Comments on: I Don’t Quite Understand the Purpose of GPS in Notebooks http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks Notebooks and Laptops News, Deals and Reviews Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:31:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Michael Goetz http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17031 Michael Goetz Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:20:18 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17031 Don't forget marine navigation. Built in GPS is a boon on board. Don’t forget marine navigation. Built in GPS is a boon on board.

]]> By: Michael Goetz http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17035 Michael Goetz Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:20:00 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17035 Don't forget marine navigation. Built in GPS is a boon on board. Don’t forget marine navigation. Built in GPS is a boon on board.

]]> By: Michael Bissell http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17030 Michael Bissell Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:17:29 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17030 While the "always on" and easy to carry nature of a smartphone makes GPS almost a given, the interface will always be limited. Looking up my location on my phone, then translating it to the laptop is an extra step that built in GPS on the laptop would negate. Not only that, but if you read my blog "Socializing is more than Social Media" you'll know that I believe real-world connections are important, and social media is still too random -- if you're in the coffee shop and want to connect with your, ahem, Tweeple, a GPS tool in your laptop can make it easier to find them and announce your location. Integrating web apps and desktop apps with a GPS location will open up a lot of tools for social media that assume your location or use less precise city or zip code locations. I'm sure you'll see a lot of exciting stuff happen that you can't visualize yet. Relying on the smartphone for those features will have to wait until we get bigger screens, better processing and more video/embedded web objects (Flash is coming, but not to the iPhone). While the “always on” and easy to carry nature of a smartphone makes GPS almost a given, the interface will always be limited. Looking up my location on my phone, then translating it to the laptop is an extra step that built in GPS on the laptop would negate.

Not only that, but if you read my blog “Socializing is more than Social Media” you’ll know that I believe real-world connections are important, and social media is still too random — if you’re in the coffee shop and want to connect with your, ahem, Tweeple, a GPS tool in your laptop can make it easier to find them and announce your location.

Integrating web apps and desktop apps with a GPS location will open up a lot of tools for social media that assume your location or use less precise city or zip code locations. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of exciting stuff happen that you can’t visualize yet.

Relying on the smartphone for those features will have to wait until we get bigger screens, better processing and more video/embedded web objects (Flash is coming, but not to the iPhone).

]]> By: Michael Bissell http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17034 Michael Bissell Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:17:00 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17034 While the "always on" and easy to carry nature of a smartphone makes GPS almost a given, the interface will always be limited. Looking up my location on my phone, then translating it to the laptop is an extra step that built in GPS on the laptop would negate. Not only that, but if you read my blog "Socializing is more than Social Media" you'll know that I believe real-world connections are important, and social media is still too random -- if you're in the coffee shop and want to connect with your, ahem, Tweeple, a GPS tool in your laptop can make it easier to find them and announce your location. Integrating web apps and desktop apps with a GPS location will open up a lot of tools for social media that assume your location or use less precise city or zip code locations. I'm sure you'll see a lot of exciting stuff happen that you can't visualize yet. Relying on the smartphone for those features will have to wait until we get bigger screens, better processing and more video/embedded web objects (Flash is coming, but not to the iPhone). While the “always on” and easy to carry nature of a smartphone makes GPS almost a given, the interface will always be limited. Looking up my location on my phone, then translating it to the laptop is an extra step that built in GPS on the laptop would negate.

Not only that, but if you read my blog “Socializing is more than Social Media” you’ll know that I believe real-world connections are important, and social media is still too random — if you’re in the coffee shop and want to connect with your, ahem, Tweeple, a GPS tool in your laptop can make it easier to find them and announce your location.

Integrating web apps and desktop apps with a GPS location will open up a lot of tools for social media that assume your location or use less precise city or zip code locations. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of exciting stuff happen that you can’t visualize yet.

Relying on the smartphone for those features will have to wait until we get bigger screens, better processing and more video/embedded web objects (Flash is coming, but not to the iPhone).

]]> By: Ben http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17029 Ben Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:18:07 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17029 Is the extra cost worth it though? If you already have a phone that has GPS, you should easily be able to establish your location and then use it in Google Maps, or you could even use Google Maps locate feature to find out where you are without using GPS at all. Like you said, at very least, you'll always know at least the hotel you are staying in and can locate yourself that way. What I'm trying to say is that GPS on a smartphone is much more practical than in a laptop, because a smartphone can actually go with you and be easily used during transit. Is the extra cost worth it though? If you already have a phone that has GPS, you should easily be able to establish your location and then use it in Google Maps, or you could even use Google Maps locate feature to find out where you are without using GPS at all. Like you said, at very least, you’ll always know at least the hotel you are staying in and can locate yourself that way.

What I’m trying to say is that GPS on a smartphone is much more practical than in a laptop, because a smartphone can actually go with you and be easily used during transit.

]]> By: Ben http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17033 Ben Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:18:00 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17033 Is the extra cost worth it though? If you already have a phone that has GPS, you should easily be able to establish your location and then use it in Google Maps, or you could even use Google Maps locate feature to find out where you are without using GPS at all. Like you said, at very least, you'll always know at least the hotel you are staying in and can locate yourself that way. What I'm trying to say is that GPS on a smartphone is much more practical than in a laptop, because a smartphone can actually go with you and be easily used during transit. Is the extra cost worth it though? If you already have a phone that has GPS, you should easily be able to establish your location and then use it in Google Maps, or you could even use Google Maps locate feature to find out where you are without using GPS at all. Like you said, at very least, you’ll always know at least the hotel you are staying in and can locate yourself that way.

What I’m trying to say is that GPS on a smartphone is much more practical than in a laptop, because a smartphone can actually go with you and be easily used during transit.

]]> By: Michael Bissell http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17028 Michael Bissell Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:58:15 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17028 I use Google Maps on my Windows Mobile phone all the time to find businesses nearby. That "nearby" bit is important because when I'm traveling I often have no idea where I am (the cab driver knows where the hotel is, I don't have to). I usually work around this by typing in the name of the hotel or the office that I'm at, and Google finds it, but there are the times I don't have enough info to really find where I am, right now, on Google, and asking someone "Where am I?" doesn't exactly give that executive air of confidence I like to exude at business meetings. Having GPS on my laptop would give me a lot more geographically relevant info with a better interface than my phone -- and damn straight that's an actual use that justifies GPS in a notebook. (Follow me on twitter @bissell) I use Google Maps on my Windows Mobile phone all the time to find businesses nearby. That “nearby” bit is important because when I’m traveling I often have no idea where I am (the cab driver knows where the hotel is, I don’t have to).

I usually work around this by typing in the name of the hotel or the office that I’m at, and Google finds it, but there are the times I don’t have enough info to really find where I am, right now, on Google, and asking someone “Where am I?” doesn’t exactly give that executive air of confidence I like to exude at business meetings.

Having GPS on my laptop would give me a lot more geographically relevant info with a better interface than my phone — and damn straight that’s an actual use that justifies GPS in a notebook.

(Follow me on twitter @bissell)

]]> By: Michael Bissell http://notebooks.com/2009/10/10/i-dont-quite-understand-the-purpose-of-gps-in-notebooks/#comment-17032 Michael Bissell Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:58:00 +0000 http://www.notebooks.com/?p=7052#comment-17032 I use Google Maps on my Windows Mobile phone all the time to find businesses nearby. That "nearby" bit is important because when I'm traveling I often have no idea where I am (the cab driver knows where the hotel is, I don't have to). I usually work around this by typing in the name of the hotel or the office that I'm at, and Google finds it, but there are the times I don't have enough info to really find where I am, right now, on Google, and asking someone "Where am I?" doesn't exactly give that executive air of confidence I like to exude at business meetings. Having GPS on my laptop would give me a lot more geographically relevant info with a better interface than my phone -- and damn straight that's an actual use that justifies GPS in a notebook. (Follow me on twitter @bissell) I use Google Maps on my Windows Mobile phone all the time to find businesses nearby. That “nearby” bit is important because when I’m traveling I often have no idea where I am (the cab driver knows where the hotel is, I don’t have to).

I usually work around this by typing in the name of the hotel or the office that I’m at, and Google finds it, but there are the times I don’t have enough info to really find where I am, right now, on Google, and asking someone “Where am I?” doesn’t exactly give that executive air of confidence I like to exude at business meetings.

Having GPS on my laptop would give me a lot more geographically relevant info with a better interface than my phone — and damn straight that’s an actual use that justifies GPS in a notebook.

(Follow me on twitter @bissell)

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