17 Dec
2003
17 Dec
'03
11:17 p.m.
At 07:54 PM 1/25/97 -0500, Mark M. wrote:
I wonder how expensive it would be to put a GPS receiver in a cell phone and have the option to transmit the coordinates on a separate channel. There would be little difference between this and forcing cell phone companies to triangulate every call. The primary motivation for this is almost certainly "location escrow" to make it easier for the feds to track drug dealers.
It would only be marginally reliable. GPS signals are so weak (coming from satellites in 11,000 mile orbits) that reception outdoors is sometimes iffy if the signals have to go through foliage. Reception indoors is probably only rarely do-able. Jim Bell jimbell@pacifier.com