Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint GPS Test

[pablo.station]

For anyone who cares:


YouTube - Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint - GPS Test (vs. Captivate)

 

[Adrift]

Pretty cool, as you can see the Captivate has aGPS on, and knows kinda where the reviewer is (massive circle), where as the Epic is locked with actual GPS but seems to only be locked on with a few satellites. Accuracy of maybe 10meters? It works but is not great I suppose, still that lock-on was damn fast.

 

[ragnarokx]

At least the Epic GPS is more useable, until (hopefully) a GalaxyS-wide fix is released by Samsung.

 

[Adrift]

At least the Epic GPS is more useable, until (hopefully) a GalaxyS-wide fix is released by Samsung.

I'll take a 5-10m accuracy over 2500-3000m (aGPS) anyday.

 

[MarvinTheParanoidAndroid]

It doesn't seem like the Epic's actual screen size is very much bigger than the Captivate

 

[mrvirginia]

that was a faster lock-on than my Evo tbh.

 

[gme109]

It doesn't seem like the Epic's actual screen size is very much bigger than the Captivate

That's because they're the same size.

 

[gme109]

For anyone who cares:

I guess this makes me feel more confident about the Epic's GPS abilities, but I certainly hope Samsung dials it in better with the fix coming out in Sept. My concern is, will they just find a fix for the Captivate and Vibrant, and leave the Epic as is, calling it good.

 

[ranova]

that blue circle indicating that its not spot on accuracy worries me... When I had the evo, I never had that problem.

 

[novox77]

that blue circle indicating that its not spot on accuracy worries me... When I had the evo, I never had that problem.

Yeah, I have an Evo too, and I've never seen a blue circle appear around my location once the GPS has a fix. But before we jump to conclusions, it could be that the software version of Google Nav is different than the one on Evo, and it could be that the Evo's doesn't have that feature.

Anyhow, I'm pretty satisfied by this video. I think it proves conclusively that there's no major issue with the GPS on the Epic.

 

[TheAndroidWorks]

It is good to see that the Epic definitely has an improvement over there other S phones. I think a better test might be to run mytracks for a period of time and see how the accuracy of the measured datapoints compare with the devices!

 

[mattism78]

Glad to see the GPeth works.

 

[latinmaxima]

nice showing!

 

[Android_J]

I guess this makes me feel more confident about the Epic's GPS abilities, but I certainly hope Samsung dials it in better with the fix coming out in Sept. My concern is, will they just find a fix for the Captivate and Vibrant, and leave the Epic as is, calling it good.

According to Engadget, Samsung told them:

"We have tested and validated both Network Assisted (indoor) and Autonomous (outdoor) GPS on the Epic 4G."

Sure sounds like what you see in the video is what you'll get. A fast lock, but still inaccurate. I hope the Captivate fix isn't like what I see in the Epic video. That's just crap accuracy. The blue dot spans 2 streets at times!

 

[SoulLi]

Here is his full review
Samsung Epic 4G GPS Test &raquo BriefMobile

 

[gme109]

Here is his full review
Samsung Epic 4G GPS Test &raquo BriefMobile

Thanks for posting this. For my purposes, I feel the Epic's GPS will be good enough, but I'm still disappointed they couldn't bring it up to current standards.

 

[chill145]

i really hate to say it, but dietcoke was a little right about this. and i'm mad too because i plan on moving to either new york city or boston in the following months and i'm going need an accurate gps to get around and was considering the epic

i'm in atlanta right now with the evo and it's gotten me everywhere i've wanted to go. hopefully more gps videos come out though for the epic. it's not bad but when you're in a city, a wrong turn is a pretty big deal

 

[BigD562]

Does anyone really drive in New York... Im just saying... lol

 

[chill145]

Does anyone really drive in New York... Im just saying... lol

haha, i hate driving in new york. i went in a square 5 times behind a fish truck before i finally found the on ramp

i'd be walking for the most part like i was today and the gps found my location and gave me quick walking directions, no problems.

so that's important for me, especially if i'm walking as a wrong turn walking can lose 10-20 minutes and a new employer won't like that

 

[BigD562]

Well wait till people get their hands on it to get a feel on GPS issues... Seems sporadic across the board on the issue.

And if you make a wrong turn... about face and bust that 180 and you're on you way again... lol

 

[chill145]

haha, yeah i hope more reviews come out this weekend or so as i have it pre-ordered at sprint.

i'm thinking i might just make a friend sign up for a sprint account so it's cheaper and i'll get to play around with it and test it out myself and then return which ever phone i don't like the most

 

[Adrift]

One thing you have to remember about dietcoke, it was never really about GPS problems, he simply found something this community would argue with him on and he hooked a lot of us, myself included, into his little game.

 

[MarvinTheParanoidAndroid]

One of the commenters in that review indicated that "his Epic never had more than four" satellite connections. So I wonder if there is a setting that allows you to connect to more GPS satellites for more accuracy, or less satellites for less power consumption?

Here is his full review
Samsung Epic 4G GPS Test &raquo BriefMobile

 

[Aero1]

I'll take a 5-10m accuracy over 2500-3000m (aGPS) anyday.

aGPS accuracy is 5 to 10m. aGPS is GPS with assistance in initially locating the satellites, but then fix from the satellites.
with 200m to 3000m accuracy you are talking about land based tower triangulation which is the minimum requirement on all smart and dumb phones in the US and also available on properly programmed phones to location based applications.

One of the commenter in that review indicated that "his Epic never had more than four" satellite connections. So I wonder if there is a setting that allows you to connect to more GPS satellites for more accuracy, or less satellites for less power consumption?

No that would not save battery power. you don't really "connect" to satellites, as the communication is not duplex, but open way, you receive the information from satellites with your GPS radio but do not transmit to satellites. You don't use more battery by receiving the proper number of sats (11 satellites is a typcial number for smartphones on a clear day with no obstructions, and 8 would be average). Four is not very accurate and temporarily dropping one will kill your fix.

 

[Aero1]

According to Engadget, Samsung told them:

"We have tested and validated both Network Assisted (indoor) and Autonomous (outdoor) GPS on the Epic 4G."

Sure sounds like what you see in the video is what you'll get. A fast lock, but still inaccurate. I hope the Captivate fix isn't like what I see in the Epic video. That's just crap accuracy. The blue dot spans 2 streets at times!

Actually their wording there means Engadet has no understanding of GPS terms. Autonomous is exactly synonymous with standalone GPS which means the device does not require or use an network connection to even locate the birds.

Network assisted is aGPS which uses SATELLITES.

Standalone or Autonmous GPS = no network connection needed at all. Accuracy 5 to 10m.
aGPS = Network is used to download ephemeris and Almanac to more quickly locate satellites. The sat data is then what is used to produce the fix. Accuracy 5 to 10m.
Tower Triangulation = Terrestrial towers are used to determine fix, usually calculated on provider side, and then sent as an estimate to phone.

I don't give engadet's "test" any credibility, we will know soon. I plan to do comparative tests with Epic, Touch Pro 2 and Treo Pro, all starting from flushed caches, then warm and hot starts at the same time in the same locations.