Waypoints is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends. To get many of these stories as they break, follow me on Twitter.
GPS for runners
- New Forerunner coming by mid-April?
- DC Rainmaker’s first look at the Nike+ Sportwatch GPS
GPS tracking
- Virginia Court of Appeals okays warrantless GPS tracking; burns 4th amendment in after-party (okay, I just made up that last part)
- Protect your bike from theft with GPS SpyLamp
- This article on GPS tracking of whooping cranes gives some good insights into the technology
- Santa Clara county (California) gives away GPS tracking bracelets for elderly and mentally ill
- GPS tracking could be required as a condition of bail in some Tennessee cases
LightSquared
- A LightSquared update
- Nice chart showing LightSquared frequency proximity to GPS L1 band
- Military testing being done separately
- A balanced article on the controversy
- Accel Networks says this is not the wireless industry’s fault; lays blame on GPS manufacturers
- New statement issued by Coalition to Save our GPS
- GPS World offers up a LightSqaured Webinar
Geocaching
- New at OpenCaching.com: Email alerts and Virtual Cache discussion
- Magellan sponsors Cache in, Trash out
- Familiar with Cacheopedia? Via @cachemania
- Road Trip Cache Planning
- Groundspeak HQ opens its doors
GPS in the news
- Misleading headline and quote?: “Remember – sat nav systems need replacing every three years. Failure to do this might mean your sat nav system becomes faulty and won’t work effectively”
- Army general verifies North Korea GPS jamming; says they have a plan for response
- An inside look at GPS for construction and farming
- GPS Traders launches to help professionals sell high-end GPS systems
- Projects Trains Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers to Counter Solar Threats to Satellite Navigation
Updates
- Garmin Astro 220 v 3.60
- Garmin Dakota v 4.02 Beta
- Garmin GPSMAP 62/78 v 2.94 Beta
- Garmin nuvi 2×5 v 7.20
- Garmin nuvi 2x5W v 7.20
- Garmin Oregon x00 v 4.17 Beta
- Garmin Oregon x50 v 4.47 Beta
- Garmin zumo 2×0 v 2.70
Mobile
- At least I’m not the only one who thinks this phone mount is a bad idea
- Got an idea for a location-based app? Enter the European Satellite Navigation Competition
Cars
- Telenav gives away a year of free gas
- OEM navigation picks up steam, costs drop, thanks to GPS manufacturers
- ABI Forecasts 210 million connected cars by 2016
- Microsoft & Toyota seek to counter Ford Sync?
The business of GPS
- Connected PNDs now 10% of German market
- Garmin intros nuvi 2000 series in Europe
Just geo
- 25 Mind-Blowing Aerial Photographs Around the World; via Slashgeo.org
- Create a Google Map in seconds
- The Big Map Blog focuses on big map images (and historical maps, it seems); via The Map Room
All the news that doesn’t fit
- $100-200 receivers with four-inch accuracy by 2020?
- DIY visor-mounted GPS; via @PocketGPSWorld
- Location-based music
- Galileo launch site ready
GPS deals
These are some bargains we’re currently tracking at our GPS deals site:
- Garmin nuvi 2350LMT for $198.88
- Garmin nuvi 2350 for $139.89
- Garmin nuvi 2450LM for $198
- TomTom XL 340M for $94.99
- Garmin 4000/5000 series $200 chartplotter rebate
- Garmin US Inland Lakes $40 rebate
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin Forerunner 405CX – Tales of an Endless Runner
- Garmin GPSMAP 62s – Free Geography Tools tackles this popular new model: Parts I, II and III, with conclusions
About Rich Owings
