Phones and GPS

[Unbanable]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I've been able to gather so far.

Basically, GPS is a service that's freely available. GPS satellites are controlled and operated by the US military. A phones GPS system, unlike what I was originally led to believe, does not work by triangulating between cell towers.

So, excluding assistance servers, really, your cellular service provider doesn't really have anything to do with GPS, right? So, it doesn't really make any since to pay them for the use of GPS when it's not really a service they are providing, right? And as long as I have the hardware, ie. the phone has a GPS receiver or whatever, and software to use the hardware, then you can have GPS, right? Of course, the phone comes with the service providers GPS software, which wont work without you paying them. So, if you download 3rd party GPS software, you basically get GPS for free, right?

[Burning_Monkey]

what you are paying for is the map packs that make the GPS information worth having.

with out the map packs that you are renting from the provider, all you would ever get is 2 points and maybe a heading.

[Unbanable]

so basically yes, if i find some free gps softwaree for my phone then i can just use that and not have to pay.as long as it comes with maps of course...

[Burning_Monkey]

I doubt you are going to find free gps software for your phone though. Most providers have that stuff locked down pretty tight.

[cabbiinc]

About the only place I know of is Cnet's Download.com. Search under your phones OS, or even your phone model. I have seen GPS maps there, but I was looking for a Smart Phone OS.