CR48-GPS

From eLinux.org
Jump to: navigation, search

GPS Support for the Cr-48

Not only does Google's new wonder known as the Cr-48 have Bluetooth, it has GPS also. The GPS hardware comes courtesy of the Gobi 2000 3G Modem. Like Bluetooth, Google just hasn't built the interface into Chrome OS for making use of the GPS just yet. With the emphasis that Google places on location these days though, I fully expect that one of those silent updates the Cr-48 receives every few weeks (days?) will bring the GPS to life. Unfortunately, at this point, it doesn't look like the low level GPS interfaces are finished in Chrome OS just yet.
If we get to our root shell there's just a few things we can find out:

  • A gpsd command exists, but it seems to just be a wrapper script for the real GPS daemon which isn't yet included in Chrome OS builds
  • Running "dmesg | grep -i "gobi\|novatel\|qualcomm" will search through the kernel messages and display those that reference the Gobi/Qualcomm/Novatel device (no idea why there's 3 companies involved in 1 3G modem). Unfortunately, it looks like Google has yet to include the kernel patch that enables the Gobi 2000's GPS device.




Update!

As of ChromeOS version 0.10.156.1, you can begin to play with the GPS hardware!
You will need to be rooted

Enabling GPS in it's primitive form (there's no GUI just yet!) requires two simple commands to be run from a root shell:

  • Turn the GPS on.


initctl start gpsd

  • This is a basic command line driven GPS display


cgps
Once it's up and running, find yourself an open area and wait for a lock. You'll soon see the information start to show up in the GPS display!


Back to CR48 Home