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 in the news
- Our most interesting edition of “my GPS made me do it” in some time involves a train chase scene
- Don’t leave your GPS in the sun (bonus points if you get the musical reference)
- Several GPS-assisted rescues – the technology seems to be saving lives, creating a false sense of security and taxing SAR units
- Yorktown Pub, Grafton residents at odds with GPS
- Russians may start charging duties on non-GLONASS GPS systems as early as January 1, 2012
- GPS IIF-2,now SVN-63 broadcasting signals
- TomTom to get EV charging stations
- Tracking NY Marathon runners with GPS and RFID
LightSquared
- European Commission expresses "deep concerns" over potential effects on Galileo (PDF); via @GPSGIS_Eric
- Approval would mean Clearwire needing to replace 15-20,000 GPS antenna (PDF); via @GPSGIS_Eric
- GPS World reminds us of the July 30 deadline for comment
- What, me worry? says LightSquared CEO
Alfred E.Sanjiv Ahuja - This series attempts a balanced analysis of the LightSquared debacle; via @GPSGIS_Eric
Garmin
- New eTrex series manual & pics show up at FCC (following the link will trigger a security certificate warning, courtesy the FCC)
- Rino 6xx manual, pics too
- Another Tour de France stage win for Garmin
- Gamin team bars TV cameras
- Darth Vader on your nuvi
Geocaching
- A cacher dies and a blogger asks “Should Our Caches Be Less Risky?”
- Want to nominate a Geocacher of the Month?
- Yep, a 5 for terrain sounds about right
- Texas State Parks geocache challenge
- Want to be an OpenCaching.com ambassador?
The business of GPS
- TomTom loses $703M in Q2, sees 15-20% drop in PND market, plans cuts
- Garmin is getting into military sales
- And they’re looking for a new Executive VP
Going mobile
- PC Mag updates their iOS navigation app reviews: TomTom (Editor’s Choice), Magellan (4 out of 5 stars), TeleNav (3 out of 5 stars)
- Wikitude Drive augmented reality navigation comes to the US, but only for a handful of Android phones
- Trapster 3.0 for Android
- Another StreetPilot for Windows Phone review
- INRIX Traffic App now available for Windows and Blackberry
Just geo
- How High Exactly Is Mt Everest?
- Guess a StreetView game; via Google Maps Mania
- Hydrothermal vent map; via Google Maps Mania
- See how county and country boundaries have changed over time
- An undersea cable map; via Google Maps Mania
All the news that doesn’t fit
- Ouch! Do you think their GPS made them do it? Via @droid_life
- OnStar after market mirror hits store shelves this weekend
- More Magellan back-up camera details
- Good article on distracted driving; be careful out there folks!
- Looks like we’re going to start seeing GPS chips with jamming detection capabilities
GPS deals
These are some bargains we’re currently tracking at our GPS deals site:
- Garmin nuvi 1390LMT for $149.95
- Transatlantic Garmin nuvi 2370LT for $219.95
- TomTom GO 2535M LIVE for $275.33 (and less!)
- $50 Garmin Oregon rebate
- $50 Garmin Forerunner trade-in offer
- TomTom XXL 540TM on sale for $119.99
- $50 off SkyCaddie SGX and SG5 golf GPS
- $50 Garmin Approach golf GPS rebate
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin Edge 500 – The Flat Tire offers a two-part look at this cyclometer
- Garmin Forerunner 405 – Fun Running Ryan reviews this sportswatch
About Rich Owings
