Traveling with the iPhone 3G

I spent most of last week in Los Angeles on business. It was almost my first full week with my new iPhone 3G, which actually made my trip a little easier.

Like millions of others around the world, I was anxiously awaiting the release of Apple's next-generation iPhone, but it wasn't the promised enterprise functionality that I was looking forward to the most. For me, three things about the revamped iPhone caught my attention--GPS, 3G connectivity, and support for the simultaneously launched MobileMe service.

I'll be the first to admit that I thought the iPhone's built-in GPS feature was little more than a toy: I would enjoy playing with it and then, once the novelty wore off, I would stop using it. But it turns out to be more than just an amusing diversion--GPS helps me find my appointments, plan my day, and get me to restaurants.

I had one of those portable GPS units in the rental car--I always use one when I travel these days. But for this trip I also tested out the iPhone's GPS functionality and the integration with the Maps feature. I don't know why I was surprised, but the iPhone gave me the exact same directions as the in-car GPS.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but it made me feel good that the iPhone was giving me the same information as a device that I have trusted for a number of years. If my subconscious plan was to trick the iPhone into giving me bad directions, it didn't work.

Los Angeles and the surrounding area is spread out, so getting from one place to the other does take some time, especially with traffic. The iPhone 3G's GPS features helped me when I wasn't in the car by letting me check how far my next appointment was from my current location and how long it was going to take me to get there. I could then make sure I was out of one meeting and on my way to the other with time to spare.

Here's another thing that's quick and handy with GPS: When I walk down a street like Hollywood Boulevard and I want a coffee, I can bring up the map, type in "coffee" or "Starbucks" (or better yet "Tim Horton's" if I was back in Canada) and the Maps app shows you all the coffee shops around where you are.

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