Archives for September 2014

TomTom Golfer Officially Announced

September 30, 2014 By Liz E. 2 Comments

Well, it’s finally here. The TomTom Golfer, a GPS sports watch designed to help golfers measure their game and navigate the hazards of the green has been officially announced and is available for preorder in the UK. You might remember we talked a little bit about it a couple of weeks ago. Now, the watch has been officially announced and will be available soon for around $250. The TomTom Golfer comes preloaded with 34,000 popular golf courses around the globe. You can check golf course coverage here.

Other information that the watch can show includes precise yardage on the green, distance and previews of hazards on each hole, distances to lay-up points and score and distance tracking for your round. The watch is weather and waterproof, so if it starts drizzling, you haven’t got anything to fear. read more

Filed Under: Handheld/Sport

TomTom Updates GPS Sport Watch Software

September 29, 2014 By Liz E. 1 Comment

TomTom has announced a slew of updates for their GPS watches, including the long-awaited Android support for their popular MySports App, and added compatibility for iOS 8. Android users can download the MySports App from the Google Play Store for free. Support for iOS was released last year.

The app was first announced in February and allows users to track their stats and perform other functions. The app is currently compatible with the TomTom Runner and the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Sport Watch. Phones that have been cleared for compatibility include the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5, Nexus 5, HTC One and HTC One M8, with more devices coming soon. read more

Filed Under: Handheld/Sport

Updated: Implantable GPS Chip for Pets

September 28, 2014 By Liz E. 67 Comments

Update: So, I looked into this a bit further and found that this is likely a fraudulent crowdfunding attempt and thankfully never got off the ground. Karen Zackton is actually Karen Hanover, and was convicted of fraud and detained for an unrelated incident. She has stepped down as CEO of EscapeAlert and has insisted that the project was legitimate and simply ‘delayed.’ Regardless, the site has gone black and there hasn’t been any new news on it.

Two of the most common uses of GPS tracking are to keep track of loved ones and to help find lost pets. But GPS pet collars are clunky, expensive and easily lost. Now, a company called Escape Alert is prepping to launch a Kickstarter next week to change that. Through crowdfunding, Escape Alert wants to create an implantable GPS chip to track your furry loved one wherever they may roam. read more

Filed Under: GPS News, GPS Tracking

GPS & Augmented Reality Show Berlin Wall History

September 27, 2014 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

Through augmented reality, you can see what Berlin was like when the Berlin Wall was built.

There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing GPS used in unusual and creative ways. Recently, a German company has created a TimeTraveler app that allows visitors to learn about the Berlin Wall through GPS-based augmented reality. Available on both iPhone and Android devices, this cool app lets your phone act like a window to the past. read more

Filed Under: Android apps, Featured, iPhone apps, Mobile, Mobile apps

This Week in GPS — September 26, 2014

September 26, 2014 By Liz E. 1 Comment

This week in GPS is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends, from GPS Tracklog and other places around the Web. This week’s featured image is the prototype of an implantable GPS microchip that is roughly the size of a grain of rice. This little beauty is designed to track pets—one of the first of its kind. Check back Sunday for the full story. In the meantime… here’s what happened this week. read more

Filed Under: More GPS News, This week in GPS

Lobby to Make Covert GPS Tracking Illegal

September 25, 2014 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

GPS trackers, like this magnetic one available on Amazon, can be purchased and used legally by private citizens.

Several different states have introduced bills to try and make covert GPS tracking by civilians illegal. Bills have been announced in New Jersey and two different counties in New York following the recent political uproar over political candidates tracking each other via hidden GPS devices. While police officers have to go through a legal minefield of regulations and court contradictions to get GPS tracking on a suspect, private citizens have far fewer restrictions. read more

Filed Under: GPS News, GPS Tracking

Garmin Opens Wearable Platform

September 24, 2014 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

Garmin announced today that they are launching the new Connect IQ, the first open platform that will allow third-party developers to create apps for Garmin wearable products. I suspect this is an effort to compete with the recent launch of several different smartwatches, nearly all of which boast GPS capabilities. read more

Filed Under: Garmin, GPS News

PND Shipments Decline in 2013

September 23, 2014 By Liz E. 1 Comment

We have talked a lot about the values of dedicated PNDs versus using a smartphone for navigation, and the general consensus was that PND is probably the better way to go. But, according to an article by GPS World, PND device shipments decreased by 6 million from 2012 to 2013. The figures come from a new research report from Berg Insight.

That same report has several rather saddening forecasts for the PND market including a projected PND shipment decline to only 10 million units in 2019. To put that in perspective, in 2013 22 million units were shipped, down from 28 million in 2012. read more

Filed Under: GPS News

Russia Not Renewing Talks About GLONASS Stations

September 22, 2014 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

You might remember the upset a few months ago when the U.S. refused to place any Russian GLONASS stations on American soil, stating formally that they didn’t feel the need to help GLONASS compete with GPS, and informally that it was a national security threat as the bases could be used for other purposes.

Well, last week RIA Novosti reported that Russia has decided not to pursue the matter further at the moment, and negotiations regarding the placement of a station in Alaska will not be renewed. read more

Filed Under: Satellites

My GPS Made Me Do It — 900 Mile Detour

September 21, 2014 By Liz E. 1 Comment

Some people just don’t have a good head for maps and distances. I’ll admit that I am guilty of that on occasion, and I frequently will question myself when driving to a new place. Did I miss it? Have I gone too far? Did I take a wrong turn? For the most part GPS has helped alleviate some of those worries—unless your GPS leads you on a 900 mile trek on accident.

For one Belgium woman, that’s exactly what happened. 67 year-old Sabine Morceau left her home in Hainault Erquelinnes, Belgium with the intent of picking up a friend who lived in Brussles—about 90 miles away. However, Morceau’s GPS got a little confused and sent her the wrong way. She drove for two days, more than 900 miles, before realizing that something was wrong. read more

Filed Under: Featured, GPS News