GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
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 Garmin’s new Forerunner 25, a slightly upgraded version of the popular running watch released last year. read more
Geocaching, more than most hobbies, has a lot of etiquette, rules and lingo that you simply won’t see anywhere else. Most of the terms are fairly easy to understand with some context clues, but the plethora of abbreviations can easily become overwhelming for new cachers.
So, today I’ve put together a list of some of the abbreviations I’ve run across along the translation: read more
What if I told you that there is an inventor looking for funding for this really awesome-sounding GPS tracker? Say the campaign was partially funded on Kickstarter (by far the most reputable crowdfunding platform) and the object itself sounded pretty sweet–a GPS tracker the size of a sticker that could easily help you locate your… well, whatever you’ve stuck it to. Sounds pretty great right?
Well, what if it turned out to be a scam? read more
Pet tracking is one of many GPS technologies that has exploded in recent years and there is no shortage of options if you’re looking for something to help you keep track of your wayward pup. We’ve written about various different trackers over the last year or so but to be totally frank, they are all basically the same with very few differences between them. They all have the same basic features and the same basic cost structure, usually some sort of monthly subscription service.
Well, PetTronix has announced that it will be launching a new GPS tracker for dogs which not only avoids using cell towers but won’t continually dip into dog owners’ pockets for a monthly fee to keep it going. Instead, the creatively named RoamEO SeekR works more like a combination between a handheld GPS unit and an actual GPS tracker chip to attach to the dog’s collar. read more
When I first started geocaching, I was a little overwhelmed by all of the rules and things that go along with it. The community is, thankfully, pretty helpful and there are a lot of resources online but I find that one of the things that is rarely talked about is the etiquette for when you’re caching.
Today I have a list of my top ten tips for geocaching etiquette that I think every good geocacher should follow: read more
Garmin has a handful of devices in its up-and-coming GPS running watches, most specifically the Forerunner series. Well, earlier this week Garmin released details on its newest running watch aimed at both beginner runners and people new to the running watch market. Designed to be a successor to the popular hobby running watch the Forerunner 10, this device is even lighter in terms of functionality which may or may not appeal to some.
The Forerunner 25 is, at its core, a pretty basic running watch. It includes the ability to track all of the things you’d expect on an entry-level running watch including distance, pace, heart rate (when using a heart rate monitor), number of steps taken and calories burnt.
The press release doesn’t say anything specifically about tracking route, I would assume that it also does this although I am sure that you’d have to upload the data to a computer to be able to view it. The device also is capable of Live Tracking when compared with a compatible smartphone so that friends and loved ones can follow your runs and workouts. read more
Smartphones might not always be the most ideal option for GPS navigation, but there are times when it makes more sense. After all, no matter where you are, you probably have your smartphone on you, right? Well, while there are literally dozens to choose from, if you’re only going to use it some times then you probably don’t want something you have to pay for, right?
So, here are my top three picks for the best free smartphone navigation apps for those little emergencies or even day-to-day use.
Nokia’s HERE, also known as Here Maps, was recently sold to BMW for quite a pretty sum. The maps themselves are hailed as being extremely accurate and BMW intends to use them for self-driving cars if that says anything. The routing isn’t half bad either and tends to mimic dedicated GPS units more than Google does, making it a little easier to use.
If you have an Android, then you already have Google Maps by default. Google Maps is the default go-to for most people and its maps are pretty excellent. It also offers voice guidance, although personally I don’t care for how complicated it can be to preview the route and it’s dangerous to do while driving I think. Regardless, this is still a pretty solid option and has great search functions.
This little app is one that hardly anyone even knows about, and I actually found it on accident. Completely offline, Maps.Me is first and foremost an offline atlas. The company recent introduced routing and while you do have to download ahead of time, the fact that it requires zero data is worth the time. The routing is a little odd sometimes, but if you can read a map, then this is still a great option. Unlike the others, it does require a bit more planning ahead of time, as you probably won’t want to be routing on the fly.
With dedicated GPS devices, it’s easy to measure and compare how accurate each GPS device is, how well it tracks and routes and whether or not the signal is lost. However, with smartphones it doesn’t depend on the app as much as the actual device itself. Some smartphones are better at GPS than others, and I don’t have access to enough devices to really give any tips on that.
For example, my LG G4 gets fantastic signal most of the time and rarely loses or does anything weird like jumping a few blocks at a time. My old Samsung, on the other hand, didn’t even know what GPS was, I don’t think. So it’s really going to come down to your actual device and how often the company updates the maps on the apps. Most apps update at least a couple times a year and Google and Here both update more than that. So sadly, you’ll have to test it out for yourself to determine which works best with your device.
So, for those of you who use your smartphone for navigation, which apps do you prefer? Do you have a suggestion for one that ought to be included? Let me know in the comments!
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 Garmin’s logo because the company announced it will be opening new physical locations in Miami soon!
Here are some other things going on in the world of GPS this week: read more
An assortment of trackables
Getting a new trackable is always exciting. First there is the allure of the physical object, art on a keychain or in the shape of a coin. These are often stunning pieces of work and you can’t help but marvel at the design or craft that has gone into making it a physical object. But after that initial excitement has disappeared, you’ll find yourself with a second hit, as you consider what to do with it.
It’s possible that you have purchased the trackable with a mission in mind, but if it’s a gift or something you bought for the design then you might finding yourself wondering whether to set it off on a mission or keep in your personal collection.
Whilst some designs are so good that you may ultimately decide that this trackable will only be discoverable at events you take it too, there is the thrill of sending a trackable out into the world and seeing how far it will travel. Will it be muggled two miles down the road from where you placed it in a cache, or will it circumvent the globe multiple times?
But if you do decide to let it go, what do you make its mission? Make it too restrictive and it’ll never move. With that in mind, here are five ideas of missions for your trackables that will keep them moving and hopefully bring you some enjoyable logs.
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
