iPhone firmware 1.1.3 brought Google Location's cell tower and Wi-Fi triangulation to the mobile device. When Steve Jobs demoed the technology at his annual Mac Expo Keynote, he exclaimed, "It's going to locate me right on the map. Zoom. That's cool."

 

We decided to see how "cool" the Enhanced Maps feature truly is with a real world test. Armed with an iPhone, digital camera and a car, I drove to various Bay Area landmarks to see just how well the iPhone, with updated Maps, could find me.

 

The testing process I used was simple:

• I arrived at a location. Using the iPhone's Maps, I then tried to pin-point my exact location on my own, without using the iPhone's locator;
• In the map, I dropped a pin (red pin) and created a bookmark of my location;
• I used the iPhone Maps Location feature to locate me (blue pin).
• I then figured out the difference between the two points. The distance stated between to the two points is "as the crow flies," a straight line between the two points.

 

In the following images, the first map is my actual location, the second is my location as determined by the iPhone, and the third is the distance between those points.

 

 

The Ferry Building in San Francisco.

 

Located on the Embarcadero adjacent to the Financial District in downtown San Francisco, the Ferry Building is good choice to determine how well you can be located while on your lunch break from your high-power corporate job or while you're skateboarding the concrete jungle. I stood near the clock tower; the iPhone located me on the train tracks of the F Line.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately 175 feet.

 

 

The Cliff House in San Francisco.

 

In the northwest corner of San Francisco is the Cliff House. This popular restaurant (established in 1858) overlooks the ocean and is a well-known destination with tourists and hopeless romantics. I stood in front of the restaurant's new sign and was located by the iPhone at the nearby Safeway supermarket. Both have food available - only one will serve it to you while you watch a spectacular sunset.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately .5 miles.

 

 

El Farolito Taqueria in San Francisco.

 

Standing about and pushing buttons on a super phone creates quite an appetite. So I stopped at my favorite taqueria, El Farolito in the Mission district, for a delicious burrito. Apparently, burritos are important enough to register the best distance rating.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately 45 feet.

 

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The Golden Gate Bridge.

 

California landmark and vital transportation link, the Golden Gate Bridge serves to separate the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. Walking out to the tower nearest the San Francisco side, I tested the iPhone. The location feature placed me not on the bridge, but in the chilly Bay.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately .4 miles and wet.

 

 

San Bruno Mountain in Brisbane, California.

 

My next destination has little to no cell coverage and I could not make a call while testing. In fact, it took a few tries to secure adequate Web access to even get a location. Where the iPhone located me should give pause to anyone planning on using the iPhone as a GPS substitute while hiking.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately .6 miles.

 

 

Neighborhood in Oakland, California.

 

I picked up a friend in Oakland, California. My friend lives in a residential area near Interstate 980. According to Google Locations, he doesn't just live close to 980, he actually lives in the west-bound fast lane. He's thinking about moving.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately 650 feet.

 

 

The Google campus in Mountain View, California.

 

It's Google's software, so they should be able to find themselves while at work. After checking out the multi-colored building and a few electric cars, we tested at an intersection used by the Google employees on a daily basis. Not surprisingly, the location I was given was only across the street.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately 100 feet.

 

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In-N-Out Burger in Long Beach, California.

 

I enlisted a friend living in Long Beach to go to his favorite spot and try the Locations feature on his iPhone. He could have gone to the Queen Mary, the Long Beach Aquarium, or to VIP Records (where Snoop Dog filmed a music video). Instead, he choose In-N-Out. He was hungry.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately .25 miles.

 

Apple in Cupertino, California.

 

You can't test an Apple product that gives you your location without going to Apple. Unfortunately, the company store was closed so I was unable to procure a black turtleneck for the chilly winter days in San Francisco. I expected a repeat of the results I had a Google. Instead, it seems the Reality Distortion Field affects GSM signals as well as human reasoning.

 

The real world iFaux GPS difference: Approximately .5 miles.

 

 

Even with varying results, the addition of Locations to the Google Map application within the iPhone is impressive. While driving, the iPhone found my location within a quarter mile about 75 percent of the time. A friend tried it in Spain and Germany and was surprised how well it worked abroad.

 

These results are far from scientific and would probably vary depending on mobile phone use in the area, sunspots, how close you're standing to a microwave and whether or not you're wearing a tin hat.

 

Tell us your experience with the Locations feature in the comments below.