evil. Pretty lame though.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
You had a simple point about the somewhat unique Egyptian situation, but you capped it off with an insult. Don't do that if you want anyone to actually be influenced by your comments. Otherwise you're a mildly rounded troll, but a troll none the less.
Afraid of everyone and everything because the government has to try and keep everyone in the dark ages.
They saw this advert.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Does Egyptian military really rely on the use of GPS for their operations? The GPS satellites are controlled by the US. So, relying on them does not seem a very good idea. That's why Russia operates GLONASS and EU prepares to launch Galileo. Additionally, terrestrial GPS jamming can disrupt GPS operation.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Maps have many military applications, as does GPS location data. In some countries, it may be difficult or impossible for ordinary civilians to get accurate or complete maps. If you want to drop an artillery shell or ICBM warhead on a target, you need to know where the target is. A civilian (spy) with a GPS receiver can collect useful intelligence on the locations of sensitive installations. Some countries are very touchy about people taking unauthorized photographs of military installations and hardware. Satellite reconnaissance has changed things, but even on a satellite picture, sensitive information can be erased, doctored, or not released.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
I modded you down because I have a simple rule: downmods for anyone who uses the word "fanboy", in any context.
Yes, you thought that hump was ACTUALLY for storing water? Pshh thats a full on navigation kit in there!
For now. Expect that to be restricted.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I don't really buy this is for terrorist measures specifically. It has more to do with control of where people go.
In the first Gulf War, the Iraqi military mostly didn't have gps devices and thus were limited to staying on or near the roads and thus tactics were easier for the US forces as predictions of an enemy without gps were easier. They'd get lost in the desert and wouldn't head off the road. In the second Gulf War, the Iraqi forces had gps and thus their movements were harder to predict.
In the same manner, the Egyptian govt. would be happier if criminal and state enemies were restricted to urban areas or roads. With GPS becoming cheap and easy however, they would instead be able to operate more commonly from the middle of the desert without becoming lost.
Wake me when the egyptian population decides to stand up against their wacky leaders.
"Wahhhh! My government is corrupt and tyrannical!"
OK, do something about it!
-Billco, Fnarg.com
Will they be allowing GPS enabled phones into the country by travelers? If they don't this will be a huge problem for people traveling to Egypt If they do allow travelers to bring their phones, doesn't that circumvent the whole issue. What about travelers that were planning on using GPS to help them find attractions, etc. Can't have those either.
Shop smart, Shop S-Mart.
When you combine a GPS and Phone, in a programmable package you have a great remote triggering device for say a large package in delivery van or remote tracking (audio+location) bug. Yes, there are many other ways to build up this capability, but then that capability is not sold in every corner shop
The Egyptian Government does not want to consciously allow any foreign body to have greater knowledge on the movements of its citizens than the Egyptian Government itself has.
Granted, there are other devices currently deployed in Egypt that have GPS technology , so either a) the Egyptian government is completely ignorant of these devices (unlikely) or b) it is much more worried about the potential popularity of the iPhone (more likely). A previous poster mentioned that there are "very few cars in Egypt". People in Egypt may not be able to afford a car, but purchasing an iPhone is literally an order of magnitude less on the cost scale - which means that many more potential Egyptians could be potential iPhone users. This is disregarding its potential position as a status symbol, which would also fuel its adoption.
Additionally, while there are many models of cell phones in Egypt , almost all of which have some form of GPS transmitter, the iPhone has a potential to be purchased by a lot of users as a singular model. There may be 50 models of Nokia phones with GPS services in Egypt, but no one of those models (potentially, as is the fear) would have as many users as the iPhone. Unlike GPS devices, where there might be a different platform installed in every car, the iPhone could grab a large portion of the consumer market - lets say 20% - and saturate it with one platform. There are probably security concerns associated with a healthy percentage of Egyptians, who are more likely to be wealthier and located in urban areas due to the affluence associated with buying an expensive phone, using one fairly well featured cell phone model designed by a foreign company.
Having just come back from there, I was suprised at the lack of GPS devices in cars etc. Aside from the size of the gap between the rich and poor, GPS devices are banned from cars because of questions over their intelligence.
If you have seen Cairo, having a GPS doesn't mean you can drive on the roads or even go in the right direction, having a death wish or a lot of faith in God / Allah does.
Curiosity was framed; ignorance killed the cat. -- Author unknown
A government that is big enough to give you everything is big enough to take it all away.
They seriously do! I've seen it! With their macbooks at the local starbucks!
What do you mean mac zealots don't count as terrorist? I wake up at night in sweats thinking about where they will strike next.
all the nokia n-series phones have gps if i am not wrong. even non-smartphones from SE /samsung/motorola are jumping on the gps bandwagon. if not for navigation then at least for geotagging photos taken by the camera.
To put this as politely as possible, some people need to get their liberal heads out of their asses and realize that the danger of terrorism is very real in some countries, and protection is absolutely required.
You misunderstand the comment, methinks. The problem is not that we do not believe in terrorism, or that it is a Bad Thing (tm).
What we are saying, from within our 'liberal asses', is that clamping down on the freedom to know where one is will do nothing to stop terrorism.
Therefore, we are arguing that one should not clamp down on that freedom.
In fact, some of us outrageous 'liberals', have this odd idea that _whenever taking away some freedom will do nothing or next to nothing to prevent some harm, that freedom should not be taken away_. If you are concerned about the death toll, take away the freedom to drive cars over 10 mph. Then we can talk about the next thing to go...
IAIFARSIJDPOOTV - I Am In Fact A Reality Star; I Just Don't Play One On TV
Tut. Tut. Tut.
Whose our sun god?
Ra! Ra! Ra!
Thank you, I'll be here all week.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
... and nobody gives a darn.
I also happen to know for a fact that most of the modern cars in Egypt have built-in GPS systems.
You should also know that most of cars in Egypt are not modern :) .
Holly crap, who would have though it was this easy?! Hey can Apple please disable GPS on the iPhones in Afganistan and Iraq so our troops can come home?! Since there are no other obvious alternatives to getting GPS besides the iPhone, and since GPS capability is clearly the only tool used by the terrorists around the world, we can pretty much end the war on terror with a simple phone call to Steve Jobs. Then the world governments can get back to sipping hot cocoa and laughing at the terrorists while ignoring their pitiful sobbing.
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
I am sorry I am late for the meeting, I have an iPhone, I am lost!
The lunatic is in my head
their nefarious plot is most transparent. by banning GPS the Egyptian government clearly means to induce a perpetually lost state in the population. this in turn would emasculate the entire civilian male population by forcing them to ask the military for directions, in essence surrendering every shred of their manhood to the Egyptian government in the ultimate act of sexual submission. the government, meanwhile, would have their throbbing virility cemented by their exclusive control of GPS technology--their GPS antennas standing fully erect, thrusting skyward as a potent symbol of their dominance over their now gelded population.
oh, such cruel tyranny. if only they'd gotten the G1 instead...
Having been raised in Egypt, I would not exclude government corruption to be the culprit here.
In Egypt you have to pay your way into car dealerships for example, and the payments go to people in very high places. Same goes for the business tycoons. Many of them are parliament members to begin with.
So, this decision could be because some OTHER phone company, which is in bed with the powers that be, views the iPhone with the GPS feature as a potential threat.
To give another example, Viagra the infamous drug, is still BANNED in Egypt to protect the people from its dangerous side effects :D To me, it's because some connected people are making too much money off of it by selling it in the black market.
They claim that 'GPS functionality should be limited to military purposes.'
I think that's the problem
Never let a mediocre career stand in the way of a good time
First a bit of history;
GPS is an encrypted signal with multiple levels of accuracy depending on which key you have. The US military keeps the highest level of control and the ebility to change the key as well to deny its use to the enemy.
During the Clinton administration a global public key was issued for humanitarian reasons. The only other systems out their would be the Chinese Beidou system or the Russian Glonass system. Knowing this. And knowing that the only other ways of keeping this system out of the publics hands is either; convincing the US to change the keys and give them a copy of the new key, try and (I know its stupid) try to interfere with the systems satellite signals with jamming (intelligent jamming or not) or possibly destroy the satellites to prevent them from getting into the hands of the populace.
Knowing about their lack of control they are probably more worried about law abiding citizens than people who are already against them. Still ineffectual but when isn't government tech 'unsavy'?
I suspect that the intention is not to prevent these devices from getting into the hands of terrorists. Rather keeping it from the populace itself who to a government worried about staying set in its narrow theocratic views. A public dissent of any kind is a potential "terrorist" in the sense of being a protester or non theologian founded political opposition.
Egypt if I remember right is really touchy about political dissent. Remember the bloggers who are held in Egypt for asking un-Islamic questions?
They didn't enforce this in 2006 when I flew in there carrying a *really* dodgy looking datalogger kit from SparkFun. It was in it's own plastic box, padded with newspaper and you could see the wiring. It got scanned as I went through security checks and I never got questioned. The only person who asked was the tour guide.
I managed to get away with the heinous crime of geotagging my photos.
This is Egypt we are talking about. They don't want your iPhone giving away your location when a government snatch-and-grab team hits you.
Other than, say the ability to drop a UAV bomb on government buildings or open markets from hundreds of kilometers away ?
Other than that GPS would pose no real danger, no.
And yes and iphone 3G would be a usable (though probably not ideal) controller for such a UAV or rocket. It certainly has got the processing power and the necessary outputs.
The iPhone 3G, as well as any other mass-marketed GPS device *cannot* be used to build a UAV, for the simple reason that the hardware GPS chip inside the phone is designed to voluntary stop being reliable above a certain speed and above a certain altitude.
The lock exists in the internal logic of the discrete GPS chip (most of the GPS enable gadgets use a discrete chip).
For build a GPS controlled UAV, you have actually to find a GPS-enabled widget which process the GPS data on its main processor (these kind of chips exist, but aren't the most frequently occuring on PDAs and Smartphone).
Then you have to reverse engineer the software which runs on the gadget, find the lock, remove the lock and flash the new firmware.
These aren't trivial actions.
The necessary work to build an usable GPS-UAV requires much more work than just throwing a quick app on a jail-breaked iphone.
And that's skill needed in addition to all other engineering skills needed to build a GPS controlled missile.
The only situation in which a GPS wouldn't fail (a device strapped to some vehicle NOT moving at a high altitude, like a bomb hidden inside a bus) are situations for which alternative methods exist already (triggering using a cellphone signal).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
I modded you down because I have a simple rule: downmods for anyone who uses the word "fanboy", in any context.
MOD PARENT DOWN!
"I also happen to know for a fact that most of the modern cars in Egypt have built-in GPS systems."
Interesting. Considering that most of the cars on the road are actually 30 yr old Peugots and Fiats. They're lucky to even have forward momentum, let alone a GPS!
if you criminalize GPS, only criminals will have ...
Hah, maps not stored on the iphone! Stupid apple losers! My Nokia N95 has maps stored on it.
Okay, when I updated the firmware (to get a slightly less deprecated flash player) the nokia update software only ran on a certain service pack of windows. And deleted the maps.
But I managed to download the maps to it again!
But the updated firmware is crap and gps now only works 1% of the time so the maps are fricken useless.
What was I saying again?
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
I think I know how you came up with your username... :)
I have been living as a western person in 3rd world countries and at times really wondered why decisions, completely unexplainable to rational minds took place ...
My best guess:
A close contact to the minister of communication has an advantage to sell his kind discrete gps devices and gadgets. To protect his flow of revenue, the good friend decides that iphones shall not have gps in Egypt.
And, all of a sudden this all makes sense - if you are used to think in a way that considers corruption behind quite strange decisions.
You all have seen this video, right?
http://blip.tv/play/AdfAcZDQOw
Seems to me that these GPS units in cell phone can report back to the authorities to locate the phone in an emergency, correct? I seem to recall back when I still had a need for a cell phone that when I called 911 on it they knew almost exactly where I was at without needing me to tell them. According to some people in tin hats, that may not be 100% off base this time, the newer phones ALWAYS give tracking info. Perhaps they do not want to allow the US to quickly access the cell phone records and determine exactly where the terrorists that have paid off the Egyptian government are located. After all, many of the high ranking terrorists, as much as they may rant and rave about the "Great Satan" are usually the first in line to get the hottest toys from the West. They want our goods and services, they just don't want us.
Even if you do have a GPS in a city like cairo, it would prove useless against the streets there.
Well, it's not really a GPS issue per se, it's the map date that is always hopelessly outdated or plain wrong. A rather common problem in many countries.
cpghost at Cordula's Web.
I am reminded the last time Egypt gelded a population, frogs and locusts came flying out of nowhere, the waters turned to blood.
Oh and everybody lost their firstborn child.
Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
Well, at least Egypt is progressive - they actually know what GPS is! Meanwhile, in Russia, we just ban from civilian use all topographic maps of the country with accuracy higher than 30m, by a law dating back to Soviet times (which, coincidentially, also creates problems for GPS manufacturers, as they have to artificially decrease the quality of maps they use elsewhere to sell on the Russian markets).
I would turn off the function myself, being a paranoid nut, but I don't like the government saying I shouldn't have it. There you go.
I wonder if the govt unccovered secret scrolls which say why the egyptian gods god thrown out and flew out to another planet, the uprising of the local people against Ra and the enslavement.
Ah well, they can stay barbaric and useless till the aliens come back and blow em all up ;)
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Apart from all the political ramblings, from what I understand, the GPS receiver stops giving any GPS based information (coordinates) on the iphone 3G when being used in the country no matter where the iphone came from. Speculation seems to be that the restriction was added sometime during the 2.1 update. Unfortunately, it is not possible to downgrade the modem firmware yet to test if 2.1 really added the restriction.
As an additional note, given the A-GPS functionality of the iPhone, positioning still works to some extent using the cellular network (a crosshair appears instead of a blue dot on maps). Accuracy is within range of 900-1500m usually which is why most applications consider it not to be "real" GPS positioning.
Finally, as far as I know, this is something specific to the iPhone. Other GPS devices (or phones with GPS receivers) seem to work fine.
Anyone with additional information?
One possible explanation: Egypt's vast amounts of desert are host to all manner of smuggling, hash running, and unwanted immigration. Large numbers of Sudanese refugees come in from the south, and even larger numbers of guns of and supplies get smuggled north into the Gaza strip. I can see how having easy access to GPS would make this kind of stuff even easier than it is now. The Sinai peninsula in particular is highly militarized in some areas to prevent this, or more likely to give the military a monopoly over profitable shadiness in the area. In general the Egyptian government basically sucks at everything, *except* insuring its own survival; which it does with great enthusiasm.
I don't really doubt the threat is real. I just hate labels. Yesterday you were called communist because we've established we hate communists so labelling you commie will make you look bad. Today it's the same with terrorist. The inflation of the word already costed it every kind of meaning. Just recently a local conservative newspaper labeled some PETA-like activists "eco-terrorists". So demonstrating in front of clothing stores and spraypainting furcoats is now terrorism? I'm not really scared anymore, ya know? The inflation of the term pretty much stripped it of its threat.
Now, of course, I live in a country that's devoid of any signs of real terrorism. Doesn't mean we don't get our share of anti-terror laws (after all, we need stones in case tigers ever attack...). But yes, terrorism is a real threat in some countries. Terrorism actually deserving that name because it is about people wanting to hurt or kill people instead of just being jerks.
Still, if you really want to fight terrorism, you have to fight its reason, not its effects. Fight the sickness, not the symptom. Checking cars for bombs is a cure forthe symptom, and while necessary, it's not enough. Find out why people would actually want to put a bomb into their car and blow themselves sky high with it if you really want to fight terrorism.
Else I have no choice but calling you bluff. All the anti-terror laws we get and all the searches and other invasions into the privacy of the people does not really fight terrorism, neither domestic nor international. You can install a surveillance cam in every private home and you will not fight terrorism. You will eliminate the last traces of privacy and personal space, but as long as people have a reason to think blowing themselves up or fighting the existing system is a good idea, actually a better idea than just living their life, you will not win that war.
How do you fight an opponent who does not care if he wins? How do you fight an opponent who does not care if he survives? How do you fight an opponent who does not care what he loses as long as you lose too? As long as we don't try to find out what makes people think this way and fith the reason behind the madness, they will gain more and more ground and win.
Looking at the claim that "they hate us because we're free and they want to eliminate our freedom", and how laws turned out recently, I'd say they're winning.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
This should be the Title, but there wasn't enough space: :Please Read/Think before Speaking
To Egyptians: There's still HOPE - To Ignorants
This is what Apple wants us to expect:
From http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2432
GPS is not available while in Egypt or when using an Egyptian iPhone and you may experience the following:
1- An iPhone purchased in Egypt does not have GPS enabled. {In Testing Phase}
2- An iPhone purchased in Egypt that is used outside of Egypt does not have GPS enabled {In Testing Phase}
3- Any iPhone used while roaming in Egypt does not have GPS enabled {Working & Apple will be disappointed, or let us say the OTHERS who doesn't want us to use it will be really disappointed}
4- An unlocked iPhone used with an Egyptian carrier's SIM does not have GPS enabled {In Testing Phase}
5- When using Maps in the scenarios above, the blue marker does not appear, and instead a circle is used to show your approximate location and other applications that use Location Services do not provide GPS coordinates
Check this out:
http://igeekle.blogspot.com/
P.S: I feel some ignorance in some posts/comments.
So this is what I need to say since I love Egypt, Apple has just made a software modification to all the iPhones 3G ever manufactured. This modification is since Ver. 2.0, and in a specific point while updating/restoring through iTunes. The modification is simpler than all what has been rumoring around.
It doesn't rely on the coordinates as some people suggested. It's not like if the coordinates is found in Egypt region, the GPS chip will stop communicating. It's the software identifying the carrier, which disables the OS to communicate with the GPS.
Google maps is just an app, that gets the position through cell towers triangulation, and then specifies your coordinates from the GPS chip, which communicates/synchs with the satellites. And by the way, these satellites are not only American, it's from all nationalities.
So breaking the 5 previous points, that Apple wants us to expect, is just simple. The GPS chip as a hardware is installed in all of them, the software just stops communicating with it, once the carrier is identified in Egypt. That's why Apple is saying that even unlocked iPhones' GPS will not work while roaming in Egypt, or using any local Sim.
Check the blog link attached above, and you'll see what I mean.
I have an E71 and did the same thing. The Nokia map application doesn't seem to want to work unless it has a data connection (wifi or GPRS) open. There's no technical reason for it, GPS was around long before even WAP (anyone remember) existed. Is it to keep the service providers happy so they can charge you for data?
In which case what was the point of preloading the maps? The PC connection software has a specific function for this.
It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
This should be the Title, but there wasn't enough space: :Please Read/Think before Speaking
To Egyptians: There's still HOPE - To Ignorants
This is what Apple wants us to expect:
From http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2432 [apple.com]
GPS is not available while in Egypt or when using an Egyptian iPhone and you may experience the following:
1- An iPhone purchased in Egypt does not have GPS enabled. {In Testing Phase}
2- An iPhone purchased in Egypt that is used outside of Egypt does not have GPS enabled {In Testing Phase}
3- Any iPhone used while roaming in Egypt does not have GPS enabled {Working & Apple will be disappointed, or let us say the OTHERS who doesn't want us to use it will be really disappointed}
4- An unlocked iPhone used with an Egyptian carrier's SIM does not have GPS enabled {In Testing Phase}
5- When using Maps in the scenarios above, the blue marker does not appear, and instead a circle is used to show your approximate location and other applications that use Location Services do not provide GPS coordinates
Check this out:
http://igeekle.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com]
P.S: I feel some ignorance in some posts/comments.
So this is what I need to say since I love Egypt, Apple has just made a software modification to all the iPhones 3G ever manufactured. This modification is since Ver. 2.0, and in a specific point while updating/restoring through iTunes. The modification is simpler than all what has been rumoring around.
It doesn't rely on the coordinates as some people suggested. It's not like if the coordinates is found in Egypt region, the GPS chip will stop communicating. It's the software identifying the carrier, which disables the OS to communicate with the GPS.
Google maps is just an app, that gets the position through cell towers triangulation, and then specifies your coordinates from the GPS chip, which communicates/synchs with the satellites. And by the way, these satellites are not only American, it's from all nationalities.
So breaking the 5 previous points, that Apple wants us to expect, is just simple. The GPS chip as a hardware is installed in all of them, the software just stops communicating with it, once the carrier is identified in Egypt. That's why Apple is saying that even unlocked iPhones' GPS will not work while roaming in Egypt, or using any local Sim.
Check the blog link attached above, and you'll see what I mean.
I can hardly believe the ignorance of the posts on this topic. There seems to be a belief that Egypt is the size of a few dozen football fields that surround the pyramids at Giza. Isn't there anyone in the United States who doesn't fall prey to what they hear and see on TV? Does anyone realize that the US was just the same a few years ago in that the military was the only one who had GPS and it was forbidden for civilians to use it?
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