Garmin has just announced a new LiveTrack feature for their Fit smartphone app, that allows you to share your location by email, Facebook or Twitter. At an in-app purchase price of $19.99 a year or $1.99 per month, I think they are going to sell a lot of these. There are enough runners and road bikers with anxious spouses that I think it will be a big hit.
Garmin adds LiveTrack feature to Fit app
May 7, 2012 By 7 Comments
How police can track your phone’s location without a search warrant
April 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
While the US Supreme Court has ruled against warrantless GPS tracking, they left unresolved a host of issues related to cell phone tracking. So why should law enforcement bother getting a warrant or messing with a GPS tracking device? All they need to do is go to your cellular carrier and pay a fee, and they can get your location history, a record of your calls and other data from your mobile phone. read more
Garmin StreetPIlot onDemand goes social
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Garmin is rolling out several new features for its StreetPilot onDemand app for iOS, including Facebook and foursquare check-in, a Wikipedia layer, and the ability to add new voices and custom vehicle icons. Also new is an update to the Garmin Tracker iOS app for the GTU-10, allowing continuous tracking and the option to share a link so others can view the location as well. And in case the new features have piqued your interest, Garmin’s StreetPilot onDemand and Navigon apps will be on sale for $10 off during Macworld (January 26-28):
- Garmin StreetPilot Onboard USA: $39.99 instead of $49.99
- Garmin StreetPilot Onboard North America: $49.99 instead of $59.99
- Garmin StreetPilot onDemand: the annual subscription is $19.99 instead of $29.99
- NAVIGON USA: $39.99 instead of $49.99
- NAVIGON North America: $49.99 instead of $59.99
- NAVIGON MyRegion: $19.99 instead of $29.99
Use TeleNav on your phone without an app
December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This is interesting. TeleNav has announced the world’s first HTML5 navigation service. What this means is that a developer can let you click on an address, in an app or on a website, to launch a free browser-based, turn-by-turn navigation service with voice directions. You won’t need to have the TeleNav app on your phone and it won’t rely on other maps your phone may have access to, such as Google Maps. The public launch is slated for early next year, but they’re already letting developers test the service. Pretty cool, huh?
Feds recommend 50 state ban on cell phone use while driving
December 14, 2011 By 2 Comments
In a decision sure to stoke a lot of discussion about distracted driving, the US National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that all 50 states ban the use of mobile devices while driving. The actual statement leaves a little bit of wiggle room, but clearly aims to ban even hands free use of cell phones:
Garmin StreetPilot Onboard iPhone app gets traffic camera option
November 23, 2011 By 2 Comments
Tired of inaccurate traffic data? How about live traffic camera images instead? Well that’s a new option as of today’s update to the Garmin StreetPilot Onboard app for the iPhone. The update will also add live weather info and the ability to share points of interest via Facebook and SMS. While the update is free, the photoLive Traffic Cameras feature will cost you $9.99 as an in-app purchase.
GPS Tracklog goes mobile
November 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
No, I’m not giving up on dedicated GPS receivers, and I’m not ramping up my mobile coverage (at least not yet). I just wanted to let you know that I’ve now got mobile friendly sites for both GPS Tracklog and GPS Deals, so the next time you’re playing with your phone, check it out.
Bracketron MobileDock Vent Mount review
November 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I’m planning to pick up a new phone soon, and I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of buying clunky, expensive phone docks. And then there’s the fact that my wife and I have different phones, so if I take her vehicle, I’m stuck without a mount.
911 Fail: Your phone’s GPS may not locate you
November 4, 2011 By 2 Comments
I’ve posted tons of links over the years about how cellphone GPS has helped rescue folks in the wilderness. Of course you have to be where there is reception to reach 911. But as many GPS users know, the urban environment has its own challenges in terms of accuracy.
Knowing all this, I was still pretty shocked to see a story showing the results of a Michigan TV station’s test of cellphone GPS accuracy and how well it helps (or doesn’t help) 911 responders.
Now granted, they tried from challenging locations like a parking deck, but even less difficult environments proved problematic. Consider these results from a facility that appears to be pretty open…
Garmin Fit Apps and ANT+ adapter announced
October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
UPDATE: Looks like the ANT+ adapter for iPhone will be available later this week.
Garmin has announced the Garmin Fit app for iPhone and Android this morning, and an ANT+ adapter for the iPhone (that link wasn’t live when I posted this, but it probably will be later this morning). This is Garmin’s first fitness app, allowing users to track speed, pace, distance, time and calories. And at $0.99, it’s likely to gain a lot of users pretty quickly.
Recent comments