Quote:
Originally Posted by j2inet
Bottom line is a program of this nature needs to be implemented using data to provide an acceptable user experience.
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I disagree. GPS vendors have long bundled maps and POIs into a database. Most GPS programs that I've used can put the entire U.S., with POIs, into 1-2 GB. As cell towers are just another type of POI, you could probably add them for a small incremental cost in memory.
Updates are an issue, but GPS vendors solve that by creating new databases every 6-12 months. The online solution has the benefit of always getting the most up-to-date maps and POIs at the cost of requiring data access to get maps.
However, I see no reason why a vendor couldn't run locally and build an update routine into their program that grabs incremental data updates when the user has connectivity. If the user doesn't have a data plan, he could still get updates over WiFi or while connected to a PC (Windows Mobile's Internet pass-through).
The one place where you definitely need data exchange is updating the people's locations, but, as you said, that can be done via SMS -- and unlimited SMS plans tend to be cheaper than unlimited data plans.
Steve