GPS is probably one of the most frequently used governmental technologies of our decade. It is used by millions of people worldwide on a daily basis for everything from getting directions to tracking loved ones or even setting phone notifications based on location. Most people don’t even stop to think about everything that goes on behind the scenes. GPS simply works. But, what if it didn’t?

Pretty much all GPS technologies are vulnerable to GPS spoofing–or the act of sending fake signals to a GPS device to trick it into believing that it is located somewhere else. But, until now GPS spoofers were a little on the expensive side to create or purchase and so the threat, while there, was minimal for most devices. But, Chinese security researchers demonstrated recently that with the right know-how anyone could build a GPS spoofer. All you need is around $300 and some coding knowledge. read more

Just over a week ago a new project launched on Kickstarter that I wanted to talk about a little bit. Generally speaking, I tend to be a little wary of Kickstarter projects and I strongly recommend that all of my readers be the same. However, this particular project, called LightBug, has a lot of really fantastic possibilities should it receive the funding that the founders are looking for. At the very least, it is definitely worth a look. read more

Whether you’re talking about a SPOT device, or an automotive GPS device designed simply to get you from point A to point B, sometimes I wonder if technology doesn’t encourage recklessness more than anything. While I want to be quick to add that there’s nothing wrong with using technology (heck, I make my living on technology) it has to be used in the right manner and with the right mindset. read more

Voice-guided navigation is one of those features that I think that every GPS ought to have. Be it an app or a dedicated unit, having your device able to call out directions is way more convenient and safe than having to constantly check the little screen while on the road. It’s almost like having a passenger navigate but without the side conversation and spilt drinks.

However, I have to admit that sometimes the default voices can be pretty terrible, especially on some of the older units. While a lot of units will have multiple options for voice (and GPS apps provide even more flexibility with celebrity voices) the choices are still a little limited and don’t really provide any benefit other than to break the boredom. Well, a Swedish company recently debuted a new app overseas that is designed to help keep children safe. read more

In this day and age it has become fairly commonplace for a company to have some sort of GPS tracking of its fleets or even employees who are in the field during work hours. It’s not normally the sort of thing that I write about very much, but recently a particular case has been gaining a lot of attention and has culminated in a lawsuit that is likely to make the courts finally set a rule for tracking employees.

The lawsuit itself maintains that companies should not be allowed to track employees while not on the clock and that it is an intrusion and violation of privacy. According to the plaintiff, she was required to download a tracking app to her device for work purposes, and was also required to keep the device on her person at all times for client calls. When her supervisor bragged that he was tracking her speed and location while off the clock, she deactivated the app and was summarily reprimanded and terminated. read more

More than a year ago, Amazon sparked the imaginations of thousands of consumers and with the announcement that it was working on drone delivery send out packages within 30 minutes of ordering. Called Amazon Prime Air, this program was extremely controversial and the Federal Aviation Administration, which released its official rules for drones, basically said no.

Well, it looks like Amazon isn’t giving up on the idea of sending thousands of drones whizzing over American cities and catering to the worst impulse buyers with almost immediate delivery. On Tuesday, VP of Amazon Air Gur Kimchi, spoke at the NASA Ames Research Center and proposed the FAA set aside a specific airspace for drones to operate safely in cities, suburbs and around the world. read more

It looks like Garmin finally remembered that it has an aviation unit and flooded my inbox with information about no less than six new improvements and aviation units. However, since a majority of you tend to focus more on handheld and automotive GPS units, I thought I’d go over it all in one post to keep things nice and simple.

Here is a brief overview of some of the new aviation features and updates: read more