AT&T Tacks on A-GPS, Adds New Nav Apps

A-GPS will use AT&T towers to help compatible GPS devices get a lock on location faster, while two new navigation applications will offer subscribers alternatives to AT&T Navigator.

Adding further functionality to a range of GPS-capable devices already on its network, AT&T on Wednesday added new A-GPS capability to its towers, helping phones pinpoint their coordinates even faster. To complement the new service, the provider also announced two new mobile nav applications, AAA Mobile Navigator and MapQuest Navigator.

Unlike traditional GPS that uses satellites alone to triangulate and pin down a device’s location, A-GPS taps nearby cell towers to help determine its rough location on startup and find GPS satellites faster. AT&T claims this cuts the time needed to peg a location down to just 20 seconds, while some traditional GPS devices might need several minutes.

The new applications will overlap in functionality with both each other and with AT&T’s standard GPS software, AT&T Navigator, but also offer some additional features of their own. AAA Mobile Navigator, for instance, will give users access to AAA TourBook travel guide information, Diamond Ratings for restaurants, and allow them to send GPS coordinates to AAA roadside service. MapQuest Navigator will comes with 16 million points of interests, real-time traffic alerts, restaurant and venue ratings from AOL, and updated gas prices.

Both applications will launch in the coming weeks, while A-GPS functionality on compatible devices should be operating immediately. AT&T also has plans for further location-based services in the future, including a location-based social networking tool and software that will help parents keep track of where their children are.