Thanks PaperTiger, that's helpful.
To be specific, I was told by the FA that GPS was not allowed *only* on flights to/from North America due to government restrictions, which based on what I'm hearing here is incorrect.
Sounds to me like this was an honest mistake on behalf of the crew member. To clarify this situation ahead of my next flight I'm going to send a letter to EI; after all, the in flight magazine says that GPS is allowed across the board. If the FA is wrong I'd like for him to be made aware of that so the next passenger doesn't get officially grumbled at for no good reason.