Google Maps
Google maps is the premier mapping service online and continues to outshine the competition in the mobile arena. Google Maps brings much of the functionality found on maps.google.com to your Samsung Epix. You can get directions, search for businesses, and even use the Epix’s built-in GPS to help you get where you’re going.
December 28th, 2008 at 2:29 am
how do i install this onto phone??
December 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Sure, check this post out … http://www.mysamsungepix.com/the-basics/how-to-install-a-cab-file/
January 10th, 2009 at 3:00 am
How to run this on T-Mobile ? The GPS doesn’t find the satellites.
January 11th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Use your browser (on the phone) and go to Google and click on “more” in the upper left. Scroll to “maps” and it will ask if you want to download. DO IT. It works well.
You may also want to download Windows Livesearch to your phone as well. It has some additional features including voice recognition.
I have both and alternate. Both have good GPS accuracy too. Google maps is a bit faster.
January 13th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Jaro, The GPS on the Samsung Epix should be independent of your carrier — it communicates directly with the GPS satellites. Make sure you’re outside in clear view of the sky and select the “Use GPS” option – wait 5-10 mins and see if any satellites get picked up.
January 14th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Today I’ve tried to activate Google Maps. I was in a park (pedestrian – there were no big trees, buildings or anything blocking the sky) and selected “Use GPS” option while in Google maps.
But I just couldn’t get the application to work or show my location (other than constant blinking : “GPS active” notification in the upper corner, or : “looking for satelites”). I waited for whole 15 minutes, but to no avail !!
Is it posibble that this was due to cloudy weather or I have to additionally adjust settings in order to initiate the application ?
January 15th, 2009 at 12:19 am
nick, its highly unlikely that clouds are the culprit here… Try setting your GPS manually in your Settings to:
Start > Settings > Sytem Tab > GPS Settings: Programs Tab: GPS Program Port = COM1 Hardware Tab: GPS Hardware Port = COM9;baud=4800
Then open Google Maps and go to Menu > Options > GPS Settings, select “Set Manually” and set COM9 and 4800…. then see if that works.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
thx m8, but it only caused my i780 to reboot.
And after I tried various settings (COM1, COM4, COM 9 etc), tried checking and unchecking “set by Windows manually” in both Google maps settings and “External GPS” settings in connection tab, waited for 10minutes or so for each option to work – there was still no progress
January 17th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Tried all of the above, GPS says not available.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:43 am
The first time that I tried to access GPS on Google maps it wouldn’t find the satellites until I did a hard reset. Yes, a GIANT PIA. I had it backed up with Sprite backup first so it wasn’t too terrible. No problem accessing sats with Google Maps ever since. Typically, it takes less than 10 seconds for as many as 7 sats to lock on (assuming that I have a cell signal – without a cell signal, it can take a minute or two)
I have also installed and use TomTom navigator 6 on the Epix and other than sucking the battery dead in a couple of hours it works reasonably well.
If you just want to test if your GPS receiver is working, look for the program gpstest.exe in your windows directory. If it comes up with a sat fix, your GPS is working and then you can proceed to troubleshoot the software at least knowing that your GPS is functioning.
February 1st, 2009 at 2:40 am
David said…
===============
Start > Settings > Sytem Tab > GPS Settings: Programs Tab: GPS Program Port = COM1 Hardware Tab: GPS Hardware Port = COM9;baud=4800
Then open Google Maps and go to Menu > Options > GPS Settings, select “Set Manually” and set COM9 and 4800…. then see if that works.
===============
The important setting seemed to be the set the hardware port to 9 above all else, HOWEVER, I didn’t need to set the google gps to com9. I told it to let windows manage it and things work perfectly.
Joel
February 9th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
the best/easiest way:
download the latest google maps from the (mobile) google site like Steve said above, in the “more” section. after you get it downloaded, set your epix to manage gps within its programs, and set google maps so that it knows that windows sets up gps. there is a whole section in the newest google maps. they sync up perfectly, and i always aquire 6-8 satelites now.
also, the newest google maps has this thing called “Latitude” you can enter with a google account, and let your friends know where you are all the time. you can even set google maps to tell your friends you are in a false place, and it lies to them for you.
February 12th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
is there a charge to use this?
February 13th, 2009 at 5:18 am
roselake – the only charge involved is paying your carrier for data fees. If you have unlimited data then you don’t have to worry. If don’t have a data plan or a limited data plan then watch out because you will incur data usage fees.
February 17th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Thanks david,
I don’t have a data plan. So thanks for the info. I love that this phone has wifi. Its real handy. I always make sure i turn the phone part off when i connect to wifi. I’m always afraid i’ll connect thru ATT. and get charged. They get enough from us as it is.
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Is it possible to get turn by turn directions like an actual GPS or is this only possible with the ATT navigator?
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Google Maps does not provide turn by turn directions. You would need GarminXT or Tom Tom’s nav software for this.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:03 am
If you install Garmin or TomTom will you still get charged for data usage? Is there any way around getting charged for data usage when using the cell phone’s gps receiver?
February 25th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
i tried all the settings but google maps doesn’t seems to acquire satillite signals. but when i tried gpstest.exe under windows folder it detects satillites right away. any remedy for this?
February 26th, 2009 at 4:47 am
Jon, If you use Garmin or TomTom you will not be charged for data usage. This i because Garmin and TomTom come pre-loaded with their own maps so they dont have to go out to internet to download them.
Google maps requires data because it has download the map information from google’s map servers.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:48 am
Jazua – not sure. I haven’t heard anyone having problems using their GPS units on their Samsung Epix before, especially not with Google Maps.
You could try:
Start > Settings > System Tab > GPS Settings
Programs Tab: GPS Program Port = COM1
Hardware Tab: GPS Hardware Port = COM9; baud=4800
March 28th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I bought an unlocked epix and I have tmobile service on it. I was trying to use the google maps application and clicked “use gps” and it was trying to connect to wap.cingular.com..i cannot use the gps for sum reason..anyone know what i can do to get it to work with tmobile?
March 28th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
just wanted to clarify that when i click “use gps” it connects to media net (an at&t thing) but all my data settings are configured with tmobile..how do i fix this?
March 29th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
murtuza – hrmm – not sure – id try posting in the forums and see if anyone else that’s unlocked their phone has figured out this issue.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I REALLY have a problem with Google Maps. It used to work (SLOOOOWLY), but now – nothing! Let me explain. I set the COM1;COM9;4800 baud settings as described. Installed GoogleMaps. It would always require AT LEAST 7-10 minutes to find satelites. I tried to install other GPS programs – none worked, so I uninstalled them. Now, GoogleMaps can NEVER detect satellites. I get the “Your GPS Receiver is having difficulty locating satellites…” message. Also, GPSTest shows NOTHING. I let it run 30 minutes!! NOTHING! So somehow, something somewhere go totally hosed. I do this outside, no trees, no obstructions, etc. Clear open sky. Any ideas?? When GoogleMaps used to work, eventhough it took a LONG time to ever find the satellites, I loved it!! But now, I’m really ticked. I can’t figure out why neither it nor GPSTest work. NADA! Thanks for any help offered!
April 24th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Loaded the Google Cab file and installed on the Epix. Then set up GPS settings as directed com1;com9;4800 baud. Started google maps and then I had to go to menu/use GPS and activate GPS. Once GPS is activated, the main map screen shows searching satellites in a rectangular box in the upper right hand corner. This box is always active if the GPS is on and I typically see 8-11 sats. If u do not have this box showing searching for sats, then IMO, your GPS is not in the active mode. BTW, my unit takes < 30 secs to find and lock into the sats.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:32 am
hey, guys. I have a TomTom installed, and “No GPS device!” displayed in the program.
May 21st, 2009 at 4:20 am
with the new update my Google maps and Live search stop working (GPS)
May 29th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I HAVE AN EPIX AND JUST GOT IT UNLOCKED. I HAVE A TMOBILE G1 AND WANTED TO KNOW AM I ABLE TO PUT THAT SIM DIRECTLY INTO THE EPIX AND STILL USE THE UNLIMITED DATA PLAN, BROWSER AND SEND/RECEIVE MMS? ALSO ARE THE BANDS ON THE ATT EPIX COMPATIBLE WITH THE BANDS TMOBILE 3G RUNS OFF OF?
June 6th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I just want to find my Samsung because i lost it :’(, but this website does not tell you how to find it with a GPS or anything, but I live in the U.K will that matter
June 12th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
I have Garmin MobileXT and no data plan with my Epix. I finally got frustrated enough with the phone connecting to Media Net everytime I started Garmin I called AT&T and put a block on my phone connecting to the Internet. MobileXT still works (takes a little longer at times to get a GPS fix) but I found it still tries to connect to Media Net then comes back with an error informing me it can’t connect, I press dismiss and move on. My frustration is that it continues to do this every 10 minutes or so when traveling down the road. Does anyone know how to stop the Epix from doing this?
June 15th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Does the GPS work independent than the data plan?
and if it doesn’t could i still run it through the wifi?
June 26th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Hey Dion,
Can you help me out w/ Garmin Mobile XT? I can’t get it to work with the internal gps on the epix. I’ve been following the info on lg-incite.com for the garmin mobile, but lots of the stuff refers to the Incite and it’d be of great help in doing it specifically for the Epix. thanks
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:38 am
I Garmin and TomTom work without a subscription then why the hell do they charge $9.99 a month for TelNav service?
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:41 am
Sorry, forgot to ask…can TomTom or GarminXt be obtained without cost other than data charges?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I have done the hard reset and everything but still can’t get my GPS to work. It keeps on showing “Seeking GPS satellites (0)” I have changed ports to COM1 and COM9 with Baud rate at 4800. Anyone else have any suggestions?
August 30th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Works great! I suggest people visit Google Mobile to make sure they’re installing the most recent version.
http://www.google.com/mobile/#p=default
Thanks for this site!!
September 30th, 2009 at 5:39 am
I ran across a program called GPSed, & it is terrific!!! I can use it without a data plan, & when I get home & upload the data to their servers, it shows me a map of where I have been. It can even track you in real time if you have the data plan. It is not completely accurate, but is close enough for my needs. It would probably be more accurate if I had a data plan though.
January 11th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
I tried the suggestions above,
Start > Settings > System Tab > GPS Settings
Programs Tab: GPS Program Port = COM1
Hardware Tab: GPS Hardware Port = COM9; baud=4800
GPStest – standalone
But my epix does not seem to be able to find any satellites. Goggle maps ans GPStest both can not lock onto any satellites. I’ve let it run for a good 15 minutes without any success.
Any suggestions?
February 4th, 2010 at 12:10 am
My $ .02
If I remember correctly, I received an MMS Message from Google on my Epix telling me about GMaps and a link to download it.
I did and it works
It has it’s Pros and Cons
Pros:
Fast – MUCH faster than ATT Nav
Doesn’t eat batteries for breakfast
Links to Live nicely
Cons:
Less accurate – Current position jumps around a lot
And the list style directions are a pain when trying to drive – you may as well be texting while driving… you’ve seen the pictures
ATT Nav works much better when it works due to verbal turn by turn directions
PS: The question above by Loris that never was answered (June 15) is still a good one
Will GMaps still do live GPS tracking if you don’t have the ATT Nav plan? (I think that was the question)
February 4th, 2010 at 1:53 am
OK – UPDATE
Moak Thanks for the link – I don’t know if this version is newer or not, but it did get me looking closer.
After download, still had the issue of not being too accurate as to my location/
Went to th emenu saw Use GPS – clicked that
Then I was experiencing LTs issue Searching … (0)
<L.T Says:
<July 15th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
<I have done the hard reset and everything but still can’t get my GPS to work. It keeps on showing “Seeking GPS <satellites (0)” I have changed ports to COM1 and COM9 with Baud rate at 4800. Anyone else have any <suggestions?
So I clicked on the blue find my location dot in the bottom right corner and it kicked into gear and used 7 or 8 points for trianglation and placed me perfectly in my backyard, even on the correct spot in the yard
Much Better
February 18th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Google Maps 4.0.0 is up, as of 2/10/10. Now for the official WM6.5 update… when’s that going to happen? =(
March 17th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Looking for a recommendation for a Map/Navigation for my Epix.
I don’t have MediaNet or the data plan. I think my GPS should work just fine. What is the best program to download for me? I saw Garmin Mobile XT has one that installs with a SIM card but their website has some busted links and I wasn’t able to find the price. Google Maps doesn’t seem to work without internet. Mapquest has a free trial version of something but it doesn’t tell me how much it is after the trial. Does TomTom have something similar? What’s the best option for a non-MediaNet user? What’s the best price?
Thanks.