Im going nuts..GPS coordinate data shown is always wrong?

[kalev76]

This is the first time is that I actually cared about GPS coordinates. Im getting weird results on both of my iPhone4 and Samsung Galaxy S II, SGH-T989, I cant figure this out....

I'll try and summarize what I see:
both my Android and the iphone4 seems to both NOT have a problem showing a pretty map and nail down where I am, *correctly*. But whenever I try to use some app that spits out actual coordinate data, its some 20-30 miles off - I can say that since: I plug the coordinates shown into a) Google maps, b) Google Earth or c) mapquest.com, below are three apps (that spits out lat/long metrics) always a bogus latitude and longitude....some 20-30 miles off:

iphone4 built in "Compass" app
Android app "GPS test"
Android app "GPS Status"

I walked outside to be sure to avoid interference.
I'm going nuts over this..

[telmesrin]

How precise are the values you're getting? If it's rounding to the nearest degree of latitude and longitude, 20-30 miles off might be accurate.

[kalev76]

OK.I'll answer and explain the solution:
...now I know -- I was an idiot with GPS coordinates..it wont happen again:

I mixed up the different ways coordinates can be expressed, full degrees, minutes/seconds vs full degrees + decimal minutes..
..I'll "standardize" for my own sake to the second option, because then it can be easily directly entered into Google Maps..

Set devices (default) to full "degrees + decimal minutes"
I was able to change the display option (to full degrees + decimal minutes) in three of my "devices":
My car GPS, my two android apps: "GPS test" and "GPS status"...also I got another compass/coordinate app for my iphone..since the built in one fr Apple refuses to show decimal minutes...which can easily be entered into Google Maps. >> I wanted that capability.

Done.