After being told by Verizon, UTstarcom, and Microsoft that our cell phone's built-in GPS is *not* user-accessible, I've begun to peel the onion back to reveal the truth: YES it is! I haven't worked out all the kinks yet, but maybe someone on this board can take this further, or already knows the means to use our (supposedly) "Genius Phones" (UTstarcom's term?) to provide position data (lat/lon/alt) to navigation applications running on them.

Here's my hack so far:

Accessing cell phone built-in GPS receiver position data
(Requires external GPS input to initiate data stream)
(Why? That's the part I haven't figured out yet!)

; This worked for mzterina, 24APR06
; using UTstarcom/HTC VX6700, WM5.0
; Resco RegEdit, MS Streets 2006
; HOLUX GPSlim236 Bluetooth GPS via COM4
; thanx2 LisaG 4d idea frm her WiFi hack

Step_1:
Registry Hack:
--------------
Using a registry editor (Resco, PHM_RegEdit, etc)
navigate your way to the following key data...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
ControlPanel
GPS Settings

Edit the "GPS Settings" key called "Hide", changing the value from 1 to 0.
Save changes (if necessary, depending on your RegEditor) and exit.

Step_2:
Initiating tracking in your Navigation software:
-----------------------------------------------
Launch your navigation software (e.g. MS Pocket Streets)

Initially set your GPS receiver input to whatever *external*
source you have working. (e.g. my BT-GPS is configed COM4)

For example, in MS Pocket Streets;
Menu
GPS
Configure Receiver
Select COM4: (or whatever your external GPS is set to)
OK
Menu
GPS
Start
(Your navigation software should begin tracking your position.)

Step_3:
Transfer Navigation input to Phone's Internal GPS:
-------------------------------------------------
After the application begins receiving position data from
your external source, you can then switch to *internal* GPS.

For example, in MS Pocket Streets;
Menu
GPS
Configure Receiver
Select COM0: (apparently the default COM for internal GPS)
OK

You should continue receiving position data, but now from
the phone's internal GPS receiver. You can confirm this
by disconnecting or powering off the external GPS and
view the position data in MS Streets by

Menu
GPS
GPS Info

==========================
DON'T STOP !!!

If you "Stop Navigation" within the MS_Streets program,
Or stop the program itself (Settings:Mem:RunningPrograms)
Or reset your phone, you'll have to do these steps over..
... until someone smarter than me can figure out a way to
initiate the internal GPS data stream without the external
GPS "jump start".

Sooo, obviously this little charade has proven that we CAN
access the internal GPS locally without incurring costs of
something like VZnavigator. Please! Someone smart take up
the challenge of working out the remainder of this hack?

This is too much like having to carry around jumper cables
in your car all the time! I thought those days were behind
me! Let's go gang! Let's figure this out, OK?