Archives for 2015

Chimani App to Help Navigate National Parks

June 16, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

The National Parks are one of our nation’s treasures; the last few bastions of real wilderness tucked away and protected so that anyone can go and enjoy the sunshine and the exquisite beauty of nature. This week I discovered an app that is designed to make exploring national parks a more enjoyable experience. Called Chimani, this free app is actually geared first and foremost towards GPS navigation but also looks like it has tons of useful features that will be far more helpful.

I’m sure it shocks absolutely no one that I’m going to recommend that you mostly ignore the GPS function of this app and instead use a handheld GPS unit of some sort. Not only will it save the battery on your phone, but it’s probably going to be a bit more accurate.

However, the Chimani app does far more than just navigate and will provide plenty of information about the national park including camping grounds, facilities, bike rentals, shuttle times, sunrise and sunset, high and low tide, and more. read more

Filed Under: Mobile

Garmin Activity Tracker Sale

June 15, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

It’s summer, which means that not only is the weather beautiful, but a lot of people will be headed outside for various activities. It’s a great time to get more in shape, so GPS City’s most recent activity tracker sale is pretty opportune.

Now through June 20, 2015, GPS City has reduced the prices on several of Garmin’s Vivo activity tracker family including the Vivoactive smartwatch and heart rate monitor bundles. All of the monitors are available in multiple colors as well. Check it out: read more

Filed Under: Current GPS Deals, GPS Deals

Auto GPS Features You Can’t Live Without

June 14, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

Based on the feedback and comments I’ve seen on this site, automotive GPS is still the most common type of GPS that you guys use. I can’t say I blame you; smartphones are a hassle in the car, and while paper maps are awesome, trying to fold those suckers while behind a wheel is a feat worthy of song.

However, it seems like there are even more GPS features and options to pick from than ever before. I know in the past we’ve done articles on GPS features you shouldn’t bother with and ones you should, but those are all a little old now, and features are constantly being added. read more

Filed Under: Auto

How Does GPS Work?

June 13, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

GPS is arguably one of the most important technologies developed in the last 50 years and has been used for a shockingly wide variety of things including defense, contracting, sports, recreation, innovation and more. Several other countries are following in the footsteps of (and even improving upon) the GPS constellation, and the United States is working on upgrading the satellites.

However, I would be willing to wager that most people have probably never really stopped to think too much about how GPS actually works. It just does. Well, today I’m going to try and explain some of the basics of how and why GPS works. read more

Filed Under: FAQs

This Week in GPS — June 12, 2015

June 12, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a 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 a soldier because a new method of tracking which will supplement GPS was introduced for the military this week. Read more about it below!

Here are some other things that happened this week in the world of GPS read more

Filed Under: Featured, More GPS News, This week in GPS

New Device Tracks Soldiers without GPS

June 11, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

The United States military and the Department of Defense have expressed numerous concerns about the fragility of GPS signals and how susceptible they are to jamming and blocking attempts. With how much the military relies on GPS for navigational and offensive purposes, it’s not really all that surprising that at the U.S. Department of Defense Lab Day on May 14, researchers from the Communications Electronics Research Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) debuted a new technology that will help soldiers determine their location without GPS signals. read more

Filed Under: GPS News

Tips for Avoiding GPS Theft

June 10, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

With summer finally here, I’m sure quite a few of you are in the midst of planning out the perfect summer vacation and getaway. Which, of course, is going to mean using your car’s GPS to find your way around. However, I am sure that I don’t need to tell any of you that GPS devices are STILL one of the most frequently stolen objects from vehicles.

So while you’re out and about this summer, here are some tips to ensure that you don’t end up having to replace your beloved unit and your window: read more

Filed Under: FAQs, Featured

TomTom’s In-Dash Navigation Accesses the Cloud

June 9, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

TomTom has been working fluidly towards getting its products embedded in the dashboards of various manufacturers including Jeep and Volkswagen. In the last few years, the company has signed multiple deals and its products have begun shipping inside various different car models. Well, it looks like the Dutch-based navigational company is going a step further with access to the cloud.

Last week, TomTom announced that its in-dash navigational entertainment systems can now upload, download and read information stored in the cloud. This capability will greatly extend the reach of the TomTom system and allow users to seamlessly navigate and share information and routes across devices. Pre-planning trips on websites, tweaking it on a phone and then sending it to your car’s navigation will now be possible. read more

Filed Under: TomTom

Polar Announces New GPS Cycling Computer

June 8, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

Polar, an active training technology company, has announced the upcoming availability of its newest unit, a GPS cycling computer. The M450 features a small, lightweight and splash proof design with a smart visibility LED light and various personalized training meters and metrics to suit everyone, regardless of skill or fitness level.

The M450 has the following features: read more

Filed Under: Handheld/Sport

Magellan Announces New Navigation Platforms

June 7, 2015 By Liz E. Leave a Comment

It’s been a few months since we heard or saw anything out of the smallest of the three main GPS navigational companies and I admit I was starting to wonder what was going on. Well, in the last few days, Magellan has announced two new in-car navigation platforms aimed at both off-road vehicles and connected-car style vehicles. Both of the new services are only available to automotive OEMs, but I have seen no announcements of any particular manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon just yet. read more

Filed Under: Magellan