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
- Study: 60% of Drivers Scream at SatNav
- Survivor stranded seven weeks after following GPS tells her story
- Train Slams Into Car Stuck on the Tracks (this week’s edition of “my GPS made me do it”)
- Could GPS-guided model airplanes become a terrorist weapon?
- 5 Stubbornly Standalone Tech Toys
Garmin
- New accessory? Backpack tether for Garmin handhelds; via Garmin GPSMAP 62 and 78 Wiki
- New or updated free Garmin maps: NC, PA, WI topos; Kisatchie National Forest; My Topos transparent topo and hydrology map for Midwest US
- How to Use the Garmin Connect Course Creator Mapping Tool
- The best GPS for newspaper delivery?
Updates
- Firmware updates released since last week – Garmin Lifetime Updater, nuvi 5xx, 7×5 and 34xx, Training Center for Mac (Beta); Allory has the links
- ExpertGPS 4.32 – added support for sending colored tracks and Garmin custom maps; via @gpsfix
Satellite news
- GLONASS nears completion
- Galileo satellites fueled and ready for launch
- Chinese Compass ICD to appear this month
- Wow, even Nigeria’s got a satellite
Going mobile
- iPhone 4S GPS, Navigation, Turn-by-turn Features
- FCC Wants GPS In Every Phone By 2018; via @thinkjose
- Create Custom Google Maps for Android
- TeleNav now available for Verizon Blackberry phones
- Garmin StreetPilot updated to Mango, now supports AppConnect (Windows Phone 7)
Geocaching
GPS tracking
- So called “father of GPS” doesn’t like warrantless tracking
- It’s not just criminals who remove GPS tracking bracelets
LightSquared
- Falcone’s LightSquared Says GPS Users Should Pay For Fixes
- Statement from the Coalition to Save Our GPS
- Panbo on where it all stands now
- LightSquared threatens legal action
- Statement from Curtis Lu, General Counsel of LightSquared
- Grassley Asks Falcone for Records of FCC, White House Contacts
- LightSquared: GPS, DoD, FCC at fault for interference
- LightSquared’s Impact on Small Business Explored in Hearing
- Trimble responds to LightSquared letter
DIY
- Make Your Own GPS Receiver!
- Hacking SPOT personal satellite tracker to pass more information
TomTom
The business of GPS
- TomTom and Garmin face patent lawsuit
- GizzMoVest is seeking distributors outside the US
Just geo
- Occupy Wall Street solidarity events map; via Google Maps Mania
- Google Earth downloaded more than one billion times
- Searching the Earth for Art
- Streets shared by two countries
All the news that doesn’t fit
- Magellan RoadMate 9055 giveaway
- An overview of indoor positioning systems
GPS deals
These are some bargains we’re currently tracking at our GPS deals site:
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin Forerunner 405 – Dietitian on the Run writes about her experience
- Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM – E-Gear writes up a review after using this unit “several times”
- Magellan RoadMate 9055 – Cocktails With Mom reviews this auto unit
About Rich Owings
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