Tablet with Real GPS, Not a-GPS - Does It Exist?

[pbrauer]

There are tablets that do have GPS. The Huawei S7 works without having a SIM installed.

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[dhuewes]

I really don't know the iPad2 GPS SW. Theoretically speaking, it should work without SIM (and the possibility to communicate with the cellular network). But we never know which limitations the producer put in the SW. Apple is known of its approach to SW openess... But I can say that Android devices have functional GPS even without 3G access.
Anyway, why do you want an iPad2 3G without SIM? The data used by aGPS is minimal, only for positioning lock - but don't be confused with MAPS download, for those navigation programs that don't have pre-loaded maps - these can be a heavy burden in your data plan.
Just for clarification - was this iPad2 a WiFi only version? Because iPad2 WiFi only doesn't have GPS at all! Only the 3G versions do.

 

[tarsierspectral]

I really don't know the iPad2 GPS SW. Theoretically speaking, it should work without SIM (and the possibility to communicate with the cellular network). But we never know which limitations the producer put in the SW. Apple is known of its approach to SW openess... But I can say that Android devices have functional GPS even without 3G access.
Anyway, why do you want an iPad2 3G without SIM? The data used by aGPS is minimal, only for positioning lock - but don't be confused with MAPS download, for those navigation programs that don't have pre-loaded maps - these can be a heavy burden in your data plan.
Just for clarification - was this iPad2 a WiFi only version? Because iPad2 WiFi only doesn't have GPS at all! Only the 3G versions do.

I don't want an iPad without a SIM, I actually don't want an iPad at all. I was just saying that I tried one and the GPS didn't work, it was a WIFI version only so maybe that's why it didn't work.
I am not confused by maps download.
I just want a device (I do not want an iPad) that will work without a data network and in places around the world where there is no cellular reception. I travel to places that have no cellular towers so I don't want to be surprised by the device not working because of lack of cellular coverage. Basically, I've been using my laptop with Google Earth (cached maps) and GPS receiver, and that works great but was hoping to replace this setup with just one device, a tablet that would do exactly the same and it would be more convenient. Taking a laptop out of the bag, turning it on and waiting for it to boot up and then walk around with it is a bit inconvenient.

 

[tarsierspectral]

There are tablets that do have GPS. The Huawei S7 works without having a SIM installed.

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Thanks, I will check it out

 

[bobrien4975]

Yeah s7 rocks

-brendon

 

[tarsierspectral]

I wonder why Huawei's website doesn't mention anything about GPS

 

[Tom T]

Just a thought, I have an original S7 which does GPS but I don't know much about the Slim. I bieve I've read on these forums the Slim does GPS and does not have phone/3g functionality (at least the BestBuy version), but since I haven't used one that doesn't mean much I'm afraid.

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[BKAlley]

Honeycomb tabs all seem to have A-GPS, which is GPS plus wifi or mb assistance to speed location finding. Standalone GPS is app dependant. (Google requires WiFi to access it's online database)

My A500 can locate itself and run GPS only apps just fine. One difference is that it may not be as sensitive as a standalone GPS device.


Sent from my A500

 

[tktim]

If you are in an area that can receive gps satellites signals and you do not have a wifi connection or a cellular connection can Android tablets with gps or a-gps work. Is the hardware inside of a wifi only Android gps or a-gps tablet capable of working without wifi reception. If the answer is yes, does Android have an app (software) to display the location on maps. I think Google maps can be used offline, but not sure.


"A typical A-GPS-enabled receiver will use a data connection (Internet or other) to contact the assistance server for aGPS information. If it also has functioning autonomous GPS, it may use standalone GPS, which is sometimes slower on time to first fix, but does not depend on the network, and therefore can work beyond network range, and without incurring data usage fees.[3] Some aGPS devices do not have the option of falling back to standalone or autonomous GPS." Assisted GPS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[llowell]

so many people are replying, with no knowelage about GPS.

If it says it has GPS, then it has GPS. End of story.
Read the specs if it says "GPS", then it has GPS. aGPS is GPS, you can not have aGPS without GPS.

If it says aGPS, you have GPS on steroids. You won the Lottery!

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[Tom T]

so many people are replying, with no knowelage about GPS.

If it says it has GPS, then it has GPS. End of story.
Read the specs if it says "GPS", then it has GPS. aGPS is GPS, you can not have aGPS without GPS.

If it says aGPS, you have GPS on steroids. You won the Lottery!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

On the other hand if you read the post previous to yours it states (from wikipedia) that some devices with aGPS can not fall back on standard GPS. Just understanding GPS is not enough to answer the original posters questions, you need specific knowledge off how it is implemented on various devices.

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[llowell]

"Some aGPS devices do not have the option of falling back to standalone or autonomous GPS." from Wikipedia

The vage reference quoted above, means nothing to me.

If you can name just one android device that has aGPS but no GPS then I will be well informed. And very gratefull that you would take time to share that knowledge.

 

[Tom T]

"Some aGPS devices do not have the option of falling back to standalone or autonomous GPS." from Wikipedia

The vage reference quoted above, means nothing to me.

If you can name just one android device that has aGPS but no GPS then I will be well informed. And very gratefull that you would take time to share that knowledge.

The wholepoint of this thread was to find a tablet that would function as strictly GPS, some devices will do this but others function only aGPS, meaning it won't function as a stand alone GPS. This does not mean it doesn't have GPS functionality. There are actually devices as well that have a dedicated GPS chip, but most devices with aGPS use a integrated chip, using the same radio/receiver for both cell and GPS. And you are obviously correct,many people reply here with very limited knowledge of GPS (definately including myself) but the point of this forum is to have fun, discuss and learn.

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[tktim]

Based on llowell's reply I do not have to worry about getting autonomous GPS on Android tablets. That's what I needed to know. What freaks me out is at a store when their wifi goes down the maps apps don't work at all. Just shows a blank screen and say no network connection or it will search and not find a signal. I assume that this is because of no wifi and/or being inside of a building. I'm basically only looking at the Zoom,Acer A500, Asus Transformer and the Samsung GT 10.1. So they should all be the same when it comes to GPS. I would hate to buy one of these tablets and find out I bought the wrong one when it comes to GPS.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[romerun]

i wanna see the GPS performance(when offline) comparison, coz my galaxy S phone does have offline GPS but it's so suck. There's one time I tried to lock the signal, it took 5 mins and still could not lock it, the sky was clear. Then my friend pop out his TomTom, it caught signal in 2 secs. So I really wonder if the new Galaxy 10.1 come with a usable offline GPS.