iPhone 2.0 for True GPS Support?

iPhone 2.0 for True GPS Support? Apple could be readying the iPhone for true GPS support in the near term. It's not clear whether the GPS support will come in the form of integrated GPS hardware or support for dock-connected GPS peripherals, but it does seem likely that GPS is coming to the iPhone.

In addition to the previously discovered location logging feature in the unreleased iPhone OS (iPhone 1.2 with Location Logging Capability), Steffen Voigt found references to NMEA positional data within the "locationd" component of the newest iPhone developer OS. NMEA is a data format that is used by positioning devices to communicate positional data - like a GPS receiver communicating the current position to a mobile phone.

There are also references to strings mentioning satellite status, GPS time, type, position, accuracy, latitude, speed, magnetic variation, etc., which is a good sign for iPhone users looking for GPS integration.

Apple's announcement that the iPhone's dock connector will be off limits to third-party developers had iPhone GPS add-on manufacturers scrambling to come up with a wireless GPS solution for the iPhone (LocoGPS - iPhone GPS Positioning without Dock Connector). With this new find, it seems that GPS hardware could be allowed to play through the iPhone's dock connector.

Location sensitivity on the iPhone is currently limited to triangulation based on the proximity of cellular signal towers and mapped WiFi access points. iPhone OS 2.0 will add a new live location tracking feature that will automatically track the user’s current location in the Maps application on a persistently updating basis. So, for instance, driving down Broadway in New York with an iPhone would result in a constantly moving blue, pulsing ball indicating your current location. A genuine, hardware-based GPS component would trump this functionality.

(source)