This Thursday the fifth and sixth Galileo satellites are scheduled for launch at 12:31 GMT from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. They will be launched at the top of a Soyuz rocket and should be operational sometime this fall, bringing the Galileo system one step closer to offering initial services. Once the satellites are in space, the European Space Agency (ESA) will take control and conduct additional testing to verify accuracy and functionality. read more
Study Shows Shoppers Reject Indoor Tracking
August 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Image from Infographic created by OpinionLabs
Indoor GPS technology has become quite the topic here recently. Quite a portion of the articles I have found are on all the different methods that we can use to take GPS navigation and implement it inside a building. Airports, malls and other large structures would benefit, some say. However, the idea of a corporation tracking shoppers movements is not something that has been widely accepted.
OpinionLab recently conducted a study asking consumers whether or not they would be comfortable letting companies track them and under what circumstances it would be acceptable or not. The infographic they have created is below, but basically the consensus is that a majority of shoppers are definitely not comfortable with sharing their location and data with companies. The most common reason was security—they didn’t believe that the company would keep that information private. In fact, around 44% said that if a company implemented a tracking program they would be less likely to shop there.
Check out the numbers for yourself: read more
Hertz Launches NeverLost Companion App
August 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Hertz and Navigation Solutions have announced the launch of an app to complement their NeverLost GPS Navigation System. The new app, NeverLost Companion, is a travel app designed to seamlessly integrate with their GPS systems and provide travel information and POIs and events or more than 40 cities in the U.S.
The app is run through your Android or iOS smartphone. When you open the app, you can pick a city and then browse through popular locations, local events, sports venues, parks, neighborhood details, tour information and more. You can share your trip with Facebook/Twitter integration and save your favorite locations and cities to get back to them quickly when you travel. Once you have discovered new places, you can then sync the app to your Hertz NeverLost GPS Navigation System and get instant directions there. read more
Smallest GPS Tracker Available Online
August 13, 2014 By 6 Comments
A new GPS tracker claiming to be the ‘smallest real time GPS tracker in the world’ completed its funding on Kickstarter and is now available for purchase on their website. It’s called Trax and while I don’t know about it being the smallest, the device only measures about 1.5 inches by 2 inches and weighs around 30 grams (1.06 oz) which is pretty tiny. Trax is designed for kids and pets and can be attached to a shirt, lanyard, pet collar or any number of things. read more
Galileo Satellite Testing Successful
August 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment
As the first of two additional Galileo satellites designated for launch next week prep for their lift off, testing has concluded on the Galileo satellites already in orbit. The first encrypted signals were received and tracked successfully during a 10-day testing period. The goal of the tests, Spatial Source reported, was to verify the functionality of the Galileo Commercial Service (CS) signal’s encryption functionalities. read more
U.S. Army Researching GPS Alternatives
August 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment
This miniature atomic clock is one of many improvements the military is making to protect GPS signals as they research new options for PNT devices.
The US Army is working on finding ways around the military’s increased reliance on GPS technology, specifically for warfighters. According to this article, the US Army Engineers are developing prototypes such as the Warfighter Integrated Navigation System (WINS) to serve as a backup for GPS. They are also looking into miniaturized atomic clocks to help GPS devices provide more accurate location and protect GPS units from spoofing. Of course, they haven’t released any specifics on what devices they have developed to replace GPS yet—if any—but it’s definitely something the government is looking into. read more
Timex Announces Standalone GPS Watch
August 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Timex has become the first traditional watchmaking company to enter the smartwatch market with a new GPS watch available this fall. The new Timex Ironman One GPS+ (what a mouthful!) is seeking to simplify wearable technology by offering stand-alone wireless connectivity that doesn’t require a phone of any sort. The device is a little clunky, with the watch face measuring at 2 inches and the screen at a 1.5 inch rectangle. It is being marketed as a smartwatch that doesn’t require a smartphone and sport watch for when you don’t want to take your phone with you. It has some pretty standard features, only made more interesting because of the stand-alone wireless connectivity. read more
Caref GPS Watch Helps Track Older Kids
August 7, 2014 By 7 Comments
If you’re looking for a tracker for a small child, you don’t have any shortage of options to choose from. However, if you want something to track a wayward teen or middle-schooler, your options are slim indeed. Introducing the Caref GPS Phone Watch by Precise Innovation, a GPS enabled watch (that doesn’t look like a conspicuous tracker) which allows parents to track location and speed of their free-roaming teens. The device also features two-way voice and text calling that automatically answers, so they won’t have the option of ignoring your call, plus other features. read more
Foursquare Tracks Your GPS Location Constantly
August 7, 2014 By Leave a Comment
GPS apps use location data in a wide variety of ways—from helping you connect with friends to remembering where you parked your car. As these sorts of apps have become more and more common, the general public has started to be a little more wary of who is able to keep track of their exact GPS coordinates. Foursquare, the popular app that allows users to find new places in their cities by leaving and reading reviews. This, of course, means that foursquare has to keep track of where you are so it can leave a note on the map for other users. Now, with a new update, Foursquare not only keeps track of where you are while in the app—it tracks your location even when the app is closed.
For example, if you frequent a sushi place in your hometown, Foursquare will store that information and when you travel, it will send push notifications letting you know about good sushi places in new towns when you travel. That doesn’t sound too bad, right? I mean, who doesn’t love finding new places? Until you start thinking about it. I mean, we take our phones with us everywhere. That’s a whole lot of potential information that Foursquare has decided to cash in on. read more
Garmin Connect Update Adds Third-Party Compatibility
August 4, 2014 By 7 Comments
Fans of Garmin’s GPS-powered cycling and running devices rejoice! Garmin has announced their popular web-based Garmin Connect will get an update soon that will allow users to seamlessly sync their data with other third-party fitness applications and websites. Currently, it is only compatible site is Strava, but support to sync to MapMyFitness (including MapMyRun and MapMyRide) and Endomondo will be coming soon. Garmin stated they are working on additional partnerships with third-party sites to increase user experience. read more
