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 an airplane in honor of the awesome new app Flyover Country, which debuted recently. With this app, you can check out geological features while on a flight, using GPS. Super cool! Here are some other things going on in the world of GPS this week: read more
It’s now illegal to use an unmounted phone for GPS in California. Just don’t mount it like this.
As you probably know, I prefer automotive GPS devices over using a cell phone when you’re navigating in the car. Not only do auto GPS devices tend to function better (as that’s their one and only purpose) but it’s just overall safer. Using a phone for navigation can be distracting, but it is convenient, so I kind of get it. But here’s the problem: how do you tell who is staring at the phone reading a map and who is staring at a text (or god forbid, texting back) instead of watching the road? And, is there really that much of a difference in attention?
A new California law says no. You might remember a few years ago that California made it illegal to hold your phone while operating a vehicle, and there are multiple other laws for talking and texting in a car. GPS, however, was sort of a loophole to this, and many people were pulled over, only to claim that they were using Google Maps on their device. However, a new law states that as of 2017, phones must be mounted to be used for GPS. read more
Kids GPS trackers are, for the most part, a dime a dozen. We’ve written about several different ones and, much like pet trackers, they are basically all trying to fix the same problems and all have the same solutions. However, the new POMO Waffle is a little different and, of all the GPS trackers that I’ve read about, this is the first I actually would consider purchasing for a child.
At its core, the POMO Waffle is a kids smartwatch with the sort of helicopter parent GPS functionality that all kids smartwatches come with, including the ability to set safe zones and track where your child has been via an app. However, unlike other GPS watches, the POMO Waffle actually has some really cool features that will make kids want to wear it, and will actually help them learn, play, and stay safe.
When most people go to an art gallery or an art studio, it is with the intention of viewing and perhaps even purchasing the art. However, a New York artist has an entirely different concept for his art shows: selling art that has been geocached and providing clues and coordinates to the actual artwork. The project, called Freecaching, combines thriftiness, art, and and geocaching.
“Imagine if Geocaching’s use of GPS technology, concealment, and open space were applied to passive storage rather than active treasure hunting,” Brad Troemel. the artist behind the experiment, wrote in a press release. “Through Freecaching you could leave art physically protected and concealed in an uninhabited area outside a major center of arts commerce and provide buyers with the exact latitude and longitude of a purchase… Collectors could choose to pick their work up or just as comfortably leave it concealed and protected outdoors, knowing with confidence that no one but they and the artist have knowledge of where the work is located.
When you star researching to buy your first handheld GPS, it can be a little daunting. There are so many different options, plenty of advanced features (including some like a camera which seem kind of useless at first) and often multiple versions of the same unit with different numbers, slightly different features, and a huge difference in price. So how do you pick?
Turns out, it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. Obviously you have an idea of about what you want to spend, and that’s the simplest way to narrow down your choices. Then, there are really only three things you need to decide: read more
The GPS industry has been changing for several years, but no matter what everyone says or the dire predictions, Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom are still around. Every industry goes through ups and downs and some major changes, and from all appearances, it seems that Garmin has come out ahead in the game.
In fact, Garmin held two of the top three spots on the “Holiday Best Sellers” list on Amazon this 2016 season. Although there weren’t any stats for how many sold, that’s still pretty good news for a company that most, a couple of years ago, were convinced was on its way out.
Geology is one of those sciences that either you love it, or you don’t. Most people who aren’t geology nerds haven’t really studied it much past a high school science class or, at best, a 101 gen ed course in college. I know that I certainly haven’t, but that doesn’t change the fact that geology is a rather fascinating subject. I like it so much in fact, that I always try and include a geology section on the weekly news roundup here at GPS Tracklog.
So, for anyone who is like me and has the habit of peering out the window on a flight or road trip and wondering, the app Flyover Country is going to become your new best friend. This app, created by the University of Minnesota Department of Earth Sciences and funded by the National Science Foundation, allows users to download a track and then use GPS to learn about interesting geological and fossil sites on a hike, road trip, or even flight. 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 an airplane because GPS and Galileo both have announced that they will be working together for airline safety. Read more below, and other GPS news as well: read more
For every job or hobby, the most important thing is to have the right tool. Surprisingly, most people seem to gravitate more towards what is convenient than what is best, and this can lead to some serious problems. Sure, your phone can do a lot of things including GPS, but that doesn’t mean that it’s good at all of those things. One of the things that I am constantly arguing is that auto GPS devices are better than smartphones, no matter what anyone says. And, unsurprisingly, I think that handheld GPS devices can also trump smartphones.
Handheld GPS devices are some of the most versatile GPS devices on the market. They can be used for hiking, backpacking, geocaching, kayaking, or any activity that takes you to the Great Outdoors. While many phone apps mimic the functionality of dedicated GPS devices, there are some things that a dedicated handheld GPS device does which a phone cannot, really.
By amtrak_russ – CC BY 2.0, Image Link
In yet another example of people following GPS to places where anyone with an ounce of common sense wouldn’t go, a couple in Illinois drove on the Metra tracks after the GPS allegedly told them to drive up a ramp used by Metra workers. The couple were in separate vehicles, following each other and while one vehicle got off the tracks, the other was struck by a train, causing a delay during rush hour.
According to the DNA Info article, the married couple were likely attempting to get on to the Kennedy Expressway at North Avenue and instead took the ramp onto the Metra tracks, where the SUV was hit by a train. No one was injured, but the incident delayed around 200 passengers for around three hours while the SUV was towed and the tracks checked for damage. The couple were reportedly given a ticket for trespassing, which is a class C misdemeanor in Illinois. read more
