GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The ESA has released diagrams showing the intended and actual orbit of the two Galileo satellites that were launched last month into the wrong orbit. And, as you can see from the images, they’re quite a bit off. Reports indicated the satellites were nearly 2,000 miles off-target. The reason for the anomalous orbit hasn’t been formally announced yet.
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 leaked image of TomTom’s rumored Golf Watch, which is expected to be released later this month.
The airport in Dallas, Texas has a new way to route their planes today, using GPS technology. Developed by the Federal Aviation Administration, NextGen is a satellite-based navigation system that promises to get planes in the air sooner, back on the ground faster and overall make the planes more efficient on fuel consumption, pollution and more.
The program consists of a suite of 80 technology upgrades that transform the World War II era radar technology currently used to more high-tech satellite tracking. While several parts of this technology have already been in place at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field will come online today. read more
