gps

The Samsung Galaxy S is one of the best selling phone ever. Unfortunately, it’s plagued by a lack of updates and a crappy GPS. If you get tired of waiting on Froyo/DK28 modem and flashed a custom ROM to one of the Froyo builds (I personally recommend Bonsai; it’s wicked fast) and lost your GPS here’s how you can fix it. Yes yes, you can fix the GPS on an EPIC 4G.

First things first… this WILL blow away your apps so I recommend first doing a NAND backup in Clockwork recovery. Once you have a good backup go out to Android Market and get Titanium Backup (free on market; requires root) and backup those apps. To do this launch Titanium and goto Backup/Restore. Click menu and then ‘Batch’. Simply select the ‘Backup all user apps’ option and let it backup your apps and data.

Next you’ll need to obtain your MSL code by calling Sprint and asking for it. Ya…. that sounds like a pain right? You can get MSL code without calling Sprint using ConnectBot (from Market). Run ConnectBot and when it launched change the dropdown menu in lower left corner select ‘Local’. Type in any name in the nickname box and hit enter. From there simply type ‘getprop’, hit enter and then scroll up in the results and copy down your MSL code. It’s ril.MSL) in the list.

Lastly, you’re going to perform a manufacturer’s reset. Remove the SD Card from your phone and then enter ##786# on the dialer keypad. You will see two options: View and Reset. Tap on the Reset option and you will get a prompt to enter the MSL code. At this point you will be asked if you want to do a manufacter’s reset, enter yes. The phone will shut down and reset itself after a few seconds. Once the process is complete, the phone will go through a hands free activation. After the activation process updates may be downloaded and installed. Once all updates have been performed check to see if your GPS is working by going to Google Maps. You should get a GPS lock in under 10 seconds. Thats it. Your GPS woes are over.

Now go download Titanium Backup from market (yes… again, because the reset whacked all your data). Restore your user apps and data and you’re good to go. Titanium is awesome, but not perfect. You’ll likely have to restore live wallpapers, widgets, etc. That said it’s significantly faster than going through all the app download/setup again.

Once the process is complete your EPIC 4G with Froyo GPS issue should be fixed.

Google Mobile Maps is getting a new feature called Google Latitude. It will allow you to broadcast your location to select friends, family, and colleagues based on the coordinates of your cell phone. Latitude already works in 27 countries on Windows Mobile 5.0 or later, , Blackberries, and most Symbian-based devices such as Nokia smartphones. Android support will begin in about a week, and an iPhone app is coming soon. If you live in the U.S., there is also an iGoogle gadget that shows everyone’s location and messages.

“What Google Latitude does is allow you to share that location with friends and family members, and likewise be able to see friends and family members’ locations,” said Steve Lee, product manager for Google Latitude. For example, a girlfriend could use it to see if her boyfriend has arrived at a restaurant and, if not, how far away he is.

Google Latitude Map Google isn’t oblivious to your privacy; Google specifically requires people to sign up for the service. They can then share their precise location, the city they’re in, or nothing at all. A Google account is required to use the service. For choosing who gets to see your location, you can use contacts stored with Gmail or Picasa. Latitude is very much like a private version of Yahoo’s Fire Eagle geo-location service; there is no way to broadcast your location to the public at large, only to your own Gmail contacts. Oddly, it does not yet work with Google Friend Connect.

Like other location aware mobile application, Google Latitude uses either your GPS satellite location or by proximity to mobile phone towers and wireless networks.

Read up more on Google Latitude here. This link will also send Latitude to your phone as well as let you check if your phone is compatible.

Get Google Mobile Maps here.

Fix GPS on Froyo (EPIC 4G)

Google Latitude – Share your location with your friends