News
GPS handsets to hit 550m
Stuart O'Brien May 12 2008, 10:20am
ABI Research reckons shipments of GPS-enabled mobile handsets will reach 550m units by 2012.
That figure includes devices embedded with GPS technology and those attached to GPS dongles.
ABI says demand for communities and social networking based around geo-tagging will drive uptake of GPS devices, but the company warns that power consumption, cost of chipsets and indoor coverage will have to be addressed for the technology to reach lower-end devices.
ABI Research principal analyst Dominique Bonte said: "While most CDMA handsets are already GPS-enabled and GPS is set to become a standard feature in GSM smartphones, GSM feature phones are next on the agenda to be equipped with GPS technology."
