The Samsung SGH-i550 is equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) as well, which is starting to be a very popular feature among the higher end mobile phones. Of course, it is a phone based GPS and not a true GPS system / device, hence, the reliability is somewhat questionable. While that may not be true, I have yet to see one that is able to function as good as a GPS device.

NAVFone is pre-installed inside the phone. I don’t know how many GPS software out there and since I never use any before, I can’t make comparison. For that, I shall comment on the software based on what are the features that I would want when I get a GPS device.

The interface is pretty simple, but getting it to work is a little tricky. The map basically showed the main roads and some smaller roads, but definitely not a complete map. For the historical city, most of the major roads are labeled and displayed as it is. In fact, the map of Malacca itself is pretty complete itself. Well, am not going to do a whole print screen of the map.

Upon entering the keyword in the search box, you will have a list of results (including roads, buildings, landmarks, points and etc.) that are nearby, at or within the searched location.

For this post, it would be easier to demonstrate on the function of GPS and how to use it. For starters, I have selected my house, which isn’t not too far away from the red box and then set it as my starting point.

In this software, I can’t seem to pin point my location even though I have a “Where am I?” option. Upon clicking the “Where am I?” option, it would prompt me to connect GPS and / or enable GSM, which neither able to pin point my location except staying idle. Is it working, that function? would take up to 10 minutes to locate your location.

Dataran Pahlawan, a landmark that one would never miss in Malacca, would be our destination. Dataran Pahlawan is currently Malacca’s biggest mall, built right on the field where our first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman first proclaimed independence during 1957. Yes, the first place was in Malacca, not KL’s Dataran Merdeka. Today, its a shopping mall.

Starting point, set! Destination, set! Play the route and the software will guide you to your destination on its own. However, if you are connected to the GPS, you won’t have the “play route” option. Instead of constantly referring to the screen, there’s a voice that would “speak” to you, telling you when to turn, where to turn, which lane to keep to and etc.. You can switch the voice off, if you want some quiet moments in the car.

You can toggle the screen with three different views.

If you don’t like the NAVFone software, you can also use Google Maps. Yes, pre-installed as well. I am pretty sure everyone is familiar with Google Maps and how powerful it can be. It requires an internet connection to function, so, if you are on the move, GPRS / EDGE / 3G is your only option. Because of that, be prepared to pay for your hefty usage of data transfer.

Weirdly, I can’t seem to get the phone to detect any GPS satellite and hence, not able to use the GPS function to its fullest.

Well, while the phone is equipped with GPS function, it takes a really long time to pin point your location. I mean really long and you definitely need to be in open space / outdoors for the phone to track down the GPS satellite. While I welcome the GPS feature in phones, I do hope it could detect my location in, say, less than a minute?

The Samsung SGH-i550 series :
The Kick Off
The Outlook
The Specifications & Symbian Series 60
The 3.0 Mega Pixel Camera

Related posts:

1. Samsung SGH-i550 - The Summary
2. Samsung SGH-i550 - The 3.0 Mega Pixel Camera
3. Samsung SGH-i550 - Specifications & Symbian Series 60

Tags: Global Positioning Software, Google Maps, GPS, NAVFone, Samsung, SGH-i550, Software