Traded In Two, Bought One New

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

As an aside, I also learned that any cell phone can be tracked by "The authorities" in an emergency. This is true whether or not the phone is old or new, or whether or not is has any GPS capabilities.

OK, we are getting closer.

"Tracking" the older phones depends on cell tower tiangulation. When this works, it is not very accurate.....maybe to withing a quarter mile. If you think about that for just a second, for it to achieve even that accuracy, you need to be "in range" of 3 towers. With only two, the accuracy goes WAY down; with only one, you get maybe a 5 to 10 mile radius.

For the GPS function of your Blackberry to be useful for more accurate tracking of YOU, it must be arranged internally to pass the coordinates to the "phone" part so it can be transmitted out.
I suspect that it will do that but it wouldn't HAVE to......up until the last year or so.

[dhgeyer]

Easy,

I agree with your first paragraph. Inaccurate as this approach might be, it has saved lives in the White Mountains that I know of, and probably other places as well. Search parties here tend to have enough volunteers and professionals that getting them within a quarter mile, or even a mile, makes all the difference in the world. I have no idea whether or not the Blackberry and/or other similar devices do what you describe in your second paragraph. It seems to me that such a connection would turn my phone into a hand held "Onstar"! I'm not sure I want that.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

It seems to me that such a connection would turn my phone into a hand held "Onstar"! I'm not sure I want that.

Well, yes, that IS the crux of the discussion.

The "new" GPS technology that is mandated in all new phones now gets a fix from the GPS birds just like any other GPS device but then passes it to the 911 center as coordinates instead of an address. I don't know if it does it automatically or if the center has to send a signal to get it.

I'm betting that you could find out if yours has that feature by contacting your cell carrier....or the Blackberry maker.
It would be a nice thing to know, I would think.