[future] "navigation" (bearing of a direction) with BT or 433 Mhz Re: Please go on ; ) Re: GPS App idea

[Robert Michel]

Salve Richard, *!

On Thu, 23 Nov 2006, Richard Franks wrote:

> On 11/23/06, Tapani Pälli <tapani.palli at nokia.com> wrote:
> >> [location tagging]
> >
> >I think these kinds of things would be doable if user could 'tag'
> >locations based on available bluetooth or wifi hotspot data. Then later
> >on device can make assumptions : "I can see this wifi now so I must be
> >at/near location A", "I can see paired bt-device which is car's wireless
> >headset so I must be near users car". System could also store last gps
> >location when car's headset (or whatever user has customized) was visible.
> 
> I'm not sure I understand why transient sources (bluetooth + wifi
> hotspots) would be more useful for mapping the locatity than AGPS?  

First I thought the same - only the information "in the area of the
radio spot" is not so usefull as AGPS, but probably free of costs.

But AFIK you could have more information than just "you are in the
area of BTdevice foobar": you got the singnal quality level :)

So use differn't beeps to signalise if the signal level ~ distance, will 
indicate by beeps/minutes, and the changing signalisated with the sound

- increase        LowHigh
- stagnate    	  longLow
- decrease	  HighLow

Oh, I hate me for speaking out this - I hate the developer of
SMS signalisation *** --- ***    *** --- ***
BTW it is funny that this is the morse code for "SMS SMS" but
I hate him that it is used twice - and I love the inovation of
vibra alarm :)

So to avoid that everybody will find their car/friends with 
beeping around - it could be colourd flashs:

- increase        green
- stagnate        white
- decrease        red


So beside the costs, why shout this be usefull?
Consider that you are in a big crowd (concert, sport event,
disco) with some friends and you are not tall, nor your friends
how to find back your friends after e.g. organising some drinks?

With AGPS you and your friends must have it and you need a
dataconnection. With a bluetooth solution it is enough that the
other phone has bluetooth. (And you could chat or phone - where
are you...)

One location here in Aachen is an old bunker with 1-2m beton walls,
even GSM is not working there... so you could not phone your friends,
nor use AGPS (I quess).

Desaster situation - even when there is a GSM blackout - you could
use it.

And when the hardware design would have several directed antennae 
and there are two receiver chips or just a analog swich between one chip
and the antennae (using SPI and hack it ourself *g*) then the software could
also bearing of a direction.
But even one directed antennae and rotating the device without walking
could suss out the direction to the other sender.

Beside finding other people, for radio beacon would be IMHO 433 Mhz
cheaper - so I like add a 433 Mhz to a mobile ;)

And a headset could cover what you are doing... :)

> Hmm.. the global locate site appears to be down just now, 
which url? www.openmoko.com is working fine (It was only some days ago
down for some hours - but after that, it has some specification
information online)

> and I don't
> know the exact chip used, but the company do boast 'indoorGPS' as one
> of their chipset features IIRC. Or it may refer to a specific chipset.

Sean/FIC didn't published the exact chipset, but I had speculated a bit
and Sean gave feedback:
http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/community/2006-November/000118.html

Greetings,
rob





PS: With more smartphones BT or Wifi - Public BBS (Blackboxsystems)
could become populare - with different level for new and old users
leaving and getting data - e.g. cityinformations. Location close
to major train stations or the marketplace would be good for this ;)

A - and your device could be a open (mobil) BBS as well 

When you want to do such thinks - cope with that you may have
to modify a usb adapter to mini USB and plug it into the Neo
;)