Mobile GPS on Sprint

manekineko · Junior Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

I am so psyched to discover this app!! Unfortunately, the feature that I'm dying for, the internal GPS support, doesn't seem to be working on my Sprint A900. Nevertheless, at least hope is on the horizon now for a free GPS solution!

The problem seems to be that the application isn't registered as an application that requests access to GPS location. Hence under the phone settings (not the app settings) there is no option to enable access to GPS location for the application. Under the debug window, when it tries, it gets a java.lang.SecurityException for not having authorization to access the restricted API, with descriptions: "Error initializing location services"

Thank you so much for the app and I will be forever in your debt if you can fix this and get it working!!

Cristian Streng · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:05 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately, in order to get access to the location API (restricted on your phone), I have to either partner with Sprint or get a $400 Verisign certificate. For now I'll try another path, I'll see if I can use the Sprint GPS API, which is different than the official Java location API but still available on most Sprint phones.

Cristian

manekineko · Junior Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

I remember seeing a method for uploading files using QPST that could get around verisign requirements. While not the ideal solution, it's something that I could do to try and help.

Also, I remember seeing on a Sprint developer forum once someone offering to sign using his certificate for others. Maybe that could be an option?

Thanks!

manekineko · Junior Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

Using the method described here I uploaded Mobile GMaps succesfully to my phone:
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91504&highlight=upload

Once the permission bits are set okay, it seems to be able to access the GPS API without problems, no more security exceptions. However, the app seems to be misinterpreting the returned data. It's asking the various map providers for erroneous information. Google Maps just returns 404's, this is what is sent to Yahoo, giving a grey map:
http://png.maps.yimg.com/png?v=2.0.0&l=t8002.maps.dcn.yahoo.com&x=16384&y=0&z=3

I'll look into this again in about two weeks, in the meantime I'm going to be away so I can't mess around with this anymore. Hopefully some of this information I provided will help though!

Cristian Streng · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 7:17 pm Post subject:

I think you are right, the coordinates received from the GPS device are not valid or cannot be interpreted, that's why such URLs are generated.

Cristian

mikelee · Junior Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

I noticed that on my A940, the EXIF longitude info is incorrect (off by about 346 degrees 7 minutes) while the latitude info is correct for pictures I take with the camera. Makes me wonder about Sprint and how much they care about GPS.

Anyways, I tried Mobile GMaps and did the QPST route and while it seems to recognize and use the Sprint internal GPS, it gave bad coordinates also. Using QPST again, I was about to get test code to actually give correct GPS coordinates! The test program can be found here:

http://www.shaftek.org/blog/archives/000139.html

Direct link to code:
http://www.shaftek.org/downloads/mobile/GpsTester/GpsTester.java

May be that can be used to get my phone to work with this program.

Cristian Streng · Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 5:43 am Post subject:

Hi Mike,

Thanks for sending the link. Unfortunately the GpsTester uses the com.qualcomm.qjae.gps package, which is not available for download (it's not included with the Sprint PCS emulator as specified here). However, the documentation is public, so in theory I can try "emulating" the functionality. If I manage to do that I'll also need someone to test the implementation, let me know if you would like to beta-test MGMaps when I add Sprint functionality.

Best regards,
Cristian

mikelee · Junior Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

I can beta test for you. Let me know what I need to do.

Cristian Streng · Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 4:27 am Post subject:

Well, I'll let you know when I have a functional version for Sprint, probably in a week or so.

Cristian

manekineko · Junior Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

Likewise, if there's anything I can do to help I'd be happy to.

ascopeland · Newbie Joined: 25 May 2006 Posts: 1 Phone Type: Unknown

Chris, would getting the $400 verisign cert enable you to slove this whole problem? If so, i am sure sprint customers like myself would be more than willing to pitch in $$ to get it...lets say $5-$10 per sprint customer so you can get it working.

It is such an awesome app (beats the one that comes on my phone that u have to pay for hands down) and its a shame it cant work on sprint phones.

Cristian Streng · Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 2:34 pm Post subject:

Well, that verisign certificate would probably make MGMaps work on Sprint phones that do support the JSR-179 API. However, most Sprint phones don't support it, and some of the ones that do support it give incorrect coordinates. The best solution is for me to implement the Sprint GPS API - just that the code for the API is not public so I'll have to "emulate" its functionality in order to compile the application.

Cristian

GoZO · Newbie Joined: 25 May 2006 Posts: 1 Phone Type: Unknown

I am up for beta testing with the A900. Let me know

elfranzen · Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 11:24 am Post subject: testing with a940

if you need someone to test it with another type of phone I have the a940 and I would be more then happy to beta test for you also.

bored · Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Posts: 1 Phone Type: Unknown

Now on a A920, if you go to the application list (under My content)--> Gcalsync, and click on Options-->4.Settings. You see the followins settings.

1. Network--> Always allow
2. Location --> Allow GCalSync to access your GPS location? only ONE OPTION --> Never allow!
3. File Connection --> Allow GCalSync to access your file sysem? only ONE OPTION --> Never allow!
4. Allow GCalSync to access your PIM? only ONE OPTION --> Never allow!
5. Allow GCalSync to access your sprint extensions? only ONE OPTION --> Never allow!

Is there a way to modify this (maybe via Bitpim) and get an "Allow" option in the above list?

RAGordonDFW

Well, nothing has changed with Sprint!!
I have the latest LG phone from Sprint and while this app works great, the GPS still won't work on the "Where am I" options.

I'm MORE THAN willing to beta-test with this phone if you need me !!!

Great work -- keep it up !

manekineko · Junior Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 5 Phone Type: Unknown

Is there any way that development of this app for Sprint is going to proceed?

At this point your app is pretty much the only hope for A900 users. Samsung only half implemented the GPS functionality, so you can find yourself but you can't track. None of the 1st party apps seem to have come up with the bright idea of repeatedly querying to find yourself in order to track. Won't be as nice but it'll at least be some semblance of GPS functionality. Samsung has come out on their website and said they won't fix this issue pretty much. So the only hope is on a kind 3rd party app developer to make this work! Wink

Cristian Streng · Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:27 am Post subject:

Hi,

The GPS features do not work currently on several platforms. This currently includes internal GPS support on Sprint and Motorola phones. Each of them has a non-standard implementation of bluetooth functionality (Motorola actually has two different implementations, one for Axxx and E1000 phones, and the other for iDEN phones), Motorola's implementation is public but Sprint's is not.

In addition, the application needs to be signed with a trusted certificate. That normally means a code-signing certificate issued by Verisign or Thawte or GeoTrust that's available for $200-$500/yr. And that would be for each separate version of MGMaps, if we have one (or two) for Motorola, one for Sprint, and so on.

My idea is to try using a self-signed certificate for the application, that will work if the user can import/add root certificates to the phone. Some phones allow that, some don't - I don't know about Sprint phones, maybe some of you have more info or you can try it.

Regards,
Cristian

jessesanford

I was hoping that I could help you with this project working on the support for sprint phones. I have successfully gotten the qpst hack working so that we can bypass the need for verisign certificate. I have also successfully pulled accurate lat and long information off of the phone using the source located here: http://www.shaftek.org/blog/archives/000139.html

I have worked with j2me before and would like to assist in your testing/coding.

I am using a samsung a940 handset.

Please let me know.

oingo456 · Newbie Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1 Phone Type: Unknown

You don't need to have a signed application to access the API! You can enable access by unsigned applications!

1. Register as a developer on developer.sprint.com - IT'S FREE. Don't use hotmail as your email, you won't get the confirmation email.

2. Once you login to the site, you can activate up to 200 phones! Just type in your ESN, and the menu will send a message to your phone to enable the API by unsigned applications.

It would be great if gmaps would support the QJAE gps.