Journey by GPS Blog

Facts About Refurbished GPS Devices - What You Should Know

2009-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that there seems to be a huge abundance of refurbished GPS devices for sale, within just about any given ecommerce store that can be found by doing a google search? It is really no big surprise, considering the popularity of the hand held, and especially the automotive GPS devices. But the other, more interesting reason for this, will be covered in the following paragraph.

So why are there literally thousands, if not 10's of thousands of refurbished GPS devices out there? Well, that brings us to the important points of WHY so many GPS devices (along with any electronic devices in general) end up being labeled as "refurbished". Oddly enough, most of the refurbished GPS devices have actually never even had a problem at all, and in some cases, they are still brand new, literally still factory sealed. The most common reasons for electronics based products (IE: GPS devices) becoming "refurbished" are:

1. The product was a "return" by the customer that purchased it, which means that they returned the item to the store that they bought it from within 30 days of the purchase date. More often than not, there is literally nothing even wrong with the product; the person who purchased it just ends up not wanting it.

2. The product sat on the store shelf too long and became "overstock". When this happens, the store will either sell the product for a clearance price, or send the product back to the manufacturer; when the product is sent back to the manufacturer, the manufacturer will, in come cases, label the product "refurbished", and then sell the "refurbished" product to specific retailers/wholesalers for a greatly reduced price. The funny part about this is the simple fact that the product is still literally brand new, and has never even been opened at all.

3. The product was a "demonstration" or "display model". When this is the case, the product eventually gets sent back to the manufacturer; the manufacturer then inspects (and repairs, if necessary) the product, and labels it as refurbished.

4. The product was opened. When this is the case, there is nothing wrong with the product, other than it needs to be sent back to the manufacturer to be repackaged, in which case, oddly enough, it is then labeled as "refurbished".

5. Shipping damage. When this happens, it usually just means that only the box that the product was in got damaged, but if anything other than the product was damaged (accessories, or the actual unit), it is completely fixed or replaced by the manufacturer.

6. There was a defect in the product. This is actually probably the most rare scenario. When a product has defect (or cosmetic damage) it is sent back to the manufacturer for repair, and anything that was broken or defective is replaced with brand new parts; when the process is complete, the product is literally brand new again, and is actually less likely to become defective than the non refurbished products sitting on the shelves of the retail stores; this is due to the fact that refurbished products under go very extensive testing.

So with that being said and done, anyone looking to pick up a GPS device for about half the normal retail cost, may want to consider buying one that has been "refurbished". As stated above, most of the refurbished GPS devices (or refurbished electronics in general) have actually never even had an issue at all, but were just returns or overstock items. Also, even if the refurbished product DID in fact have a defect or cosmetic damage, it is completely repaired with brand new parts, thoroughly tested, and is then repackaged with all of the original items and accessories that would normally come with it.

By Matthew Betourney

Top 10 GPS Navigation Systems

2009-02-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Are you looking to get a GPS Navigation System in the near future? If so, there are plenty on the market. Although, if you’re going to spend money on one, make sure it is one of the best selling to make sure you get your money’s worth!

Top 10 GPS Navigation Systems:

Garmin nüvi 350 - The Garmin 350 is one of the best selling GPS Navigation systems on the market! This one in particular is small enough to fit into a purse of even a pocket! It easily mounts on your vehicle’s windshield with its included suction cup. This Navigation system is a compact 700 MB GPS navigator with an MP3/audiobook player, a world travel clock and a photo viewer!

Garmin nüvi 200 - This is a great thin, sleek and pocketable GPS. It comes with an SD card slot for storing any of your media and additional navigation tools, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides up to five hours of battery life. With this Garmin, you will never have to worry about getting lost again!

Garmin nüvi 660- This is another great GPS Navigation system made by Garmin. If you’re looking for any type of direction in the areas for the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico you’re in luck thanks to this GPS! Also, this GPS includes nearly 6 million points of interest that includes hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions!

Garmin nüvi 360 - If you’re looking for something that is on the more affordable side, yet still gets the job done, this is the way to go! This GPS includes turn-by-turn directions with actual street names, real-time traffic and weather information for your convenience! Also, it includes maps for all of the United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Canada. Although, that’s not all, there is also Bluetooth wireless technology with hands free calling!

Garmin nüvi 270 - This is a great GPS if you’re looking for full coverage of the United States and all of Europe! It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides up to five hours of battery life, has many street names and turn by turn guidance and several points of interests to choose from. Also, it comes with a picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, a measurement and currency converter, a calculator and more!

Garmin nüvi 650- This is a great GPS if you’re looking for one that comes with preloaded maps for U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. This GPS also comes with automatic routing, 3D/2D map viewing, and turn-by-turn voice directions to help you while your driving. Also, it gets better, it has built-in travel and entertainment tools that include a digital music player, JPEG viewer, currency converter and more!

Garmin nüvi 760- Last but certainly not least for the Garmin’s we have the 760. This GPS comes with a 4.3-inch diagonal touch screen color display and Bluetooth technology for hands-free calling. Also, this GPS is extremely helpful for trying to locate parks, restaurants, ATMs, gas stations and more. It gives you step by step directions for finding the places you need and helps you avoid the hassle of getting lost!

TomTom ONE- If you’re on a tight budget and you’re looking for a great GPS Navigation system that gets the job done, this is one to check out! The TomTom ONE includes turn by turn spoken directions, a real-time traffic capability, millions of points of interest and has a preloaded with map of the United States and Canada!

TomTom ONE XL- This is another great GPS Navigation system that comes with a lot for less money! With this GPS you will have included real time traffic information, a complete map of both the United States and Canada, Bluetooth capability for hands free calling and turn by turn spoken directions for your convenience.

TomTom ONE 125 - This is by far one of the cheapest and best GPS Navigation systems on the market. You can get this GPS for just a little under $100 and it still comes with many great features. With this GPS you will receive instant map updates, millions of points of interests, turn by turn directions and preloaded maps of the United States.

Preventing GPS Disasters

2009-01-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

If your GPS device told you do drive off a cliff or ford a raging river, would you do it? You may respond, of course not, that's stupid. Unfortunately, many people substitute technology for common sense, often with tragic results.

Satellite navigation systems are changing the way in which we navigate from place to place by land, sea or air; in remote wilderness areas or through congested urban streets. The GPS system has been called the greatest advance in outdoor navigation since the invention of the compass and has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide, a useful tool for map-making, land surveying and recreational navigation. An estimated 50 million navigation devices, including in-car systems, handheld or portable units and smart phones, will be in use in the United States this year.

Whether you're prospecting, hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing, or taking a hike in the back country, a GPS receiver can help you reach your destination and return safely - but only if you know how to accurately use it and recognize its limitations.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a complex network of more than 30 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. The GPS network, also called NAVSTAR, was originally intended for military applications, however when Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down in 1983 after straying into the USSR's prohibited airspace, President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use as a common good. The GPS works all the time, in any weather condition, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day.

Powered by solar energy, the numerous satellites that make up the GPS space segment orbit at approximately 12,000 miles above the earth. Moving constantly at speeds in excess of 7,000 mph, the satellites each make two complete orbits of the earth in less than twenty-four hours. The GPS satellites are kept on track by small rocket boosters. Primarily operated on solar power, the satellites also employ backup batteries in anticipation of power loss during a solar eclipse.

The first GPS satellite was sent into orbit in 1978, with a full constellation of satellites achieved in 1994. Weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, each satellite is about 17 feet across with the solar panels extended and is built to last about ten years. Replacement satellites are constantly being built and then launched into orbit.

GPS signals can be affected by multi-path issues, where the radio signals reflect off surrounding terrain such as tall buildings, mountains or large obstructions. This increases the travel time of the signal and can cause inaccuracy. The number of satellites visible, or the more satellites a GPS receiver can "see" will also affect accuracy. Electronic interference, buildings, terrain or sometimes even dense foliage can block the signal reception and cause positioning errors or prevent a position reading at all.

Anomalies like high static discharge during lightning storms, humidity, ionized air and barometric pressure can definitely cause false information, data error or miscalculations. A satellite signal slows as it passes through the atmosphere. Ionosphere and troposphere delays may cause distortion. GPS units normally will not work indoors, underground or underwater.

In automotive GPS receivers, metallic features in windshields, such as window tinting films or defrosters elements can degrade reception inside the vehicle. Receiver clock errors are also common. This type of error occurs because a receiver's built in clock is not as accurate as the atomic clocks onboard the GPS satellites and will reflect varying timing errors. These distortions can result in positioning errors of hundreds of miles.

Unreliable data is also a major contributor to GPS errors. With an incalculable number of roads and millions of miles of ground to cover, it is impossible for any data system to be 100% accurate. A road network is a constantly changing entity; roads are diverted or closed, construction reroutes traffic while weather affects road conditions. The data feed used in GPS units is dated. Fresh updated content may not be available for several months. It is important to remember that this data is updated quarterly at best and in some cases only released twice a year.

Although GPS Navigation is becoming increasingly popular, these units have the ability to highlight human error. A GPS devise will attempt to advise you depending on the destination your have entered. An incorrect address or a mistake in spelling are common errors. Instead of making our lives easier, some of these devices are so technologically enhanced they are very difficult to use. User mistakes account for the majority of GPS errors, however a GPS receiver has no way to identify and correct these mistakes.

GPS technology isn't perfect! It's imperative to pair its directions with a healthy dose of common sense. Many drivers exhibit a surprising willingness to rely on gadgets instead of experience. They are finding that satellite navigation may replace paper maps, however following the GPS's not always reliable directions, many users are getting hopelessly lost, hitting dead ends or road closures and even swerving into oncoming traffic.

Even if you are not blindly following erroneous, computer-generated instructions, research studies tell us that "using GPS while behind the wheel is actually more distracting and less safe than unfolding a paper map and using it to find your way". A large portion of drivers, according to the study, relied exclusively on their GPS unit for directions, "rendering them completely oblivious to the world around them."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marlene_Affeld

Garmin Streetpilot C340 New Years Sale!!

2009-01-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

While supplies last we have this Remanufactured GPS on sale for ONLY $139.95! For anyone just wanting a great beginners GPS this would be the one. This is the sale of the year! Simply click on my website and you will find all the details.
Hurry because they are going fast!

Kim

Winter Backcountry Safety Using GPS Tracking Units

2009-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

Tragic headlines describing the death and injury to back country users during the avalanche season are becoming more common place. Skiers, snowmobilers, hunters and winter campers are finding that this year's heavy snow pack has created a high avalanche risk in places that normally would not experience the threat. Most back country users are equipped with GPS tracking units, Avalanche locator beacons, probes, and shovels in an effort to minimize risk.

Even the best equipment will not substitute for the application of common sense. It goes without saying that if the land management agencies are forecasting avalanche conditions in an area that you are planning on entering then you should just plain not go. That being said most outdoor adventures do not like being told that they cannot utilize the resource. Careful planning and training can reduce the risks of a backcountry trip.

Most land management agencies will have maps available that will show where the greatest avalanche risks are located. Using handheld GPS units you can waypoint all of the highest risk locations that you need to avoid. Make sure that you and everyone in your party has a good working knowledge of your avalanche transceivers. Obviously you should never go into the backcountry in winter by yourself.

In addition every member should also carry a GPS locator unit similar to the SPOT. These units will allow you to call for assistance no matter where you are. However they only work when the sky is unobstructed. Obviously if you are buried by 6 feet of snow it probably will not be able to maintain satellite contact. Hopefully your entire party will not be caught in the avalanche so that the GPS tracking units can be initiated by a survivor.

Once the SPOT or other GPS emergency beacon is activated help should be on the way. You will then need to use your avalanche transceivers to located buried party members. Top of the line transceivers will not only tell you the exact location of the buried individual but also if they are alive and how deep they are buried. Organization is critical after an incident. One person should concentrate on locating all the buried members carefully marking each site. Other party members should begin to extricate buried members using your shovels. Never get caught in the winter back country without a shovel as it can be the difference in life or death.

In most cases you will have less than 20 minutes to locate and dig out each buried person. Rescue agencies will in most case arrive too late to assist in the location and recovery process. Occasionally some people do survive for much longer periods of time in low water content snow pack. You must work as fast and as efficiently as possible.

Obviously you can have the best winter backcountry gear available but unless you practice using it correctly it will be of little value in an emergency. Make sure your transceivers and GPS tracking units batteries are charged or fresh and always carry spare batteries in case you are trapped in bush for an extended period.

Again the use of common sense in conjunction with good planning and application will reduce the risk of death and injury while in the backcountry during avalanche season.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Kesel

Happy New Year To Everyone!

2009-01-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

Great to see comments on here from people! Thanks for following this blog. If there is anything anyone wishes to read about please let me know and I will see if I can find some information for you.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! All the best to everyone in 2009!

Kim

Making GPS Tracking Personal

2008-12-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

When it comes to keeping up with loved ones, nothing can give you added security like a GPS tracking device. You can implement personal GPS tracking to give yourself more peace of mind about the welfare of children or elderly relatives. A GPS tracking device can give you up to the minute information about someone's whereabouts and keep you informed of their movements.

But have you ever thought about using a GPS tracking device to keep track of yourself? Are you not just as important, valuable and in need to protection as the rest of your family and friends? If you are a person who travels a lot, you may want to use a GPS tracking device to allow your loved ones back home to keep track of you.

Whether you find that you do a lot of travel for fun or for work, you could benefit from personal GPS tracking. You know how they say that you should always tell someone where you are going? Well, for some people that is not possible. Plus, if you like to explore a little, you may veer away from your planned route. And there is nothing wrong with that, but it can't hurt to have an extra layer of security should you end up lost, ill or hurt somehow. Someone who had your itinerary will know that you have not made your next planned stop. That person can call you to see if you are okay. If you do not answer the phone or return that call within a certain amount of time, they may send help your way.

Those of you who like to hike and have all sorts of outdoor adventures, have probably had enough close calls to know how valuable it can be to have someone who knows how to reach you in case of an emergency.

Many of us who care for others, seldom think of our own safety. We are too busy worrying about everyone else. But it would be a mistake to not put the same protective measures in place for yourself that you have implemented for the other people in your life. So many of us think we are invincible, and while we are quite capable and quite strong, we are not super-human. GPS tracking can provide the safety net we need.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_McCord

Top 10 Handheld GPS & Navigation Christmas Gifts Guide For 2008 - Get the Best Xmas Presents Now

2008-12-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

Because Christmas gives us the opportunity to spend more time with our loved ones, it will be a great idea if you are thinking of giving a handheld GPS and navigation this Christmas to them. This will put your minds at ease because no matter where you plan to go this holiday, you will surely be on the right track and having a good time on the road with them because of this. To further aid you on this quest, here is our Top 10 Handheld GPS and Navigation Christmas Gifts for 2008:

1. Magellan Maestro 4250 Refurbished 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator. With intermingled POI Icons, that also includes SiRFstarIII/ QuickSpell, SD compatibility, and AAA Tourbook. This handheld GPS is very useful especially if you intend to travel at night. With its Bird's eye 3d View and Auto Night view, you will be relieved to have something to depend on.

2. Garmin Nüvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator. For travelers in North America, this is the best buy for you this Christmas because of its pre-loaded city navigations in your place. It also has Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling.

3. Garmin Etrex Venture HC GPS Receiver. Giving you a perfect, almost true-to-life images of the road you will be taking is this GPS receiver with its high sensitivity feature and built-in basemap that allows you to see even lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, railroads, among others.

4. Garmin Map 64 MB 60Csx With Barometric Altimeter & Compass. Perfect for both marine and outdoor use, this garmin map offers 64 MB micro secure digital card so you can save optional map details.

5. Garmin nüvi 765T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator. Featuring a touch screen that is diagonal with color displays on a bright 4.3-inch, this navigator has improved performance and reception when it comes to high-sensitivity GPS receiver.

6. GARMIN 010-00630-00 Etrex Vista GPS Receiver. Dependable, efficient, and high-tech, this GPS receiver features a 1.7-inchH x 1.3-inchW screen with 256-level color Tft. It also connects fast to your computer for accurate downloading.

7. GolfLogix GPS by Garmin (2008 Model). An almost complete package, this GolfLogix amazingly calculates instant, accurate distances to the front, center, and back of greens and even includes the belt/bag clip, AA batteries and USB-serial cable. This is definitely an awesome package!

8. Navigon 7200T 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigation with Bluetooth, Text-to-Speech, and Free Traffic Alerts. This is so good that it has a unique feature of transcribing text to speech voice to guide you on your way. It has also a free real-time traffic updates.

9. Garmin StreetPilot c340 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator. This navigator is too good to be true because you don't have to do any downloading activity. It is already loaded with detailed US, Canada, and Puerto Rico maps and traffic alerts too.

10. Garmin Oregon 400T 3-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Unit with Preloaded Topographic Maps. An incredible highly sensitive GPS receiver, this GPS has a 2.6-InchH X 1.5-InchW Color Tft Display and 240 X 400 Pixel Resolution. It even allows wireless sharing of user tracks too.

These are the Top 10 Handheld GPS and Navigation Christmas Gifts for 2008 ultra hi-tech and cool stuff that will definitely make your Christmas full of fun and excitement and also hassle free.

By Faviano Torres

Treasure hunts go high-tech around the county

2008-11-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a great article for anyone wanting to get into the hottest new game....Geo Caching.

The Gaithersburg man is a Geocacher, devotee to a hobby that uses Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to find coordinates marking boxes of untold treasures—fast food toys, rubber balls, coupons, novelty pens. And though the items found in the hidden caches are not of much monetary value, Lor said he enjoys the hobby because he was a born treasure hunter.

"I was pretty much hooked on it," Lor said of his first time Geocaching at the suggestion of a friend.

Like a high-tech scavenger hunt, Geocaching is a world-wide hobby, fueled by the Web site geocaching.com, where hobbyists post coordinates of caches they've hidden for others to find with GPS devices. Caches have different degrees of difficulty, and it's a sport that anyone can do, Lor said.

"Your cache can be hiding on easy terrain right off a sidewalk to somewhere you basically have to have climbing gear," Lor said.

The point is not so much what's in the box, but the location of the box itself. Caches can be everywhere from urban parking lots under lamp skirts to public parks, to the middle of rivers and the tops of remote cliffs.

For his part, Lor has even ventured into a Montgomery Count y sewer to gain the rush of discovering something most people never even know is there.

"They basically call it a ‘Psycho Cache," Lor said of the hunts like that one. "It's where you can't be afraid of getting dirty or dangerous or of gross things."

The Maryland Municipal League is hoping to cash in on the Geocaching phenomenon in a tamer way with its creation of the Maryland Municipal League Geo Trail, a partnership with the Maryland Geocaching Society. The MML has enlisted 76 municipalities, including Kensington, to put caches on public property in their towns as a means of promoting visitors and tourism.

Linda Burrell, the manager of member relations and education for the MML, said when the program officially kicks off in January, Geocachers will be able to obtain passports from designated visitors centers. Each participating municipality will have a rubber stamp and a code word in its cache, as well as coupons for town restaurants and other local items. The first 500 Geocachers to find two caches in each of the 11 regional districts will receive a collectable "GeoCoin," a trackable item coveted by Geocachers.

"Geocachers rarely need an added incentive because Geocachers that are really hard core just can't wait until a new cache opens up," Burrell said, but the addition of the GeoCoin will encourage enthusiasts who want the lowest tracking numbers.

"Geocachers tend to like to be the first ones to find things," Burrell explained.

"We've already received phone calls, the (Maryland) Geocaching Society has received a lot of phone calls and people just can't wait for this to come online," Burrell said.

The MML Geo Trail is based on the Allegheny Geo Trail, which runs through 10 counties in northern Pennsylvania. Tom Vidnovic, a Gaithersburg Geocacher that started the hobby at the encouragement of Lor, said he's done Allegheny and enjoyed getting out and about in his home state.

"I was extremely glad to hear that they were starting something similar in Maryland," Vidnovic said.

Vidnovic said Geocaching is always a small adventure. While he was doing the Allegheny Geo Trail, he said he had to park his Ford Mustang on a remote dirt road in the wee hours of the morning.

"A police officer actually approached us wondering if it was stolen, because why would a Mustang be parked in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road?"

In addition to normal caches, Geocaches can find Puzzle Caches, in which one must solve a puzzle to earn the coordinates, multi-caches, where clues for the cache location are left in another cache, and night caches, which are only to be sought after dark. There are also trackable items like Travel Bugs, which Geocachers register on the site as having a mission. For example, Lor started a travel bug that was a hockey puck, and made its mission to travel to caches at hockey arenas around the United States. Collectible GeoCoins can also be an incentive for those who are the first to find a cache, or accomplish some other achievement.

Vidnovic said Geocaching has "something for everyone."

"It's a great way to be outside, to actually be searching for something and takes you to places you might not get to see otherwise," Vidnovic said. "I think it's a great way to combine technology and nature."

by Jen Beasley

GPS Locator gives us peace of mind with our children and our aging parents.

2008-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

In September 2008 the SPOT Satellite Messenger received the prestigious Wall Street Journal Consumer Electronics Technology Award. This marks the sixth industry award since its introduction in November 2007.

The SPOT floats, is waterproof, rugged and resists extreme temperatures. It uses two AA-size lithium batteries and when powered on has a standby battery life of approximately 12 months.

The SPOT messenger offers four features: "Alert 9-1-1" dispatches emergency responders to an exact location (United States/Canada) or to an exact location outside North America (GEOS rescue service), "Ask for Help" sends a request for help to friends and family; "Check In" lets contacts know where you are and that you are OK (via SMS or email); "Track Progress" sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps.

Magellan Brings New Level Of Ease To Auto Navigation

2008-11-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Magellan is introducing the industry's first vehicle navigation device with a OneTouch user interface। The new Magellan Maestro 4350 series, featuring an evolutionary new interface which eases use and reduces driver distraction, is available nationwide

Magellan's Maestro 4350 device offers a revolutionary and patent-pending new OneTouch interface that puts the user's favorite destinations and searches just one click away. After users identify and store preferred banks, restaurants and other destinations in the device, the OneTouch feature lets them instantly access directions to those located closest with one quick menu click.

"The new OneTouch interface represents the next generation of navigation, enabling instant access to the device's features and the ability to search for points of interest right from the main display," said Mike Wagner, senior director of product marketing, Magellan.

"The OneTouch menu delivers revolutionary new screen flow and ease of use that is designed to maximize functionality while reducing driver distraction. One benefit of the OneTouch interface is the ability to pre-program the unit to find a specific brand of business, wherever they are, with a simple click. When a traveler is ready to find their favorite cup of coffee, they click on the OneTouch button they created and the GPS unit immediately finds the closest location options and routes for their selection."

OneTouch Gives Easy Access to Travel Experience Drivers Want

The Magellan Maestro 4350 OneTouch menu gives drivers a personalized travel experience with all of their favorites close at hand:

+ Instant access to favorite businesses, restaurants, banks, gas stations, services, searches and more, so drivers can find the things they care about with a simple click wherever they are.

+ Instant access to specific address destinations so drivers can quickly route to the same address when needed.

+ Instant access to applications to play music, make phone calls, or find addresses.

+ Instant access to all Points of Interest (POI) from a single source so drivers can perform one search and get results from both the standard POI database and Magellan-exclusive AAA TourBook guide travel information database. Results are organized in a tabbed format.

Get Around Traffic
Integrated live traffic receiver and subscription service is paired with a new live traffic user interface that gives drivers easy access to all traffic information and offers alternative routes so drivers can pick the best route at the time.

Intuitive and Clutter Free
+ Enhanced pedestrian mode and "Find Your Car" capabilities.

+ 3D landmarks to give drivers visual cues for maneuvers and destinations.

+ Map information is built as layers, with the most-often-used information given prominent position for easy access.

+ Larger fonts for easier viewing.

+ Intuitive, context-driven touch zones for a completely interactive map screen.

+ New address book makes address entry a snap with smart address summary that lets users save complete itineraries.

+ Simple data entry enabled by one of the largest keyboards in its class and unique QuickSpell functionality that allows quick single-address entry or convenient multi-destination trip planning, including route optimization.

The Maestro 4350 also features Magellan's first pedestrian mode offering. The pedestrian mode optimizes a route for walking and adjusts arrival times to match walking versus driving speeds. Using this mode, users will be able to navigate their way from the parking garage to their favorite restaurant and back with voice prompted guidance designed for walking speeds.

Additionally, the Maestro 4350 features an audio, video and picture player.

The Maestro 4350 OneTouch ships with a windshield mount and cradle, a cigarette lighter adapter, protective pouch, A/C power adapter, USB data cable and an adhesive disk for dash mounting

by Staff Writers
Santa Clara CA (SPX) Nov 03, 2008

Comments for Garmin Gets in the Halloween Spirit, Offers Spooky Downloads for Your GPS

2008-10-30T20:37:00.001-07:00

If you're the sort who would rather ride shotgun on a broomstick this Halloween than the standard, boring vehicle icon, then Garmin's new "Boo! Bundle" is for you. Available as a free download, the Boo! Bundle includes six new ghoulish vehicle icons. Also available is the Vincent Price'esque "Dr. Nightmare Voice Pack".

Download 'em both, set your nüvi GPS to pedestrian mode, and put some high tech excitement in your trick or treating this year!

Posted by Fletch on October 28, 2008

6 Must Have Accessories For GPS Units

2008-10-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you own a GPS unit, you will quickly find that there are some accessories for GPS units that you just can't live without. Here are a few and why they are so useful:

Windshield Mount or Dash Mount - This is definitely a must-have accessory, especially for handheld units. This handy tool will allow you the freedom to place it wherever you want it, to be able to see it, and navigate its buttons with one hand. The suction cup windshield mount allows you the freedom to move it to whatever vehicle you choose, but there are also semi-permanent ones. The dash mount also allows you to move it frequently to best accommodate your uses.

USB Cable - This is undoubtedly another tool that once you use, you will find you can't live without. The USB cable allows you the freedom to download your user waypoints directly to your GPS unit via your computer, instead of manual entering them by hand. This saves time, as well as eliminates the possibility of human errors with manual inputs. With various software available, you can also move waypoints from your GPS to a database. This is a great way to keep track of all those wonderful places you have found along the way.

Bike Mount - Whether you are a recreational biker, serious competitive biker, bike for exercise or anything else, this is one of the accessories for GPS units that you'll want to own. A bike mount is designed to mount directly to the handle bars, so your screens and buttons are right where you need them to see your speed, saved routes, distance biked, and much, much more.

Covershield - If you are like most people, you will likely use your handheld GPS unit for multiple things. One way to keep it in top shape is to invest in a covershield. This will help protect your screen from scratches from day to day use that will make the screen hard to read over time. If you are especially tough on your screen, perhaps you should in vest in two or three covershields at once to switch them out when they get bad. If you have ever tried to read a screen in between scratches, you will know that this is an accessory that will certainly be worth its investment.

Auto Power Cable - Most any handheld GPS runs on AA batteries. A very handy tool to own is an auto power cable that plugs into a standard cigarette lighter. The cable then plugs into the back of your GPS where it runs off the power of the vehicle instead of the batteries in the GPS unit. While it's not a charger, it will certainly extend the life of your batteries. Definitely one of the must-have accessories for GPS.

Carry Case - Along the same lines as the covershield, this item will help protect your GPS from the wear of your day to day use. There are various materials to choose from. Anything from neoprene to nylon. The different materials have their own unique reason for being good. Sometimes it depends how and where you will be carrying your GPS.

All of these accessories are great additions to any GPS unit, and will be the best way to enhance your enjoyment of it. Some will help prolong its life, and others will just make them more user-friendly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Taylor_Gray

GPS Tracking For Your Children - Know Where They Are This Halloween

2008-10-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Its nearly that time of year again, when the pumpkins come out and the kids like to dress up as bedsheet ghosts and go "Trick and Treating". With younger kids, the safety of the children isn't so much an issue because the parents will more often than not go with them, but once the children get a little older it is not uncommon for them to go around in an unsupervised group which could cause alot of stress and worry for the parents.

Trick and Treating is supposed to be fun. It is supposed to give the children a chance to experience dressing up, meeting people and generally socialising with others for one night of the year. Unfortunately, however, these events also present the possibility of danger to these children, especially when unsupervised.

So if you want to give your older children a sense of freedom, whilst knowing where the are at all times you should consider using a GPS Tracking device. These small units can be discretely placed on your child or children, either in their pocket, or if the product allows as a wristband or watch, and they allow you track the whereabouts of you child using online mapping software such as Google Earth or Microsoft Maps.

The devices are 'always on' and use government satellites to pinpoint the location of your child, so you have peace of mind knowing exactly where they are. You can also setup alerts to notify you if your child crosses a virtual boundary (known as a Geofence) and many modern devices have a panic button facility so if your child gets into danger the device can send an SMS text alert to your mobile phone.

GPS Tracking devices can be using in many applications, such as tracking your pets, your car, valued possessions or young and old family members. As the technology becomes more and more mainstream the cost of the tracking devices falls which means they become more affordable to the average family.

That said, the cost of a GPS Tracking device to monitor the whereabouts of your child is a small price to pay to know that they are safe and sound.

Wearaboutz are a U.K. company providing GPS Tracking devices for Child tracking, Pet tracking, Fleet Management and Vehicle tracking and much more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Sheldon

Windshield Mounting of GPS Legalized in California (But There's a Catch)

2008-10-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

By Fred Zahradnik, About.com Guide to GPS

Over the weekend, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 1567, the GPS Windshield Safety Act, which permits the mounting of portable GPS units in specific areas of vehicle windshields. Windshield mounting was previously illegal in California, and those who ignored the law were sometimes ticketed and fined $108 for "obstructed windshield" violations. California drivers take note: the new law does not take effect until January 1, 2009.

Kudos to the state legislature and the governor for lifting this ban and "decriminalizing" GPS. I've always contended that driving is safer with GPS.

The new law, however, has an odd clause that specifies the GPS must be mounted within "a 7-inch square area in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver (the passenger side) or in a 5-inch square area in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver (the lower left corner of the windshield)." That means the most common and useful front-and-center GPS windshield mount is still banned.

Also, many standard GPS power cords are not long enough to reach from a power port, all the way to the lower corners of a windshield (not to mention the increased wire clutter created by these corner mounting locations). Also, the passenger side mount is useless to the driver, and the lower left corner mount forces the driver to take eyes off the highway in an awkward way. I guess drivers can only hope that the police will ignore proper center mounts, or issue warnings, rather than tickets.

California was one of only two states (the other is New Jersey) banning windshield GPS mounting।

Download and Manage Garmin Car GPS Maps and Software

2008-09-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

By Fred Zahradnik, About.com

Your car GPS maps and software require occasional updating and maintenance. Roads and business addresses change over time. Software is improved and features are added. You may also add maps and points of interest databases before traveling to another country or continent.

It can be challenging to find your way through the map and software update maze, but the directions below will serve as your one-stop guide to Garmin automotive GPS map updates. Each GPS brand has different software and procedures for map updates, and this guide applies only to the Garmin brand.

Car GPS Map Updates
Garmin makes a major update to its main map product, City Navigator, once each year in the spring, with the latest being City Navigator North America 2009. There are City Navigator maps for many other parts of the globe, and these are covered later in this article.

Here's how to update your Garmin car GPS to the latest version of City Navigator:

Visit the Garmin Map and Chart Products page.
Use the Update Your Maps page or click on the "Update Your Maps" link in the lower half of the page.
You will be prompted to enter the serial number of your GPS. Don't worry, it's easy to find. Use the "where can I find my serial number" link.
If you haven't registered your GPS previously, you will be asked to complete a brief product registration.
After you enter the serial number, you will be shown information about available updates.
If no updates are available, you are set - there is no need to update your map.
If an update is available, it will be specified and you will be able to order by disk or by download.

Tips:

If you wish to get your map update immediately by download, this may only be done exclusively through Garmin for $69.99.
If you wish to update by DVD disk, you may order it from Garmin for $69.99, or you may order from other online vendors for as much as $10 less. You may also find the update DVD in stock at major electronics retailers.
Be sure to buy the version of the disk that includes the word "update" in the model name. The "City Navigator North America NT" (without the word "update" in the model name) is for those who do not already have a North America map installed in the GPS.
The DVD is available in both PC and Mac versions. For the PC, your computer should automatically run the start-up files and display a welcome and instructions screen.
For the Mac, double-click the Garmin 2009 icon on the desktop. Next, double-click the install Garmin 2009 map update icon and follow instructions.

Adding Other Nations or Continents to Your Garmin Car GPS
A GPS is very useful when you travel in other countries, whether you're driving, or using the GPS in pedestrian mode. You can find maps for additional nations and continents at Garmin's On the Road maps page. These are not update maps - they are additional maps that expand the coverage that came with your GPS. City Navigator Europe, for example, will serve you well nearly everywhere on the continent, including much of Eastern Europe.

Keeping Your Garmin Car GPS Software up to Date
You can keep your Garmin GPS software updated easily, and for free, by using the Garmin WebUpdater program. After you download and install the WebUpdater, simply connect your GPS to your PC at any time via its included USB cable, start the WebUpdater program, and it connect to your GPS automatically. The WebUpdater lists any software, voices, fonts, and other updates that are available, and presents each item with a checkbox so you can choose what to download and update to your device.

6 Top Tips For Buying Auto GPS Systems

2008-09-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Auto GPS systems

If you are in the market for an auto GPS system, you may wonder if there are any tips that can help a consumer buy a better quality brand at an affordable price. The answer is yes there are tips and factors that can help you to make a better choice of purchase.

First, decide what type of auto GPS system you want?

Do you want one that is portable and that you can take from place to place?

A portable Auto GPS system can serve additional purposes as well as finding street directions. You may also be able to use it during sporting activities such as hiking and jogging. You may also want a portable auto gps system if you have more than one vehicle or if you think you may be sharing the system with another driver in your household.

A dash mountable auto GPS System is nice if you are sure you don't ever want to use the system somewhere else. Since it is mountable you know it is safe and won't get damage from being moved from place to place. You also know that it won't as easily get stolen. Some dash mountable models also have extra features that the portable models do not have.

After you decide what type of auto GPS system you want, the next biggest tip that can help any consumer is to know what you can actually afford to spend. This means you may need to take the time to actually do a budget. In doing this extra bit of work, you will be able to weed out the capabilities that you must have out of your current price range, you will find out if it is time to come up with a savings plan or a plan on how you can earn some extra money before you waste too much time shopping and comparing auto GPS systems.

Now that you know the type of Auto GPS system you want and the amount you can spend, you can start thinking about the capabilities you may need.

Tip number three; learn what each capability means and if you actually need it.

What are mapping abilities?

Maps are of course one way that the GPS system shows you directions. You can also use it to track your own courses. Make sure you understand how many maps are all ready preloaded onto the GPS systems and how many you are able to save.

What are points of interests?

Points of interests are common interests that consumers have found along major interstates and highways. These can be broken down by restaurants, motels, amusement parks, rest stops, etc.

What does text to speech directions mean

This is a type of directional system that comes with most mid to high prices auto GPS system. To put it simply directions are given as if they are being read like this: Turn Right on State Street in 400 yards instead of just turn right in 400 yards. It does well at reading common normal sounding words, but the GPS system still has trouble recognizing harder words.

Tip number four: Read some online consumer reviews

You can learn a lot from what others say about a product they have actually bought. But be sure that the review was actually written by a consumer and not a person trying to sell the product. Look at the web site address for an idea as to who owns the site. If the product is in the sites address the review was written by a seller.

If you check out the reviews at auction sites, remember the actual reviews at such sites like amazon.com is clear down on the page. The top part of the page is a description of the product written in hopes of selling the product.

You may even want to read some of the lists of the current best selling auto GPS systems. This will give you a better understanding of each product and a clearer understanding of the prices of each system.

Tip number five: Watch for sales or look for discounted prices

Both local retail stores and online stores have sales. Check your local papers and sign up for newsletters at websites that sales the Auto GPS systems that interest you.

Tip number six: Don't be in a hurry when you actually do shop

Take your time when you actually do go shopping for that next Auto GPS System, whether it is an online purchase or a store purchase.

If it is online purchase, read all of the fine print. Make sure you understand such things as warranty, shipping and handling fees, the amount of time for shipping.

If you are shopping retail, make sure you understand the warranty details as well as the return policies.

Finally, once you get make the purchase, be sure to read the brochure and all the leaflets that goes with your new Auto GPS system and enjoy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier

Guys, Never Have Your Wife Have You Ask For Directions Again

2008-09-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Guys, never have your wife tell you to stop and ask for directions! To avoid a possible argument read this article. A GPS is one of the finest travel accessories available. Regardless of your need and your budget you can find the right GPS for you. There are many brands and makes on the market - Garmin, Magellan, Astar, Amcor, etc. You can buy new units as well as used and reconditioned ones, which have warranties, and these are generally very affordable. One can spend hundreds of dollars on the GPS depending on individual needs. There are portable ones which can be carried in your hand as well as those to fit on your dash or even on your motorcycle. Of course many of the more expensive cars today have the GPS built into the dash.

All GPS systems offer built in maps of the United States, many with maps of Canada, as well as Europe. Screens differ in size but even the 3.5" touch screen provides adequate viewing and as well as voice instructions. It is to your advantage to have one which speaks to you telling of turns, intersections, etc. Many have a reroute function to use if you are caught in a traffic jam or a wreck. You can choose a male or female voice to give directions in several languages. Many GPS units have the ability to download more updated maps which has the obvious advantage.

On long trips you may need entertainment other than your radio during your drive, and many GPS devises come equipped with stereo, a MP3 player or an FM transmitter and can be played through your car stereo or a Bluetooth. Some connect to MSN direct service for weather updates, traffic reports and a host of other things. Of course, this feature has a monthly service charge.

Your GPS helps you find service stations, restaurants, theaters and a host of other things. When in an unfamiliar area this feature will prove invaluable. Recently I was in Kansas City wanting to eat some of their famous steaks. Being unfamiliar with the city, my GPS gave me a list of Steak Houses and after choosing one, directed me to the front door. This is a lot better than trying to follow a map or stopping to ask for directions.

The GPS, depending on the features, receives signals from a number of satellites insuring that your directions are always accurate.

I would not begin a long trip to unfamiliar territory without my GPS and the next car I buy will have the feature built in!

Security And Well being is a site devoted to helping you secure your home and/or your business. You will also find items for your pet, the nursery, and personal security. Items are added to increase your home automation and organization and well as items for your personal well being.

By Harold Haddox

An Introduction to Geocaching

2008-09-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

An Introduction to Geocaching
By Diana Zagouris

Basically, geocaching is a high-tech version of treasure hunting. Geocachers seek out hidden treasures utilizing GPS coordinates posted on the Internet by those hiding the cache. Using a Garmin® GPS unit, they then trek out into the backwoods or urban jungles to find the hiding spot of the cache. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. If the visitor takes something out of the cache, they are asked to leave something in return. For some, the biggest reward is the thrill of the search and the discovery of a place that they have never been. This growing outdoor sport has a simple set of rules, making it easy for anyone to play. The challenging part is finding the cache. Some caches have even been planted on mountainsides and underwater! Once geocachers find a cache, they follow these basic rules:

Fill out the logbook.
Take something out of the cache.
Put something in the cache.
Return the cache to the exact position and condition in which it was found.

Caches typically consist of a waterproof container discreetly placed within the local terrain. The container will include a logbook and any number of more or less valuable items such as toys, books, money, jewelry, trinkets, etc. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left for you to enjoy. Be sure to fill out the logbook with the date and time you visit the cache and leave something in return. Choose a GPS unit. You will need a Garmin GPS unit to help you find or mark cache locations and Internet access for finding or sharing the coordinates. Garmin offers an impressive array of products for geocachers. GARMIN 12-channel units have an accuracy of less than 15 meters (49ft), and less than 3 meters (10 ft.) on WAAS-capable models. In general, features to look for when purchasing a GPS unit to geocache include:

Lightweight and compact - makes it easier to carry (look for a wrist strap too!).
Waterproof - caches can be hidden under or near water.
Long battery life, a must for those hard-to-find, remote caches.
Waypoint storage - will hold more cache locations.
Screen readability - should be easy to read in daylight and at night.

Advanced features which make it even easier for you to find that big cache include:

WAAS-enabled - means your GPS unit will give you better position accuracy - within 3 meters (10 feet) 95% of the time.
Built-in Compass - convenient and comes in handy when you get within 100 feet of your cache.
Altimeter - shows how high up you are for those vertically hidden caches.
Mapping Capabilities - makes it easier to navigate when you can download maps to your unit and see the terrain.
An external antenna for use under heavy tree cover or difficult terrains.

Finding a cache, once you have a GPS unit, you will need to go online to start finding cache locations or report a cache that you have created. Literally thousands are out there go to geocaching.com to find them. Geocache responsibly. Garmin is committed to protecting the environment. they strive to make the safest, most planet-friendly products and encourage others to use their products responsibly. Please seek permission before geocaching on private or public lands.

Geocaching can have an unintended impact on the earth's natural resources and result in trampled vegetation, damaged habitats and destruction of parks' historical and cultural resources. Placing a cache on lands administered by the National Park Service (NPS) is illegal without first obtaining permission. Please contact your local park to obtain a special use permit or inquire about sites designated for geocaching on park property. Help make geocaching an educational and entertaining experience while preserving our environment for future generations of geocachers to come!

Review: Garmin Oregon 400t and the Garmin Oregon Line

2008-09-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

Just a note to let you know that the Oregon GPS will be available very soon. Watch for it arriving in October at http://www.journeybygps.com

By Fred Zahradnik, About.com Guide to GPS

With the introduction of the Oregon handheld GPS line, Garmin takes another giant step toward taking the "geek factor" out of handheld GPS navigators and making them easy-to-use and consumer friendly. It's impossible to get lost in the Oregon's touchscreen, graphics-driven menu system, yet Garmin packs plenty of features into the line. But Garmin doesn't sacrifice high-end functionality for user-friendliness. The Oregons will serve well in the most demanding situations. All of this comes at a price, however, with a topo map-equipped 400t model selling for $600.

As I've worked to learn how to use the multiple button setups on various handheld GPS units over the years, I've often wondered, "why not a touchscreen like a car GPS?" With the Oregon line, Garmin is showing touchscreens are the way to go with handhelds, as well. Read the in-depth review and field test of the Garmin Oregon 400t and the Oregon line.

GPS Wrist Watch Brings Out the Athlete in You

2008-08-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

A GPS wrist watch is an unprecedented tool for anyone exercising outdoors. Progress in design of consumer electronics is making this application of GPS technology increasingly more affordable and the quality is improving as well.

A GPS wrist watch tells you how far and how fast you're going, and can even give you directions home when you've finished your workout. Since GPS wrist watches can be outfitted with heart rate monitors, they are more popular than ever. Heart rate monitors were once considered suitable for only professional athletes, but today these units are meeting the needs of the increasing population of the exercising public. More and more amateur exercisers are using heart rate monitors to gauge the intensity of their workouts.

The only function on a GPS wrist watch that does continue to work if you exercise is the heart rate monitor function. To work around the lack of GPS signal indoors, many athletes are making use of additional units called pods for their sport. For example, a runner would use a foot pod, which attaches to the shoe laces and starts to work as soon as there is motion. The pod gives all the information needed, such as distance, speed, and running cadence. There are cycling and swimming pods as well as other pods.

GPS wrist watches are becoming so popular as we learn that manually taking your pulse during exercise is unreliable and impractical. Another tool we are encouraged to make use of is the perceived intensity of a workout, and this also too subjective and should not be left up to chance. A heart rate monitor is the only way to create a truly scientific workout regimen based on your target heart rate for your age group.

There are two ways to take the heart rate. The most popular is by using a chest strap apparatus. These are battery-operated, and the most popular designs are those that allow consumers to switch out their own expired batteries, rather than mailing their monitor back to the manufacturer for battery replacement. Women can take advantage of this same technology built right into special heart rate monitor sports bras. Another, but less popular, method of monitoring heart rate is a fingertip sensor on the watch to measure heartbeat. This means there's no chest strap, but reviewers say it's difficult to place your fingers on the sensors while working out.

One popular feature of GPS watches is the 'personal trainer' function. A virtual runner/walker/swimmer is programmed to set the pace you choose, and your progress is tracked adjacent to the virtual trainer. In a glance you can see the icons of the assistant and yourself and can easily see if you are ahead or behind. This one function is worth the price of the units for most professional athletes, who often train alone yet need to awaken the competitive spirit within. Many report the virtual trainer function accomplishes this goal.

GPS wrist watches can store runs/walks/swims and all the statistics related to them for your perusal later, or to recall later if you want to repeat a course. Some GPS wrist watches can store one thousand laps of a run. This is one of the most popular functions of GPS wrist watches. A second popular feature is the ability to download them onto your computer for analysis. Newer models even have automatic data transfer when you are near your computer, no cables needed. Throw away those log books! Software is included with the GPS wrist watches so you can analyze and create your workouts. As your fitness improves, the software suggests workouts to keep you in your training heart rate zone.

When shopping for a GPS wrist watch, be sure to choose one with a display that is large enough for you to read at arms length. And be sure the buttons are easy to find and push with your fingers while you're on the move.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Eberhard

Save Time And Money By Customizing Your GPS

2008-08-23T22:05:00.001-07:00

Create and store waypoints to help you plan routes more quickly and accurately.

Former PC World Senior Editor Michael S. Lasky is now a freelance writer and PC consultant in San Francisco.

Michael S. Lasky

GPS receivers are great for avoiding unscheduled detours on the road. But they can be even more helpful for planning a trip, whether it's a cross-country trek or a hopscotch tour of your routine Saturday stops. You can cut your travel time, and save money on gas, by creating custom waypoints for your GPS.

A waypoint--sometimes called simply a "mark" or "landmark"--identifies your home, a hiking trailhead, a highway rest stop, or any location you store in a GPS receiver. The waypoint might appear as an icon on a map page, but your GPS software can maintain much more information about it, such as its latitude, longitude, and elevation, and the time and date when it was created. You can even use a descriptive icon of your choice.

Most receivers let you enter a waypoint from a previously saved coordinate record or import one from a collection of waypoints, many of which you can download from Web sites offering GPS information (find out more about GPS Web sites). Each GPS receiver uses different steps to establish waypoints, so consult your manual for the details. If your GPS device lacks a 'waypoint' option, don't fret. Some units, such as the Garmin StreetPilot 5, save waypoints as 'Recent Finds' or 'favorites'.

Most GPS systems have a button or menu selection for setting the current location as a waypoint so it's easier to return to. You can give the spot a descriptive name, and you can choose an icon for it on the waypoint information page, which usually pops up after you mark a location. (On some receivers, to open the waypoint information window, you must manually select the waypoint that you just created.) Even on GPS-enabled BlackBerries and other devices that do not use icons, you can give each point a unique name, such as 'Parking lot' (see Figure 1

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Figure 1: Find waypoints easily by giving them distinctive names.
).

Setting a waypoint for a known locale--whether it be the cursor point on a map, latitude and longitude coordinates, or even a locale previously saved as a waypoint and imported from another GPS receiver--takes a few more steps. Most current devices let you designate a waypoint by opening their Create Waypoint menu and selecting Create From Current Pos (or Position--the exact name varies). To enter precise latitude-longitude coordinates, select Create From Entered Pos (or Position). Then enter the numbers manually; 37.78328N/122.39359W, for example, sets the street address of PC World's offices in San Francisco.

On the Road Again

Most GPS devices can store from 100 to over 1000 waypoints. Before you set out on a motor trip or hiking expedition, it's helpful to create waypoints for your starting point and for points of interest along the way (they're a big improvement over Hansel and Gretel's bread crumbs).

Say you are exploring Yosemite National Park by car and foot, and you have set waypoints for a parking lot at the trailhead and for Yosemite Village. As you wander along a twisting mountain trail, you realize that you aren't exactly on the trail anymore; in fact, you're lost. Fortunately, you can use your GPS device to call up a waypoint that will identify the distance between your current position and the parking lot. You won't have street maps, but you can use the compass and the directional arrows to set yourself on the right path back to the trail, your car, or the village. As you get closer to the waypoint, its icon will appear larger on your GPS screen.

When using street maps, most GPS receivers let you track and save your route as you move. By using PC mapping programs in advance of a trip, you can prebuild routes that will automatically create a trip log. You can even preset waypoints along the route, and import the fully routed trips to your GPS device.

GPS Maps With No GPS

If you have a Web-enabled cell phone or PDA, you can receive instant street maps of your current location with a subscription software package from Handmark. This service for people who don't have GPS receivers returns precise maps based on street and city queries that you send wirelessly. You can also get up-to-the-minute news, weather (with live radar maps), sports, stock prices, directories, and movie times and ticket purchases. The street maps can help you avoid having to ask for directions; but aside from that, the service's unlimited directory assistance (with reverse directories as well) more than justifies the $70 yearly subscription. For $30 a year, you can obtain just mapping and directory assistance.

The Usage Of Marine GPS

2008-08-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

For some time now, there have been a number of satellites orbiting the earth at a distance of 12,000 miles. They are constantly on the move and orbit our planet every 24 hours. Why do we care? What do they have to do with our every day life? They are known as the GPS satellite network and they are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. Originally created by the Unites States Department of Defense, this satellite network is still, to this day, overseen by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. In March of this year, 2008, the number of satellites were increased from 24 to 38. They have solar panels that are attached to their bodies which power them to travel at 7,000 mph and to help them to stay on course; they use small booster rockets which keep them on the correct orbit and they each orbit the earth in less than 24 hours.

If you are in the market for a GPS, there are three common types available and they are termed navigation, tracking and location. Navigation enables you to literally navigate anywhere, whether you are in the car or on the sea. We have President Ronald Reagan to thank for the GPS because he was responsible in 1983 for allowing the public to access this incredibly valuable satellite network.

It is based upon a simple premise. The GPS sends out a signal and this is intercepted by up to four or more satellites, which then return the signal, pinpointing your exact location. One of the most appreciated uses of the GPS is on the seas. Again, there are choices available, one of the most popular being specific to the waters traveled. Chartplotters and Bluechart g2 have maps of the ocean beds, mostly US based, but which include Alaska and Hawaii.

The GPS is particularly useful for the fisherman because of its ability to map the ocean floors which can change with each storm. The GPS unit will show the difference in depth which is helpful for keeping track of the movements of fish. The best fishermen are watching for the feeding grounds of the shoals of fish, which the waterproof GPS unit will enable you to do. By knowing the various depths of the ocean or lake, the fisherman is able to predict the movement of the fish, remembering that when the weather is cool the fish like to go deep. In the warmer weather, they stay closer to the surface.

One interesting and little known fact relates to the well known science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, author of such famous titles as 'Childhood's End' and The City and the Stars'. He is probably best known for his work with Stanley Kubrick on "2001, A Space Odyssey". He was born in Somerset, England, now lives in Sri Lanka and is generally considered to be the man who first came up with the idea of the communications satellite, which we now know as the GPS.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tiraton_Athiwat

Why Buy A Garmin GPSMAP 172C?

2008-08-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

The GPSMAP 172C is a fixed-mounted Marine GPS that offers a brilliant color LCD screen that can easily be read in bright sunlight, and comes packed with robust features, and a very user-friendly, well organized interface in a compact and very reasonably priced console.
Built-in worldwide marine basemap is standard on The GPSMAP 172C and this unit is also compatible with MapSource BlueChart offshore marine cartography, which features detailed depth contours, mapping of wrecks, inter-tidal zones and many other points that may be of interest when boating. MapSource BlueChart is considered to serve up the most reliable offshore cartography around and easily integrates with a wide range of other Garmin products.
Additionally The GPSMAP 172C is also compatible with MapSource Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots, which offer available marinas, pre-charted fishing areas, boat ramps and hazards for hundreds of the most popular lakes.
Expandability:
The GPSMAP 172C unit comes with a convenient expansion slot on the front that can be used for pre-programmed data cards from Garmin or other third party. Garmin produces pre-programmed data card, which come preloaded with BlueChart maps and also fully loaded with exceptional nautical detail. The unit can also be easily expanded to a full-fledged combination chartplotter/sounder by adding a Garmin GSD 21 "Black Box" transducer and sonar system.
When you want to make the most of your time on the water The GPSMAP 172C is the perfect tool for you. It will offer much larger area coverage, better features and greater detail for a very reasonable price.
Additional Features:
• 320 x 320-pixel, 256-color CFTN screen with adjustable CCFL backlight • 3.2" W x 3.2" H (4.5" diagonal) viewing area • 4.9" x 6.3" x 3.7" (W x H x D) unit dimensions • It comes with a State-of-the-art 200 MHz processor, which makes tasks such as acquiring data, mapping and plotting, virtually instantaneous. • Can Send, receive, and display positioning data with DSC-equipped VHF radios • Equipped with TracBack mode, which helps guide you back to points along a route

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hugo_Valle

Five Ways to Have Fun With a GPS Unit

2008-08-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

1. Take your handheld unit aboard a commercial flight and track where you are.Have you ever had a window seat on a flight and wondered 'Hey, what am I flying over now'? I do all the time. Well, a GPS unit will work at altitudes up to 60,000 feet and are considered to be safe on planes. So now you can tell your contact at the end of your flight that the skies were clear flying over Omaha and you could see that the traffic was light on the outbound arteries that morning. Or shipping traffic seemed really heavy flying over Galveston Bay.

2. Hide one on your husband/wife when they go out with friends.Even with a match made in heaven, you can have fun knowing just where they've been and how long they were at each stop along the way. The track back function on most GPS units will allow you to check on his whereabouts. So that when he tells you that he has to go out for a pack of cigarettes, you can ask why, what did you buy during your stop at the convenience store last night? If nothing else, it'll really get him wondering if you only have eyes in the back of your head or do they extend everywhere. But be careful. This trick can work both ways.

3. When the kids ask 'Are we there yet', you can show them why the answer is no.Who doesn't need another way to entertain the kids on a trip of any length. Let them play around with the GPS. Chances are, they'll understand how to program it better than you. They can tell you how long it is to your destination and maybe find a shorter route. With gas at $4.00 plus a gallon, let the rug rats start earning their keep earlier. After all, you can't sell them off to the sweat shops at age six anymore. The authorities just have no sense of humor.

4. Mark the spot your spouse threw their wedding ring out the car window.Even though you no longer have to be accused of being too stubborn to stop and ask for directions, you'll still have plenty to fight about. Your GPS won't help with money, parenting, in laws, yada yada yada. At some point your spouse will say 'I don't want to be married to you anymore' and throw their ring out the car window. While you're saying 'Fine, I don't want to be married to you either' you can just reach to your GPS and mark the location of the act of spontaneous combustion. Then the next day after a wild night of making up you can go back, retrieve the symbol of your eternal devotion and be a hero. Or if the act did really turn out to be a good idea, you can pawn the thing and use the money to help pay your lawyer.

5. Mark the spot where you took that perfect picture.If you're a photographer you know that each picture is different. Subject, light, motion. None are static. You can mark your points that correspond to your photos on a GPS and revisit the location as often as you need. It won't make all those variables align perfectly again for you, but it will take the guesswork out of at least one variable.

This is a list of just five ways that you can have fun with a GPS. Get one and start your own list.

A Sneek Peek At The Future Of GPS

2008-08-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

I've had the very fortunate opportunity to get a sneak peek at the future of GPS navigation. The future where 3D maps and integrated traffic are old school.

I would be remiss if I didn't share the future with my readers so I now present a short list of features coming to a GPS navigation system near you:

The ability to show all vehicles driving near you on your GPS navigation screen. If one car gets to close to you or you get to close to it, the GPS will avoid the pending accident for you.

Integrated traffic lights. If you are approaching a stop light the background color of your GPS navigation screen will mimic the color of the stoplight. If the GPS navigation system detects that you are about to run a red light, it will stop for you.

3rd party integration with local businesses. For example, if you have a PO Box, when you drive by the post office, your GPS navigation system will tell you whether or not you have mail waiting in the PO Box so you don't have to waste a trip inside the post office if you don't have any mail.

When will all of these features be available? As soon as my soon-to-be seven year-old son is able to build them. That's right. All of the above ideas really only exist in my son's imagination. So I guess I tricked you but laugh it up now. People used to think guaranteed overnight delivery was a joke too.

Incidentally, if any of you plan on inventing these new features before my son does, please don't use the name GPS 3000. That's what my five year-old son told his older brother he needed to call the new GPS navigation system once he invents it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patric_Welch

Download Speed Trap Locations to Your GPS

2008-07-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

By Fred Zahradnik, About.com Guide to GPS

Friday July 25, 2008

Nothing puts a damper on your vacation travel like a speeding ticket, but if you use an in-car GPS, you have a powerful tool for being alerted to the presence of speed traps and traffic light cameras in advance as you drive. I recently started a free subscription to Trapster, a terrific service that provides a full-featured clearinghouse for reporting, locating, and downloading speed trap and traffic light camera information. Using trapster's interactive online map, I was able to quickly highlight the specific route I'll be driving on the way back from a beach vacation (331 miles). This revealed six known speed traps and three traffic light cameras along my route. After I saved my route, I used trapster's built-in "export file for nav device" utility to save the speed trap and camera locations as a custom points of interest file in my GPS. Trapster may also be set up to provide real-time mobile phone text message alerts for specific routes and regions. Watch for a full review here.

Garmin Announces Lighter, Slimmer Dog Tracking Collar

2008-07-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Designed for use with Garmin's Astro Dog Tracking System, the DC 30 is a redesigned GPS dog tracking collar that is more rugged, lighter, gets better reception, and has a lower-profile antenna. Used in conjunction with the Astro 220 receiver, the system pinpoints exactly where your dog is and what he's doing - running, pointing, or treeing - even in dense cover, up to seven miles away, depending on terrain. The collar retails for $199, and is expected to ship by the end of the summer.

According to Dan Bartel, Garmin's VP of worldwide sales, "the new DC 30 collar is designed to stand up to the torturous abuse of hunting dogs. Whether it's hounds crashing through thick and swampy woods, or bird dogs bounding through dense CRP fields, the DC 30 is made to take the beating that working dogs dish out daily."

Astro can track up to ten dogs per receiver at once, and the collar gives location updates every five, 10, or 30 seconds (user selectable). Battery life is 17-36 hours (based on update rate) on the rechargeable DC 30 collar and 24 hours on the Astro 220 receiver, which is powered by two AA batteries. Both the DC 30 collar and the Astro 220 receiver are completely waterproof.

Here's the specs:

High-sensitivity GPS receiver
Dog position updates every 5, 10 or 30 seconds
Seven mile range, depending on terrain
SiRF high performance GPS Receiver
Rugged, IPX7 waterproof design
17 to 36 hour battery life, rechargeable lithium ion
Maintains position on top of dog's back
Made of durable material
Convenient, comfortable, easy-to-use
MSRP: $199

Posted by Fletch

Drivers Feel Less Stressed, Save Fuel When Using GPS, Study Reveals

2008-07-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

By Fred Zahradnik, About.com Guide to GPS

Wednesday June 18, 2008

A recently released study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute concluded that drivers using GPS navigators have lower stress and workload as they drive, feel safer, travel more efficiently, and save time and gas.

The researchers, in a study partially sponsored by GPS maker TomTom, surveyed US GPS users, but also conducted an instrumented car study to reach their conclusions.

In the survey:

77 percent pf American users agreed with the statement that they are more in control during their trip when using a navigation system.
53 percent of the respondents said they feel more alert on the road and in traffic (37 percent of users did not observe a difference in alertness on the road since they have been using a navigation system).
72 percent feel less stressed since they have been using their navigation system.
66 percent claim to use a navigation system to feel more relaxed while driving (21 percent of users neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement).

Perhaps equally important in these times of high fuel prices, the instrumented vehicle studies showed that use of an in-car GPS reduces distances traveled and therefore reduces fuel use over time.

To conduct the instrumented vehicle study, the Transportation Institute recruited 38 participants ranging from 21 to 50 years old, with 18 males and 20 females.

The vehicle study revealed significantly less workload on drivers using GPS, fewer driving errors, and less unsafe driving due to lack of distraction of map reading or being lost.

4 Reasons Why We All Need GPS Systems

2008-07-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Looking for a change in your road travel experience? Need guidance getting from one location to another seeing as though you are "directionally-challenged?" Want to throw away that paper map once and for all? You can do all of these things and more by simply taking control of your navigation experience with a handy gadget created with this purpose in mind. Lot's of other people before you have falling victim to the peer pressure, only to be happy that they did. So what are you waiting for? It's time for you to learn the four reasons why we all need GPS systems.

Safety and Convenience

One of the most cited reasons why we all need GPS systems is the safety and convenience they provide. Whether you're traveling across the country, or across your city, it is good to have the added assistance of an accurate, always predictable, electronic device to help guide you on your journey. By getting your hands on one of these units, you never have to worry about pulling out your paper map again, as the virtual map gives you up-to-date information on where you're traveling in 2D or 3D viewing options. When was the last time a paper map did this for you? With this type of device in your corner, you get a convenient driving experience with the added assurance that you and your children a safely traveling from point A to point B.

Never Get Lost

If you very often point left when you're speaking the word "right" then it is possible that you are directionally challenged. But that is okay, because one of the reasons why we all need GPS systems is that these handy devices are never confused and can guide you across the country when you can't guide yourself out of a paper bag. A navigation system in particular is perfect for those needing turn-by-turn instructions to their location - the entire way. The way it works is very simple. Once you enter the "to and from" locations, the device simply will guide you by voicing instructions like "in 500 feet, turn right." Once you get to the point of needing to turn, the system will voice the words "turn right." With this type of hands-on instruction in your corner, you simply can't go wrong. Just make sure when the system tells you to turn right, you turn right.

Finding Businesses and Other Addresses is a Breeze

Another one of the reasons why we all need GPS systems is the POI (point of interest) database that allows you to locate businesses and other addresses by simply scrolling through listings that may be over a million deep. So let's say for instance, you want to dine at a specific restaurant in your area, but when you get there, you find out it is closed for remodeling. At first, you're disappointed, that is until you remember that your friend had gone to another great restaurant and had been trying to convince you to go for a long time. You want to call your friend for directions, but he is traveling overseas and can't be reached. Instead of giving up on this tasty experience, you can visit your POI database to find a listing for the restaurant. After you've found it, you simply map out directions, have the system's navigation guide you, and enjoy the best dining of your life.

That's definitely one of the benefits of these databases, but many devices take their POI feature even further to offer some variation of proximity alerts, which let you know when you're within a certain distance of a POI - especially if one is a school zone or safety camera. It will let you know to slow down in time with both visual and audio alerts, then rest when you can regain your normal speed.

Download Great Software

One of the reasons why we all need GPS systems is that, in addition to getting to take advantage of all of the extras that come with most systems, you can also download more great stuff. There are websites all over the Internet that offer free software for better mapping options, more detailed navigation features, and even programs that allow you to share your road trip experiences with others.

Found enough reasons why we all need GPS systems in our lives? If this list isn't enough for you, there are many more where that came from. But if you think about it, the benefits listed here can definitely improve your quality of travel many times over. So think about this when you're looking for more reasons why we all need GPS systems. You'll find that if you just think about it, you already have every reason you need.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier

Replying to Articles

2008-07-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

It's great to read comments about the different postings but please make sure to use your name when commenting rather than mine. Any comments that do not have the writers name can not be posted. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I look forward to reading your comments.

The Ultimate GPS Child Tracking Buyer's Guide

2008-07-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

According to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), 836,131 persons were reported missing in 2006. About 80% of those were juveniles (persons under 18 years of age), the overwhelming majority of which were girls. While most missing persons return home safely, that statistic shows that 2,290 times per day, parents or primary care givers felt the disappearance was serious enough to warrant calling law enforcement. Even more troubling, the number of missing persons reported to law enforcement has increased almost 500% in the past 20 years.

What if, instead of sitting at home in a terrified panic that harm has come to your child, you could instantly locate him or her on a map, pinpointing their exact whereabouts? That's the promise behind a new wave of GPS and RF (Radio Frequency) tracking devices aimed at helping parents keep electronic tabs on their children. I've spent the last few months testing a number of these products at length, sorting out the good from the bad.

The bottom line? Hollywood-style GPS tracking still eludes us, but there are some good products available that will indeed help parents keep track of AWOL kids. There's also some duds out there that either underperformed or simply don't work at all. Read on for the full review, including which products I recommend, and which ones you should avoid.

First, a quick primer on the different technologies involved: A-GPS, or Assisted GPS leverages both cellular and GPS technology. A-GPS devices determine their position using traditional GPS technology, but upload this information back to you via cellular technology. A-GPS devices are essentially GPS-enabled cellular devices, and therefore require a monthly service charge for the data. Monthly service fees range from around $20 - $50 per month, depending on the usage plan you choose.

RF tracking devices don't use GPS at all, and instead rely on Radio Frequencies to determine positioning information. RF devices are well suited to indoor tracking and are aimed at helping parents keep track of kids at the mall, playground, supermarket, or any other short distance.

GPS and RF devices serve slightly different functions; GPS is great for pinpointing your child's general position on the map, but it does little to help you find a child who's wandered off at the mall. Short range, indoor RF tracking systems like Loc8tor and Ion Kids' Child Monitoring System advertise the ability to zero-in on a homing beacon placed on your child's pocket.

1. Loc8tor Plus

Verdict: Not Recommended

Figure 1: Loc8tor Plus

Loc8tor Plus (reviewed in more detail HERE) is an indoor tracking system that sells for about $180, includes 4 mini homing tags (one of which has a panic button on it), and advertises an indoor range of up to 600 feet.

Loc8tor's homing tags are very small and lightweight, and the batteries can last for months. It's relatively easy to use loc8tor, and the Plus kit includes 4 homing tags for tracking up to 4 different children or pets (the tags are small and light enough to be worn by a pet). Unlike A-GPS solutions, Loc8tor doesn't require any monthly fee to use it.

However, Loc8tor didn't work well in public places and it was almost impossible to hone in on the homing tag. There's no direction indicator on the display, so you have to rely on a series of audible beeps to determine if you're getting "hotter" or "colder" as you move around in 360-degree circles, search for your child -- not very practical at all.

Loc8tor is better suited to hunting down frequently misplaced items at home, such as keys, wallets, and remote controls. I don't recommend Loc8tor for tracking children.

2. Ion Kids Child Tracking System

Verdict: Not Recommended

Figure 2: Ion Kids Child Tracking System

Like the Loc8tor system, Ion Kids Child Tracking System (read the in-depth review HERE) is an indoor, RF-based tracking solution that costs around $200, includes one tracking "Wristag", and requires no monthly fee.

Ion Kids' tracking device looks like a large digital watch, although it doesn't actually tell the time. A tamper-proof latch keeps anyone from removing the Wristag from your child, and a temper sensor on the inside alerts the base unit if it is removed from the wearer. Ion Kids has about a 200 foot range indoors, and the handheld base unit is capable of tracking up to four Wristags simultaneously. The Wristag is too small for adults, and too large for most children, so be prepared to disable the tamper sensor for all but the thickest adolescent wrists.

The system lets you specify how far the child (or children) are allowed to wander from the handheld base unit before sounding an alert on both the bracelet and the handheld unit. The handheld unit can then be used to locate the child, using a radar-like display that points the way to the AWOL child. Sounds great for busy parents at the mall, grocery store, or in crowded public places.

Unfortunately, Ion Kids' performance was poor in public places; like the Loc8tor system, Ion Kids was prone to interference, range was very limited inside shopping malls and supermarkets, and the direction indicator simply didn't work. Distance alerts (a loud beeping sounds on both the Wristag and the handheld when the child moves too far away from the handheld) worked most of the time, but that was of little help when there was no way to see which direction your child has wandered off to.

Operating Ion Kids was also more complex than other systems, and the LCD display was difficult to read. Most annoying, however, was the fact that the Wristag needed to be registered to the handheld unit each and every time the unit was powered on.

For all the reasons listed above (and in the more detailed review), I cannot recommend Ion Kids Child Tracking System.

3. WorldTracker GPRS

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Figure 3: WorldTracker GPRS

Tracking The World's "WorldTracker GPRS" (read the full, in-depth review HERE) may not be the catchiest product name, but this is one powerful tracking device: small, lightweight, and an ultra high performance GPS receiver make the WorldTracker GPRS the most powerful tracking device in this roundup. This device worked reliably both indoors and out, and had some of the best web-based location reporting I've seen to date.

WorldTracker GPRS provides hollywood-like 3D tracking via Google Earth or Microsoft Virtual Earth, and supports a host of alerting and reporting features. The device can also be configured to send location updates automatically, allowing you to see where the device has been and how fast it was moving. For serious real-time tracking needs, WorldTracker GPRS can send location updates as often as every 15 seconds.

Performance was also outstanding. WorldTracker GPRS was able to provide solid tracking inside movie theaters, office buildings, and basements (as long as cellular reception was available).

This is the "money is no object" device in this review; priced at around $600, monthly service costs $69/month, plus there's a one-time setup fee of $90. That's about $830 per year in service fees alone. The included lithium-ion battery only provides around 8 hours of real-time tracking between charges, so you'll likely want to spring for the extended battery, which will add another $100 to the cost.

It's not cheap, but WorldTracker GPRS' performance was unrivaled in this test.

4. P-Trac Micro

Verdict: More appropriate for law enforcement than parents

Figure 4: P-Trac Micro

Brickhouse Security's P-Trac Micro (check out the full in-depth review) is an advanced GPS + AGPS tracking system what works indoors and outdoors, can last up to 21 days on a single battery charge, and provides a sophisticated suite of reporting and tracking features. The P-Trac Micro supports Geofencing, custom tracking schedules, vehicle and people tracking configurations, SMS or email alerting capabilities and more.

The device costs $450, and requires monthly service that ranges from $30 - $80, depending on the usage plan you choose. Most people will likely find the $45/month service plan sufficient.

P-Trac Micro trades battery life for GPS performance: indoor tracking was spotty, as was pinpointing the device's exact location on the map. It's 21-day battery life will appeal to private investigators and law enforcement more than parents.

P-Trac Micro supports a number of unique features not found on other tracking devices, such as the ability to configure custom tracking schedules based on the time of day and weekday, advanced geofencing options, and support for custom escalation lists of persons to notify in the event of an alert. For example, only the P-Trac Micro can setup geofence alerts around local airports, and begin notifying an escalation list of people if the child gets near an airport.

For the average parent, P-Trac Micro isn't sensitive enough or user-friendly enough to recommend. However, if you need some of the unique alerting capabilities that only this device provides, P-Trac Micro is a serious tracking device used by law enforcement agencies throughout the US, and can perform tasks other devices cannot.

5. SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker

Verdict: Only works outside. Good if your child is going camping.

Figure 5: SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker

SPOT (read the full review) is more of a Personal Locator Device than a real-time GPS tracking system. Priced at $169.99, SPOT requires a monthly service that costs $9/99 per month (or $100/year). Unlike other Assisted-GPS tracking devices, SPOT doesn't require cellular service to send location data, and can run for up to 1 year on a pair of AA batteries. The "911" button can be configured to send email or SMS alerts to friends and family that includes location data, and the "OK" button lets everyone know that all is well.

SPOT is also water- temperature- and shock-proof, and floats in water. The catch? You have to be standing still outside with a clear, unobstructed view of the sky to send messages. Even light tree cover will prevent the unit from reporting your location, and forget about using it in a car or from within a backpack.

6. Zoombak's GPS Car & Family Locator

Verdict: Relatively inexpensive, but better at tracking cars than people

Figure 6: Zoombak GPS Car & Family Locator

Priced at $249, Zoombak's GPS Car & Family Locator (read the full review) requires a monthly service that costs $15 per month. The company also sells a pet-friendly version for $199 that is identical, but lacks the vehicle installation kit.

Zoombak was easy to setup, and the web-based reporting site is easy to use. Battery life was admirable at around 5 days per charge. The rugged, water-resistant device easily fits in the palm of your hand, supports geofences, and can send email or SMS alerts that include speed information (so you can tell if your child is walking or moving in a vehicle).

Tracking worked very well outdoors, but indoor performance was less than reliable. If you're looking to track your child vehicle, Zoombak is a good option, but indoor performance wasn't good enough to recommend for tracking people.

7. GPS Snitch

Verdict: Like Zoombak, only more expensive

Figure 7: GPS Snitch

GPS Snitch (read the full review) is similar to Zoombak's tracker, but provides a few more tracking and reporting options, and costs about twice as much. The monthly service ranges from $15 to $26 per month, depending on usage.

Like Zoombak, GPS Snitch worked well outdoors, making it a good option for vehicle tracking purposes, but ill-suited to the task of tracking people indoors.

8. Amber Alert GPS

Verdict: Probably the most practical solution for parents

Figure 8: Amber Alert GPS

Utah-based Amber Alert GPS (read the full review) strikes an excellent balance between features and cost without sacrificing performance. Amber Alert GPS is a relatively inexpensive solution that can track indoors and out, has an SOS button to call for help, supports Geo-Fencing, and can send speed alerts (ie. send an alert if my kid is driving faster than 80 MPH) -- all for under $200. The monthly service costs between $19.99 to $49.99, depending on usage.

Amber Alert GPS uses the same high-performance GPS found in the much more expensive WorldTracker GPRS, and provided similarly excellent indoor tracking performance. Amber Alert GPS doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive devices, but it does provide parents with an easy way to quickly locate their child, indoors or out, without breaking the bank.

The SOS button is also a nice feature that lets kids send help messages to up to 5 people at once.

To get the most out of Amber Alert GPS you'll need an internet-enabled smartphone such as a Blackberry, iPhone, or Windows Mobile phone.

9. WorldTracker PLD

Verdict: Good if your kid is Agent Cody Banks

Figure 9: WorldTracker PLD

WorldTracker's $400 PLD (read the full review) is a quad mode GPS tracker capable of two weeks of continuous GPS tracking on a single battery charge. It works worldwide with both GPRS/SMS, can place phone calls to a single pre-programmed number using the hands-free speakerphone, and even has an eavesdropping mode that lets you listen in on what's going on around the device.

Indoor tracking wasn't as good as other units, but WorldTracker PLD does something no other tracker can: place and receive cell phone calls.

WorldTracker PLD is an excellent solution for outdoor adventure seekers, but is likely not the best fit for everyday use.

10. Conclusion

If money is no object, WorldTracker GPRS's performance and reporting capabilities were unmatched by any other product I tested. The high-performance device provided stunning 3D mapping reports and worked flawlessly indoors and out. WorldTracker's easy-to-use website lets you setup custom alerts and virtual boundaries, and view breadcrumb trails of where your child has been for the past several months. Vehicle mileage logs and details location reports can even be downloaded into Microsoft Excel, if desired.

A more practical, and much less expensive, solution is Amber Alert GPS. The sub-$200 device worked well indoors and out, but lacked the reporting features of the WorldTracker. For example, you can't configure Amber Alert GPS to automatically send location updates -- you have to call the device and wait for it to send your phone an SMS message with a link to view the location on Yahoo maps. Amber Alert GPS also doesn't have the 3D mapping capabilities or advanced geofencing features of the WorldTracker. Still, Amber Alert GPS is simple to use, and doesn't require a computer to find out where your child is. Provided you already have an internet-enabled smart phone, Amber Alert GPS is a great tool for parents and children alike.

Posted by Fletch on May 6, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink

What Are The Top Rated GPS Units

2008-07-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Although it's tempting, you can't just read someone's opinion of what the top rated GPS units are then go out and buy that specific unit and be happy with your purchase. Well, I guess you can buy whatever unit Consumer Reports or CNET or whoever recommends, but your happiness with your purchase is more of a personal issue. And it's just that personal side of things that I want to talk about.

Okay, just for the record, a little earlier this year Consumer Reports gave the Garmin nuvi 760 their best overall system rating. They also mentioned the Garmin nuvi 660, Tom Tom GO 920T, the Garmin nuvi 350, and the Magellan Maestro 4250 as receiving very high scores.

I agree entirely! All of these systems are great! And it's interesting that the units Consumer Reports picked all come from the three big manufacturers of GPS units.

Just so you know, Garmin has about 50% of the market share, Tom Tom about 20% and Magellan slightly less than 20%. That's 90%! The rest of the 10% is fought over by the little guys. Personally, I like the big three. I see no reason to buy anything else. But again, that's just a personal opinion.

As far as Garmin's three GPS units in Consumer Report's report, the nuvi 350 sells for about $200, the 660 for about $330, and the 760 for about $370. The difference between the three?

Well the 350 is an ever so slightly older model. It has that flip up antenna thing that bothers some people, but frankly doesn't bother me at all. The 350 has maps of the U.S. plus Canada. It can tell you where to turn by actually saying the street name (a big feature in my mind). The only drawback is its 3.5-inch screen.

If you want the larger screen, you'll have to opt for the 660. Which also adds hands-free calling with Bluetooth and the ability to route its transmissions through your car's stereo system. The only thing the 760 adds is multi-point routing. In other words, you can select several destinations and the device can tell you how to get to all of them on one trip.

As far as the Tom Tom GO 920T, there you're looking at a little over $400. It can do everything the nuvi 660 can, but it also has Tom Tom's proprietary map share technology, which is sort of user-generated thing where you can actually send Tom Tom information about road closings, construction, etc. and they'll reflect that on their maps.

Don't forget the Magellan 4250! As a close competitor to Gamin's 660 and the GO 920T, the 4250 sells for only about $280! Don't think this is a cheaply made unit, either. Magellan was one of the forerunners in this field, and they make a quality product.

So, you see even if you're just focusing on the top rated GPS units, there's a lot to choose from and quite a lot to know about your choices.

What will make things easier is an informative website where you can browse models and check out current prices. There you can look at all the top rated GPS units and find the best one for you and your budget.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Cole

How to Install Garmin's Map Update 2009: A Step-By-Step Guide

2008-06-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Garmin released its annual map update. The 2009 Map Update retails for around $65, and can be purchased as an electronic download or a physical DVD disc. If you purchased a qualified Garmin GPS recently (or even if you purchased it a long time ago but never registered it on Garmin's website), Garmin will give you the update for free.

I finally got around to updating my nuvi today. Here's the step-by-step instructions.

First, let's get some FAQ's answered:

Question: How do I know if I qualify for a free update?
Answer: Head over to garmin.com and login to your "My Garmin" account. If you haven't already registered your GPS, do so now. If you qualify, Garmin will let you download the update directly to your PC/Mac, or send you the DVD if you pay the postage. There's no difference between the physical DVD and the digital version, so if you've got high-speed Internet the download option is probably the way to go.

Question: Why does the Map Update 2009 require an internet connection?
Answer: You'll need internet access to verify the serial number with Garmin's servers

Question: Can I install the update on more than one GPS?
Answer: No, each map update may only be applied to one GPS unit.

Question: Which GPS models can be updated?
Answer: The 2009 update is valid for all Garmin nuvi series, most StreetPilot models.

Question: Do I need to backup my saved addresses?
Answer: No need to back-up your address book or additional POIs - everything will still be there after the update

Question: How can I tell if my GPS needs the update?
Answer: Power on your GPS and tap on the wrench icon -> Map -> Map Info, if you see anything other than "City Navigator North America NT 2009", then you need the update

Question: I am receiving an error message that I don't have enough space to install the update. What can I do?
Answer: First, make sure you have enough free hard disk space; the update installs the map to your C drive first, then copies it over to the GPS. Also, the 2009 maps take up slightly more space than previous versions, so if you've got a lot of photos and/or mp3's on the internal memory, you may need to delete them. Most nuvi models will update without a problem, but if you're still short on space, try deleting some of the additional languages and voices to free up some additional space.

The update itself it about 2GB, so downloading over dial-up is not an option.

Using a USB cable (you don't have to use the one that came with the GPS, any one will do), connect the GPS to the computer, and wait until the computer finishes detecting it (30-60 seconds)

Launch the Map Update 2009 program.

After downloading the update (or upon ordering the DVD), Garmin will provide you a serial number. Keep this number handy, you'll need it in a minute. Click Next to continue the installer.

Check the box accepting the Software and Data License Agreement and click Next to continue

If your Garmin GPS needs any software updates, such as updated firmware, the installer will automatically download it and install it on your GPS.

If your GPS needs a firmware update, the installer will prompt you to disconnect the GPS so it can complete the firmware update, and then re-connect the GPS so the map update can continue.

Enter the product key Garmin provided online, or found on the green sticker on the back of the DVD case

The update takes a long time. Don't worry, this is normal. Installing the update takes about 1.5 hours...

(Tip: If you receive an alert that there is not enough room to install the update, check that the GPS model is supported, and ALSO that you have at least 3GB of free space on your C drive. The update installs the map to your PC/Mac first, and then copies it over to the GPS.)

You can now disconnect the GPS and click Finish on the computer to exit the installer.

To verify that your GPS has been updated to the new "City Navigator North America NT 2008" maps, disconnect the GPS from the computer, power it on, tap on the wrench icon -> Map -> Map Info

You should see "City Navigator North America NT 2009" listed.

So far I've been driving around the Northeast and have already noticed some changes in the routing (mostly for the better), along with the addition of new roads and bridges.

Posted by Fletch on May 19, 2008 10:52 PM | Permalink

Get Your Workout Going With a GPS Watch

2008-06-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Have you been itching to get outdoors for a workout but want to be able to not only keep track of the details of your workout, but also keep a record of the routes you take to jog or run during your workout? You are not alone in your determination to exercise the right way. But many fitness enthusiasts have found that there is a solution to their desire to keep track of their routine while exercising - they have begun utilizing a GPS watch for their workout. These devices are great for those who don't have two hands available to write down their stats because they are busy using them during the workout. But by simply setting some features on the watch, you can keep track of tons of records. It is a great find for many - and maybe for you too - so stick around to learn more about how one might be able to make a difference in your exercise process.

What Are They?

A GPS watch follows the same concept as the other tracking devices on the market - they give you a way to help track your route while moving around your city. They work as receivers that pick up a signal that is being transmitted for at least four of the 12 satellites orbiting the Earth. As the receiver picks of the signal, it is able to transmit extremely accurate time, and determine geographic coordinates to give you your positioning on land to a tee.

Why Would I Want to Use One?

A GPS watch is nothing short of a miracle when it comes to being able to take advantage of great workout routines while not having to carry a million devices with you to keep track of it all. Think about it. If you are a very serious fitness guru, then you not only want to keep accurate records of all of your workouts to be able to compare them from day to day, but you also want to be able to monitor your heart rate and other health-related conditions so that you can always be in the best condition possible.

It is for this reason that many people are in love with these wristwatches. They are not only convenient, fitting easily on your wrist, but they have seemingly a million features - the best being able to track where you are traveling on foot or in your car - so that you know you have gotten a great deal for your money. So to answer the question of why you would want one for yourself, if you are into fitness, and always exercise outdoors, then these watches serve two tracking purposes in one - who can resist such a deal?

What Products Are Available?

Below are two different companies that offer a GPS watch for fitness and tracking purposes. They range in price and features, but all can ultimately help you increase the security of your family.

Timex Ironman

This fitness watch is not only attractive on the arm, but provides the ultimate in GPS technology. It helps novice and professional athletes measure real time speed or pace, keeps track of your average speed and pace, and works as a continuous odometer. It also helps you determine your target speed and has a pace alert, chronograph and 100-lap memory with recall so that you can keep track of previous speeds for comparison purposes. Some other features include an Indoglo night light, Night Mode, and water resistance. But of course, the best part is that if someone needs to locate you, they can find you.

Garmin Forerunner 205

Garmin is the superstar of tracking technology, so it's no wonder that they offer a GPS watch that is highly recommended among reviewers. In particular, their Forerunner 205 has a GPS antenna that wraps around part of the wrists to help it receive a better signal from the sky. In fact, this device is so sensitive that it gets the same great signal whether near or away from tall buildings and trees. It is also a fitness watch, so you can take advantage of its many settings for multiple workouts. And when you're finished, you can analyze all of your workout data - and where you've traveled - either on your computer, or directly on the watch.

A GPS watch can work great as personal devices, or to keep track of your workout routes. No matter how you choose to use it, you will definitely see the benefits immediately. So take your time and look for one with great features for what you want to accomplish. By getting your hands on a great GPS watch, you'll be sure to accomplish your goals your way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier

Good Drivers Gone Bad: When GPS Attacks

2008-06-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

It seems like drivers in Europe are having a hard time driving around with their GPS companions.

A small village in Carmarthenshire has been seeing a recent rise in traffic and building damage. Residents in Llangadog said trucks and lorries were smashing into buildings that have already had thousands of pounds spent on them.

The Townscape officer for Carmarthenshire Council, Roger Morgan, said Llangadog residents were convinced that satellite navigation was to blame for the damage.

"It's a very small narrow road and these large lorries are coming through the village and causing problems for everyone," he said. "There has been a tremendous increase in traffic and there's no reason for it to come over the Black Mountain unless they have been directed that way."

So the basic jist of it is that the town is blaming GPS units for directing traffic through their town.

Look I just have to get this off my chest. GPS doesn't cause damage, stupid people cause damage.

[via BBC News]

Posted by Michael on November 12, 2007 2:48 PM | Permalink

Garmin Announces Lifetime Pricing for Blackberry Navigation Software. Pay $99 Once, Use it Forever.

2008-06-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

If you're the kind of person who just can't bear to sign-up for yet another monthly service, Garmin feels your pain and is introducing lifetime subscription pricing for Garmin Mobile for Blackberry.

$99 gets you a lifetime subscription to turn-by-turn navigation with text-to-speech, traffic, weather, fuel prices, and more. Blackberry devices that don't have an onboard GPS can purchase Garmin's external Bluetooth GPS adapter (GPS 10x). As an added benefit, maps and POIs are stored online and downloaded as needed, so you'll always be using the latest maps.

The service is tied to the device and can't be transferred between Blackberry devices (so you might want to pickup the Blackberry 9000 before buying the lifetime GPS plan). Garmin Mobile for Blackberry is available for purchase and download at garmin.com/mobilephones.

Posted by Fletch on May 15, 2008 9:16 PM | Permalink

What Is Geocaching?

2008-06-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

A high-tech treasure hunt

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com

If beautiful hill country views, fresh air, and exercise aren't enough to entice you to take a walk in the park, how about if we throw in a treasure hunt? Hidden throughout neighborhood parks, along hike-n-bike trails, in vacant lots, all over area greenbelts, and even in forests and urban areas around the world are little containers full of goodies called caches. They are part of a high-tech sport known as geocaching or GPS Stash hunting.

^{Geo for geography and cache (cash) for a hiding place.}

Until recently I had no idea that there were so many hidden treasures in the parks and just off the trails that my kids and I visit almost every week. Geocaching is a cross between orienteering and a scavenger hunt. It is a family-oriented activity. However, parents should exercise good judgement and make sure the terrain and distance to a cache is not going to be too difficult for very young children. Geocachers can search solo, in groups, and even participate in geocaching team events.

At the heart of geocaching is a GPS receiver unit. GPS or global positioning system uses satellite signals to find out where you are and show you how to get to designated locations. The GPS receivers used in geocaching are handheld units. They can be purchased online or locally, such as from sporting goods stores, for anywhere from about $100 on up, depending on the features.

A cache is hidden and its latitude and longitude coordinates are recorded at a Geocaching Web site. The cache hunter or geocacher puts those coordinates into his or her GPS receiver and then navigates to the location to find the cache.

You might think having the exact coordinates would make finding the cache a simple "walk in the park." Trust me, it takes a lot more detective work to find the cache once you're in the target area. Although GPS units are generally accurate to within 10 feet or so, just getting to some of these locations takes skill and determination and the clever ways some caches are hidden can add minutes or hours to the search. If hidden in a well-travelled area, the geocacher must also employ a degree of stealth to retrieve and then re-hide the cache without being spotted.

GPS Enabled PDAs - Real Time Directions Linked to the Appointments on Your Calendar

2008-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

When you're rushing from a late meeting to your child's t-ball game, you need to know exactly where you are going or you could miss her getting her first hit or catch. You may not have GPS in your car, but you do have a PDA - a personal digital (or data) assistant. Shouldn't your "assistant" be able to help you get there? Now it can!

There is a new kind of PDA with GPS embedded which can not only keep your schedule, but also help you navigate to the places on your schedule. Not only can it tell you where you are supposed to be and when, but how long it will take you to get there. In fact, with new technology, a GPS enabled PDA can even factor in the amount of real time traffic in giving you an estimate of your travel time or actually advising you about when to leave. They can also give you alternate routes where there is less traffic on the fly.

These PDAs with built-in GPS come preloaded with up-to-date maps of your country, and give both text- and voice turn-by-turn directions. This way you can both see and hear the directions for maximum safety while driving (In fact they can sometimes project the voice directions to your car stereo so you will hear them loud and clear). They also can navigate you to points of interest such as gas stations and stores along your way.

Some things to look for in a PDA with built-in GPS include the ability to automatically update your device through a computer so you get the latest changes in roads and routes, and good service coverage so you are never almost there when your map blacks out. You should also look for a system that allows you to do two things at once - like making a speakerphone call while you are driving without losing your route.

Another new GPS enabled PDA technology allows you to share information with others who have GPS devices. You can send a colleague or family member in another car the same directions, or traffic information, or information about where to find a gas station, while you are driving as easy as making a phone call.

Imagine what your new, more powerful handheld assistant can do for you right now: Tell you how to get where you are going, when to leave so you are on time, where you can stop along the way to bring something to the meeting, and whether there is traffic in your way!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?exp

Garmin Nuvi GPS Systems Guide You

2008-06-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Garmin Nuvi GPS Systems Guide You around the Country with Ease

Have you heard of Garmin Nuvi GPS systems? There is a good chance that you have due to their immense popularity. I bet you're wondering why they are so popular though. There are a lot of reasons. One is that they have a great reputation for offering extremely accurate and reliable navigation instruction under extreme conditions. Another reason they are popular is because they have a ton of additional features that make using them fun. Even more, some people love these devices because they come in such a stylish package that they make the cars you place them in look good.

The Models

There are over 30 varieties of Garmin Nuvi GPS systems. In this article, we will look at seven models that seem to be more popular among both consumers and reviewers. Though the descriptions will be brief, they will give you a better idea of the standout features that make each model both unique and appealing to customers.

200 - This device is more moderately priced than some of the others, costing around the same price as its model number. But because it has a lower price doesn't mean it is skimping on the features. If you like to travel within or outside of the continental United States you can do both thanks to its preloaded maps of the 48 continental states, as well as those for Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It comes with an extensive POI database, 2D and 3D maps, turn-by-turn voice navigation, and tools like a picture view, world travel clock and currency converter, making it more than a navigation device.

250 - The Garmin Nuvi GPS 250 is a small step up in price from the 200 but offers a huge leap in features. For example, the preloaded map database is broadened considerably to give you coverage of North America and Europe. It also has 2D and 3D maps, turn-by-turn voice instruction, and POIs. Even more, you get the picture viewer, world travel clock, currency converter and measurement converter for no extra charge.

250W - If you like the features you get from the 250 but need a wide screen then you might want to get your hands on the 250W. It has the same features as the 250, but with a 4.3-inch screen instead of a 3.5-inch screen. If you have vision problems or simply like the look of a bigger screen then this is the choice for you.

350 - This model is often advertised as a pocked-sized personal travel assistant. This is because it is much more than just a navigation device. For example, in addition to the street maps, POIs, and turn-by-turn instruction, you get an optional FM TMC traffic receiver, as well as entertainment features such as a MP3 player, audio book player, picture view, language translator, anti-theft feature, and a lot more.

360 - Also considered a pocket-sized travel assistant, the 360 gives you all of the features you love about the 350 with one extra - Bluetooth technology. With this Garmin Nuvi GPS system, you can go anywhere, enjoy your extras, and even talk to your friends hands-free without ever having to pick up your phone. Even more, when you scroll through the POI database you can call any of the locations with 1-touch dialing.

660 - This is probably the most popular Garmin Nuvi GPS system on the market. It is well known for all of its features, which include everything listed in the above models with a few more. Some include a FM transmitter, traffic alerts for road construction, a 4.3-inch large touchscreen display, customizable POIs, turn-by-turn voice navigation with street names called out, and language translation.

850 - Stepping it up a notch is the Garmin Nuvi GPS 850, an advanced navigator with speech recognition that let's you make menu selections verbally, a widescreen display, FM translator, and tons of preloaded maps. Even more, by using the "Where am I?" function, you can ask this simple question to the device and it will give you your exact latitude and longitude coordinates on the map then give you the closest police stations, hospitals, fuel stations, addresses and more. If you want to plan your route ahead of time, you can save up to 10 routes in the system before you even leave your house. It will simulate the turns and give you an electronic bread crumb trail to tell you where you've been.

This list of Garmin Nuvi GPS systems is definitely not complete. But it does give you a good idea of the great features you can expect from these devices. So take the time to look over the Garmin Nuvi GPS devices on the market. You are guaranteed to find the one you love.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier

GPS Tracking Watches General Information

2008-06-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

More accurate than any previous system known to man, GPS (Global Positioning System) are used as navigational tools to determine specific location data. GPS tracking watches, use twenty-seven satellites and a broad network of computers to calculate the user's latitude and longitude to within a few meters.

With wearing a GPS tracking watch, its simple to track your location, speed, direction and distance to your destination and many more functions. You can save and chart trips, retrace your steps back to your starting point, program routes in advance, and save the coordinates of interesting locations.

Even in conditions of low visibility, you'll know how to reach your destination, and know right where you are. A lot of models also include a Barometer, Compass, Altimeter, and advanced memory functions.

A barometer is an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure, or air pressure. With a barometer you can forecast upcoming weather, low-pressure weather systems tend to bring cloudy skies and precipitation, and high-pressure systems usually come with very few clouds or precipitation. When the barometric pressure drops, its time to be watching for more clouds and maybe bad weather. So, a GPS tracking watch that can read barometric pressure is a convenient and useful way of staying informed of upcoming weather conditions monitored right on your wrist.

Of course a digital compass is an extremely useful function to have in a watch. Whether you're navigating through an unfamiliar city, hiking through the backcountry, or sailing on the ocean. There are slight differences in compass functionality from GPS tracking watch to GPS tracking watch, but most models feature:

* Bearing in degrees

* North-south arrow

* Bearing tracking

* Declination adjustment

* Rotating bezel

* Resolution of 1 degree

An altimeter GPS tracking watches is a wrist top instrument that allows the wearer to determine their current elevation. Of course, that's not all - combined with memory, an altimeter watch can keep track of your total and cumulative vertical ascents and descents, as well as the number of runs (for skiing or snowboarding, for example). In some watches, the altimeter can be used to estimate your vertical speed, or sound an alarm when you reach a set altitude.

The altimeters used in GPS tracking watches base their measurements on air pressure - in a nutshell, the lower your altitude is, the more air there is above you is, and the heavier it is. So when you move uphill, the air pressure sensor in the watch detects the decreasing air pressure, and automatically converts the pressure drop into a reading of your increasing altitude. Of course, it is not easy to get perfectly accurate measurements of altitude, because there many factors that can cause air pressure to fluctuate.

This is why many altimeter watches feature "temperature compensation," and why the altimeter must to be calibrated regularly (by simply entering the current barometric pressure or setting to a known altitude).

An altimeter is an important and useful piece of gear for many outdoor activities, including running, biking, and hiking, skiing, or snowboarding. Pilots of small planes often wear an altimeter watch as a back up in case of instrument failure - although be aware that an altimeter of this type cannot be used successfully in a pressurized plane.

There are also various models that have built in heart rate monitors and other built in functions.

Heart monitors are one of the few pieces of equipment more important in fitness training. Serious cyclists, runners, and other athletes know that you can only determine how effective your training regimen is by keeping track of the relationship between your workout and your heart rate. There is not a more convenient way to do this than a heart GPS tracking watch with a built in heart rate monitor. Some GPS tracking watches use a chest strap to monitor your heart rate, and send data wirelessly to the watch.

One model allows you to program the GPS tracking watch with your upper and lower heart rate limits and alerts you if your heart rate goes outside the programmed ranges. It also monitors how your heart rate changes with altitude, and keeps tracks of your highest, lowest, and average heart rate while you're training. GPS tracking watches also allow you to upload your data to your PC where you can use the included software to analyze, compare, and save your own personal stats.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Lyles

Getting To Grips With Wifi

2008-06-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Getting To Grips With Wifi

Author: Jon Kelly

Most of us have seen some of the amazing technology which we are supposedly going to be using in the future (as well as the ideas seen in sci-fi films!). But today we are living through the wifi age; however, some of us seem to have got a little left behind. When it was topical it was not available to the average user, and suddenly we are playing technology catch-up. So here is a guide to get you up to date.

Wifi stands for wireless fidelity. This is a technology which allows users to access a network through the transmission and receiving of radio waves. Nearly all laptops and notebooks are now fitted with WiFi technology. If you are considering using an older laptop you can get adapters which will make wifi possible. Bear in mind that as more and more laptops are wifi compatible, the manufacturers will slowly phase out the adapters, so think forward and decide if that really is the sensible way forward.

If you are looking to use your laptop when you are out and about you will need to find some hotspots. These are usually in cafes, airports, hotels and other similar places. Hotspots are basically wifi networks which are open to the public. They are usually strategically placed by companies who are trying to get your business or are hoping that you will spend money with them while you are surfing the net; e.g. cafes and hotels.

So if you are sending information through the airwaves between your computer and the network is there any security or can someone simply catch your message and steal your information? Due to the location of most hotspots and the ulterior motive to get you to spend money with them, your security is not their primary concern. Wired equivalent privacy (WEP) was the original standard; this was a form of encryption. As with many security measures this was quickly and easily broken. Most wireless networks are open and hence have no encryption at all.

There are, however, a few tips which may help you to maintain a level or security. Firstly you must check that your firewall if activated. The firewall monitors information getting into your computer and will try to stop anything which is known to damage or compromise your computer. Secondly, you should disable the file sharing facility which Windows offers. This facility is great on a secure network, but if you are in a public network you do not want to share your files with anyone else using the same network.

Finally you can make the actually files slightly harder to access by marking the folders as private and by password protecting the documents. None of these are guaranteed to protect your data or computer from hackers or viruses, but they are all steps to help.

Hopefully this information will help any new wifi user to go out with confidence and log on to a public network. Once you start, you will suddenly find that you can work from anywhere, and work does not even have to know where you are! Or you can simply stay in touch with your friends and family while enjoying traveling the globe.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/getting-to-grips-with-wifi-431105.html

A GPS Adventure

2008-06-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

eTrex Legend Took a Bullet for this Marine

The following is an edited version of a letter sent to Garmin®, dated May 22, 2003.

I would like to relate to you a story of my son and your Garmin eTrex Legend. Chris is a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. Prior to Christmas, he requested a GPS unit. We went to Circuit City in Poughkeepsie, NY to look for one. Because he is in an infantry unit, we decided to get him a small, light GPS unit. We picked the Garmin eTrex Legend. During the first week of January, his unit was sent to Kuwait by Navy ship. He took his GPS with him because of its reliability and ease of use. Anytime he took it out of his pocket, a crowd formed to get an idea of where they were located.
In a letter dated March 17 (the day the war started), Chris said his unit was to go into Iraq and capture and hold two bridges. He added that they would have tank support from the Army and Marine Corps as well as artillery support. He ended by saying it should be easy. The name of the town was An Nasiriyah. Because he liked the GPS so much, he took it with him. This was not an easy decision. As an Infantryman, he has to be very selective of what he is going to carry. As it turns out, this decision may have saved his life.

Nasiriyah became the major battle with the war against Saddam Hussein’s regime. His was the unit that lost 10 Marines due to an ambush by surrendering Fedayeen fighters. During this battle, he was in a group walking through the streets of Nasiriyah. While walking, he felt his pants pocket jerk across his body. He turned and fired. He ranked as an expert with his rifle. He hit what he aimed at, stopping the ambush on his group. Had he not known what direction the bullet came from, the shooter would have had time to continue to fire at them. The bullet hit the GPS unit that was in his pocket, and the travel of the GPS indicated which direction the bullet came from. He also said the GPS might have deflected the bullet from nicking him.

The bullet did tear a hole in his pocket and destroyed the GPS unit. I feel that by the grace of God, he had that unit in his pocket when he was shot at. Although the GPS unit was destroyed, its last conveyance of information to my son was data that your engineers did not design into the Legend. Not only do I thank your company for making a product that my son liked so much, but I also thank you for supplying the tool that very well may have saved his life.

J.N.

GPS System - Give Wings To Your Passion For Travelling

2008-05-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Travelling and communication have now become the most important aspects of our lives. We have to travel distant places for various reasons. In fact, we can define our life as a never ending journey. At times we go to places whose topography we know very well, while there are occasions when we have to search the location to reach our destination. As such to rule out this irritation and problem the technology has offered us a very innovative gadget which is known as GPS system. We can use these widgets in various areas of our lives. These gizmos efficiently perform the work of a personal guide no matter what our destination is.

The GPS system would amazingly allow the users to track their speed and distance from their desired location. Moreover, by doing so one can economise his or petrol and energy without any hassles. You can be very punctual and reach any events or business meetings on time. With these widgets you can save most of your time from reckless driving and several risks. Moreover, when you reach nearer to your desired location you would receive voice prompts from your GPS device. One can also receive several warnings like speed limit and possible incidents of accident etc.

The unique and innovative GPS system has been made up of 24 satellites which are revolving the earth at a height of 11,000 miles so that a GPS receiver can efficiently get signals at any time and places from any of those satellites. They are basically fitted up in six orbital paths with four satellites which are evenly spaced between six orbits. The signals are always available from anywhere and anytime on earth from these satellites. They efficiently send signals all throughout the day and are not usually affected by any critical condition of weather.

The GPS widgets are gradually gaining popularity among the masses due to various reasons. People like to opt for those cars and mobile phones which come incorporated with these gadgets. With these efficient gadgets one can comfortably track his or her location without taking the assistance of any unreliable outsider. So move on to explore the unexplored locations and give new dimension to your passion. Nowadays, almost all the handsets have this GPS option available to facilitate the users in their journeys. Moreover, the camera phones which are enhanced with this feature can astoundingly track the information regarding the location and time of the captured photographs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrena_Markley

GPS to track sex offenders

2008-05-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

GPS to track sex offenders
Parolees across the state, including in Orange County, will wear the devices.
By RACHANEE SRISAVASDI
The Orange County Register
Imagine a child is snatched outside her home.
The Amber Alert flashes across freeway signs. Police officers radio for help.
Soon law-enforcement authorities will have more help in the hunt for child molesters: Global Positioning System devices that pinpoint the whereabouts of sex offenders on parole. The devices can indicate whether one of them was at the crime scene.
With a $5.4 million state budget allocation, the California Department of Corrections has purchased 500 GPS devices for sex offenders on parole.
Within three months, about 180 sex offenders in Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties will wear the computer mouse-sized ankle monitors all day, every day - including 20 parolees in Orange County, said Todd Slosek, a corrections spokesman.
The devices, which work indoors, track offenders everywhere, he said.
By December, an additional 380 sex offenders across California will be placed on GPS, he added.
"At all times, we'll know where paroled sex offenders are,'' Slosek said.
Wednesday, David Allyn Dokich, 52, of Mead Valley was the first offender to be put on GPS. The convicted rapist, who assaulted a 15-year-old girl in Dana Point in 1982, was released from prison this year and has been the subject of vehement neighborhood protests.
MATCHING LOCATIONS
The devices page parole officers when sex offenders approach forbidden zones, such as schools or day-care centers. Parole officers get daily reports - via e-mail or fax - of offenders' whereabouts.
When a crime occurs, police can check with a parole official who has access to the satellite system. A crime scene address can be matched with the location of a sex offender.
The state's move to GPS mirrors local efforts to track sexual predators electronically.
The Orange County Probation Department has allocated $75,000 to put some sex offenders on probation on GPS, said Chief Deputy Probation Officer Bill Daniel.
The department's program is in the planning stage and will be considered by county supervisors as soon as the fall, Daniel said. About 25 sex offenders on probation in Orange County have agreed to use GPS once the program is approved. The San Bernardino Probation Department already uses the devices.
Authorities hope that GPS tracking will result in decreased recidivism.
Sex offenders "are less likely to re-offend if they know we are serious about watching them,'' Daniel said.
SOME LIMITATIONS
Orange County Assistant District Attorney Roseanne Froeberg said GPS devices are "better than no monitoring, but of limited use."
Most sex crimes occur at private locations - including the sex offender's home or car, she said. These are places that wouldn't necessarily catch the attention of law enforcement monitoring GPS locations of offenders, Froeberg said.
"With today's technology, you know where to find (sex offenders) but you have no way of monitoring their criminal activity,'' she said.
More so than any other criminal population, sex offenders have the most stringent requirements placed upon them after their release from jail or prison. All are required for life to register with law enforcement every time they move. Most offenders have their personal information posted publicly.
Anyone can get information about California's sex offenders by searching the attorney general's "Megan's Law" Web site: www.meganslaw.ca.gov.
Orange County has 1,818 sex offenders, 1,227 of whom have home addresses posted, the Web site says.
Kate Corrigan, a Newport Beach defense attorney, equated GPS devices to "scarlet letters" that heighten public fear. She represented a man who pled guilty to sexual assault and was ordered to wear a GPS device as part of his probation.
Corrigan said law enforcement should put the devices on the most violent predators.
"There could be too many people wearing them,'' she said.
"One day it will be virtually impossible for law enforcement to effectively track them all."

Now GPS Can Tell You Where The Cops Are

2008-05-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

By Chuck Squatriglia May 07, 2008 | 1:37:29 PMCategories: Electronics and Gadgets

By Doug Newcomb

Flashing oncoming motorists with your high beams used to be an effective, if low-tech, way to warn them about speed traps up the road. But radar-gun wielding cops have increasingly given way to photo-enforcement cameras that nab drivers with a click of a shutter, and those can be hard to spot. The trend toward cameras has not only increased the number of busted speeders and red-light runners, it's been a bonanza for municipal coffers.

But now the wonders of Web 2.0 and portable navigation systems can use motorists' tips and Microsoft Virtual Earth to help keep you from appearing on your local police department's version of candid camera. It's a lot more effective than relying on a bleating radar detector.

Shannon Atkinson launched Njection.com as a place for gearheads to shoot the breeze about anything and everything auto-related. It wasn't long before he sensed a theme in the posts. “One of the biggest topics on the site became speed traps and cameras,” Atkinson told us. "People want to know about those whether they’re a truck driver, a road warrior or just someone who wants to drive without worrying about it.”

So Atkinson added Speedtrap, a feature that combines drivers' tips with Microsoft Virtual Earth to identify speed traps - either a real, live cop with a radar gun or one of those damned cameras - throughout the U.S. There's even a few foreign cities, such as London, Toronto and Rome.

Now, the information can be downloaded directly to portable navigation devices from Garmin, Mio, TomTom and others via Njection.com so that drivers can pinpoint speed traps on a given route. Atkinson says the identity of Njection’s many speed-trap tipsters is kept confidential, and they include more than a few police officers who like the site because what "they’re mostly interested in is getting people to drive safely.”

Photo: Richard Faulder/Flickr

What Is The Difference Between The Garmin Nuvi 350 And The Nuvi 360?

2008-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

If you are choosing between the Garmin 350 and the 360 GPS systems, I'm going to help you out. At least you have the right brand since Garmin is the most reliable GPS brand out there today. The Garmin Nuvi 350 and 360 was launched as a travel companion. The special flat design was meant to be for travel, but today the price has dropped and anyone can benefit from the flat design. So what separates these two travel GPS systems?

The Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS is the most basic GPS in the line with a SIRF star III chipset. It has a regular touch screen and preloaded maps and points of interest. You can easily play MP3 songs and audio books on the 350. It's simple to load the Garmin 350 with MP3's through the SD card slot on the side.

The Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS has the same features as the 350 plus one little thing. They have added Bluetooth capability, which allows you to make hands free calls through your mobile phone. It's easy to setup the 360 for calling and receiving calls while traveling on the road.

So which Garmin Nuvi to buy? It's pretty easy to decide I think. If you have a Bluetooth phone (or plan to get one), I would go for the Garmin Nuvi 360 and if you don't have any use for the Bluetooth capability I would save a few bucks and go for the 350 instead. Just make sure to think ahead. If you are going to get a new mobile phone within a year or two you should seriously consider to get the Garmin 360 instead.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stefan_Jonsson

'Wireless Fidelity' Debunked

2008-05-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

'Wireless Fidelity' Debunked
By Naomi Graychase

April 27, 2007

Even before the Internet and the Web became as commonplace as television and telephones, urban legends and silly (or scary) myths made their way across the culture, from kid to kid, parent to parent, co-worker to co-worker. What kid in the '70s didn't wonder if little Mikey really did die from eating Pop Rocks and soda? Word of mouth can have a powerful influence on a brand. While Mikey (aka John Gilchrist) is still alive and well, rumors of his demise caused Pop Rocks sales to suffer so greatly that General Foods took it off the market in 1983.

The preponderance of e-mail and Web sites in this new millennium have made the creation and spread of misinformation possible on a scale previously unimaginable. (Neiman Marcus cookie recipe, anyone?) For the most part, e-mails with urgent calls to action, exciting opportunities to get free trips from Bill Gates, or warnings about the potential for organ theft while on vacation are exclusively the bastion of the new and the inexperienced. But in recent years one much more subtle bit of misinformation has taken hold, not just among the gullible and the naïve, but also among some of the most tech savvy people in the world. Like a modern day game of operator being played over mobile phones with poor reception, the false notion that the brand name "Wi-Fi" is short for "wireless fidelity" has spread to such an extent that even industry leader EarthLink recently included it in a press release. And EarthLink is not alone: Wikipedia, several online dictionaries (including our own Webopedia (define)), About.com, and the U.S. military all got it wrong, too. [Even this site got it wrong a few times in the early days -- the proof is out there! -- Editor.]

The truth is, Wi-Fi isn't short for anything—and it never was.

Here's what happened:

In 1999, a handful of industry leaders formed a global non-profit organization with the goal of "driving the adoption of a single worldwide-accepted standard for high-speed wireless local area networking." They called themselves the "Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA)."

Because 'IEEE 802.11' is a bit of a mouthful, one of WECA's first tasks was to develop a more memorable, user-friendly name for the wireless standard. To that end, they hired powerhouse branding company Interbrand -- the company responsible for naming Prozac, Celebrex, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the Nissan Xterra, just to name a few -- to come up with a list of names that could be used in place of IEEE 802.11b.

Thirteen names were presented to WECA, including Skybridge, Torchlight, and Flyover. Despite how lame these names sound in retrospect, Interbrand is actually very good at its job. Its naming strategy for IBM, for instance, saved the company more than $4,000,000 in one year. And among forgettable names such as Transpeed and Elevate, there was, obviously, a winner: Wi-Fi.

Interestingly enough, when the WECA board got together to discuss the names, the one that received the highest score was Trapeze (now the name of a Wi-Fi infrastructure company). Close behind and tied for second were Dragonfly, Hornet and Wi-Fi. Had any of the other top contenders won out, rather than using a Wi-Fi-enabled device, today you would be using your Trapeze- or Dragonfly-enabled device to check e-mail or download a video. Trapeze, of course, would not be considered "short for wireless fidelity." Neither would "Dragonfly." That's because they're not. They would stand in for IEEE 802.11—just like Wi-Fi does.

Phil Belanger, analyst with Novarum and a co-founder of WECA (which later became the Wi-Fi Alliance), remembers those meetings well.

"Some of the names were hilarious and horrible," recalls Belanger. "We almost said, 'Go back to the drawing board.' Wi-Fi won out. When we saw it with the yin-yang logo, we thought, 'Yeah, this is good.' One of the funny things was -- this may sound silly now -- but at the time, it was going from two to eleven megabits. That's really fancy wireless stuff, woo! Maybe half of the names were trying to underscore the idea of speed. You can imagine how dated that would be now if we'd selected one of those."

Nowhere in the notes from those meetings—or in Belanger's recollection—was Wi-Fi intended to be short for "wireless fidelity." Put simply, since there is no such thing as wireless fidelity, nothing could ever be short for it.

The current confusion seems to stem from a brief period early in the days of the Wi-Fi Alliance when a regrettable tag line was added that stated, "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity." This was not part of the original name and was not created by Interbrand, but it was added as an afterthought in an attempt to help users make sense of the new and somewhat nonsensical word, "Wi-Fi."

"The tagline is incorrect on so many levels," says Belanger. "To say 'the standard' broke with the charter. We weren't creating standards -- we were promoting an existing standard. One of the motivations was that we were trying to expand the use of WLANs to the home market, so this notion of 'wireless fidelity,' some people felt like if they're going to transfer audio and video around their house, then maybe that has some of the appeal. We have this name Wi-Fi. What two words have "wi" and "fi" starting them? Maybe it can help support our goal?"

By the end of 2000, the pointless tagline was dropped and the term "wireless fidelity" was supposed to disappear into the ether. But somehow, as the Wi-Fi brand gained traction, so did the mistaken notion that it was "short for wireless fidelity." Despite the fact that Wikipedia claims the Wi-Fi Alliance still uses the term "wireless fidelity" in its white papers, there are only two documents in the Wi-Fi Alliance online knowledge base that use it. They are press releases from the spring and summer of 2000, historical documents that preserve a regrettable phase, much like the photos that preserve our most unfortunate hairstyles or wardrobe choices long after we've moved on.

It's been roughly seven years since "wireless fidelity" was officially used or propagated in any way by the Wi-Fi Alliance, and yet, somehow, it has spread among the populous to the point that even industry insiders—who ought to know better—perpetrate it in press releases and on Web sites. There's even a company that calls itself Ubiquitous Wireless Fidelity (or "uWiFi" for short).

How could this happen? How could a term that has no meaning and no definition (that, according to John Ferrari, an early member of WECA and current President and CEO of LightPort, was dreamt up over a pitcher of margaritas at a Chevy's restaurant in Mountain View, California in 1999) be turning up seven years later as a presumably bona fide term in so many places? Is this the wireless industry's Nieman Marcus Cookie Recipe?

Frank Hanzlik, the current managing director for the Wi-Fi Alliance, was not at the meetings where the Interbrand names were discussed, but he was a member of WECA and he is now entrusted with protecting and perpetuating the Wi-Fi brand. He confirms that "wireless fidelity" has no meaning, is not part of the trademark, and is not used or encouraged to be used by the Wi-Fi Alliance. However, he feels no need to aggressively correct those who use it, since what's most important to his organization is simply that "Wi-Fi" continues to be a household name.

"In the very early days of building the brand, there was a linkage to the hi-fi chronology," says Hanzlik. "It was successful in creating a positive connotation of what that could mean to a user. Over the last seven years, the term Wi-Fi has become quite ubiquitous in the developed part of the world. We just try to keep it simple and use only Wi-Fi."

"We declared victory when we made the Merriam-Webster dictionary," says Hanzlik. "Now we encourage everyone to use Wi-Fi versus 'wireless LAN,' because it resonates more with folks -- but we do enforce the Wi-Fi Certified and the Wi-Fi Alliance brands and logos."

Unlike what happened to Pop Rocks in the '70s, misinformation has had the opposite effect on Wi-Fi. The brand continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

"It's always great to think back to those early days," says Hanzlik. "Seven years in some cases seems like a long, long time. But in many industries, it's really remarkable what we've accomplished in that period of time. We sold 200 million units last year, and we're on track for 500 million in a few years. It's really remarkable growth, and exciting."

For the record, "Wi-Fi" is always hyphenated, with a capital "w" and a capital "f." It's not short for anything. And Webster's got it right.

Motorcycle GPS - The Hottest Accessory On The Planet

2008-05-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Do you ride a motorcycle? Get lost sometimes? A Garmin GPS motorcycle navigation system, or perhaps a Tom Tom GPS motorcycle navigation unit, can take the strain out of motorcycle navigation.

But firstly, what is GPS motorcycle navigation, and secondly what can it do for you?

GPS, or Global Positioning System technology, allows a motorbike rider, by the use of multiple satellite signal cross referencing, to pinpoint their exact location on the globe with extraordinary accuracy. This, combined with modern mapping software, means that owners of motorcyle GPS systems can use these technologies to produce the most accurate, easy to use and user friendly navigation system that has ever been available to motorcycle riders, or anyone.

Mount a modern motorcycle GPS system onto your motorbike and you have available a total navigation system. All maps are loaded into the unit, and once you have planned your route and told your GPS where you want it to take you and your bike, your GPS will tell you, both visually and by voice command, exactly how to get there. Modern GPS, such as the Garmin GPS motorcyle system or the Tom Tom Rider GPS units, will plan your route according to predetermined requirements, such as fuel stops, accomodation stops and points of interest. They will show you and tell you every turn you need to make along the way to get there easily.

Like to avoid traffic jams? Modern GPS can also be asked to notify you of real time traffic information. Traffic jam ahead of you? Your motorcycle GPS navigation can let you know and determine the best way around the problem.

And all this can be routed by voice command direct to an earpiece in your helmet via bluetooth technology. No need to take your eyes off the road risking accident by looking at your GPS screen, just allow it to tell you where to go all by itself.

Like to make a hands free phone call along the way? No problem. Perhaps load your motorcycle GPS with a few music files so you can relax and listen on the road? No problem. Want to record your ride for future reference, or to share with your friends? No problem. All this, and lots more, can be done with a modern motorcyle GPS navigator, at a cost of less than $1000. Units such as the Garmin GPS motorcyle navigation systems or the Tomtom GPS units can do all this and lots more.

Garmin GPS navigation systems like the Zumo 450 or it's big brother the Zumo 550 are specifically designed for motorcycle mounting. Vibration resistant and user friendly for easy screen viewing, they have been specifically designed with the motorcyclist in mind.

Or perhaps the Tom Tom Rider GPS navigator. Again, designed specifically for the motorbike rider. Waterproof, sunshield to minimize glare and easy to mount on the handlebars, a Tom Tom will make navigation for your ride a pleasure.

So if you'd like a total navigation solution for a long ride on a cold day, when you don't want to be stopping all the time to consult the map, consider a modern motorcycle GPS like the Garmin GPS motorcycle navigation systems or the Tom Tom Riders. You will never regret it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Clark

The Many Uses Of A Garmin Street Pilot GPS

2008-05-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

There are several great things about the Garmin StreetPilot gps and a few 'tricks' to help you gain the best out of an already great performing product.

Envision never having to stop to ask for directions or never being lost again. The Garmin StreetPilot gps makes that possible. The Garmin StreetPilot gps is the ultimate traveling escort and leader to your destination. With the StreetPilot gps, you are able to set a course and relax while you follow the directions mapped out for you by the navigational system. A soothing voice will give you turn-by-turn directions to your destination on the fastest and shortest routes available. There is also estimated time of arrival along with the directions so you know how long it will take to get there. In addition, automated voice prompts will alert you to deviations in the route and turns when needed. You can touch a button and you instantly see every exit, ATM, restaurant, rest area and gas station on the color screen.

MapSource and City Navigator are just two of the downloadable CD-ROM's you get with the StreetPilot so you can put them on your computer and then transfer the information onto the gps receiver unit. Then, just place the gps unit on the dashboard of your vehicle and you are ready to go, without any hookup fees.

The Garmin StreetPilot gps takes you where you want to go and if you are going down a shortcut, which is often the case, and it might be a dirt or gravel road and you wish not to be taking this route, simply hit the redirect or detour button and the gps will turn you around and find another route to your destination. Another 'trick' is to put address numbers in the front of the waypoints, this reduces the address to six to 10 characters and renames it, making it easier to find. In the points of interest - POI - put in areas where there are slow driving required, such as school zones and hospitals. Also mark where there are traffic cameras to remind yourself to slow down in these areas so that you won't get caught or get a ticket in the mail, which will save you time and money.

There are many accessories you can purchase to upgrade your Garmin StreetPilot gps unit. There is the A/C - PC adapter which allows you to connect your gps to your computer. There is also the standard A/C adaptor for charging your gps receiver without having to connect it to the computer. There are several varieties antenna's available to boost the strength of your StreetPilot gps. In addition there are different styles of mounts for the gps navigational system, such as the window 'arm' mount which allows you to place the gps where you can see it best, or the adhesive 'disk' which allows you to place the gps on a 'sticky' pad making removal fast and easy.

The Garmin StreetPilot gps is small, about the size of a baseball, and portable, you can take it out of the car and carry it with you around town or into the woods to help you find your way back to the car after hiking all day. There are many practical uses for the Garmin StreetPilot gps and finding your way in a big city is only one of them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charlie_Lee

Who Needs A GPS?

2008-04-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Who Needs GPS?

Most of you have probably heard of GPS (Global Positioning System). Originated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for military reasons, this technology has grown, as has its availability.

The basic idea is as follows: Orbiting the Earth are a number of satellites, whose purpose is to tell any reciever that may be tuned in its location on the Earth's surface. By reading signals from at least two, and hopefully three or more of these satellites, the reciever will then report its location. This readout varies; latitude and longitude or coordinate systems are the most common types used.

The accuracy obtained by the reciever is dependent on several things. In the past, the most aggravating were the built-in errors in the signals sent by the satellites, called selective availability. Additional hardware and/or software was required to remove, or at least minimize, these errors. The DOD has control of the signal quality, and their original claim was that these errors would foil any enemies of freedom that may be lurking about, ready to pound clean-living capitalists with super-accurate artillery fire.

With the widespread availability of DGPS (the "D" is for "differential") recievers and advanced software programs that can greatly reduce these signal degradations, producing sub-centimeter accuracy for the Land Surveying field among others, the continued signal degradation seemed more commercial than strategic. After all, if you were producing GPS recievers that normally achieve only fifty-foot or so accuracy, and also selling DGPS "add-on" equipment with which one can get sub-meter accuracy out of the same unit, would you want to stop these intentional errors? Heck no, you're making too much money out of this.

Edit: It's been years since the government announced the end of selective availability, but my GPS unit still goes strange on me from time to time. Perhaps it's been quietly brought back.

Having had my say on that subject, let's look at how GPS can help the hunter. Not long before writing this article, I obtained a Garmin GPS II Plus handheld reciever, which cost about $250. It's the first one I'd owned, and it's a nifty little thing. I bought it for one basic purpose: To map my hunting area.

Apart from its biggest failing, which is no fault of its own ("selective availability" of DOD satellites), it has proven to be a fine tool for this purpose. I worked as a land surveyor for years, and I walk (or drive) the back roads and trails storing waypoints at significant features like bends in the road, perimeters of clearcuts, etc., and then I take it home and manually enter the coordinates for each point into my computer (using AutoCAD), then connect the dots with lines, and eventually I'll have a map.

By marking spots on my map where I've found deer sign or seen deer and then comparing the overall lay of the land, I can get a much more complete picture of where the deer are likely to be, and where I should position myself to intercept them. By marking waypoints in latitude and longitude, you can also plot points of interest on USGS topo maps, which have the advantage of illustrating changes in ground elevation.

You can also use your GPS to get yourself "un-lost" if you need to. Say you park along a dirt road in the forest, and head off into the woods. Did you take note of the direction you were walking when you left? The direction the road was running?

No problem if you marked a waypoint in your GPS reciever before you left and called it "truck." When you realize it's getting late and you need to get back, use your GPS's "goto" function to provide you with a direct course back to your vehicle.

You don't even need a compass, at least with the Garmin; it'll provide you with course directions, and as you walk, it'll direct you to turn right or left in order to stay on course. But it saves battery life to get a bearing from the GPS, then turn it off and use a compass to follow that bearing. From time to time you can turn on the GPS unit to correct or verify your course.

The same applies if you shoot a deer and are unable to drag it out alone, or if you have to track one; mark where he was when you shot him, then mark a waypoint at each place where you find blood or other sign. If you run out of sign, a glance at the overhead view screen may show that he was headed in a constant direction, and you can try heading that way. And if you need help, "goto" your truck and go get some buddies, then "goto" your "shotdeer" waypoint and find him!

What I'm trying to say is that a GPS reciever can be very useful, though not always a necessity. I prefer to use mine when hunting unfamiliar territory, and the terrain lends itself to getting lost easily. The woods near my home are varied, but a few miles down the road there are acres and acres of continuous slash pine woods, and it all basically looks the same. Since the sameness tends to help one lose his way, that makes it a good bet for GPS. In a case like that, it's just good insurance.

-Russ Chastain

Waterproof Marine GPS System-Use It In Your Truck Or Boat

2008-04-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

For tracking water fowl or fish, nothing beats a waterproof marine gps system. A waterproof marine gps system usually come preprogrammed with a detail-rich marine category area specific and ready to use out of the box. Some, called a chartplotter, use the WAAS satellites technology in addition to the BlueChart g2 technology. There are many mid-range waterproof marine gps units which are 'plug in and ready' which most fisherman are looking for. These marine gps units are loaded with mostly United States coastlines, including Alaska and Hawaii. Most have an approximately 5" tall color display screen and can serve as a standalone plotter or together with other MFDs and sensors to broadcast XM weather, radar and sonar. This new generation of BlueChart graphics presents a smoother layer and better integration of map graphics for easy scrolling, zooming and planning. There is now a choice between the 'mariner's-eye-view' of 3D and the traditional 2D direct overhead view to make orientation and chart reading easier.

To be able to find a fish is nothing to a fisherman, he or she wants to find their feeding ground so they can catch more than one of them! Knowing the contours of the bottom of the lake will help you predict where those feeding grounds are and a waterproof marine gps system will help you do just that. One thing to remember is the lines on the gps unit show where depth changes, from the shoreline to the deepest part of the lake. When the water is warmest, fish stick to gentile slopes and when the weather is colder, they will be found in sharp changes in depth. Using a portable or handheld gps device will help you see exactly where you are on the lake making the job of finding the fish easier. And when you are ready to return to the shore, the marine gps works like a regular gps tracking device and takes you back to your starting point.

Older maps can become outdated with the blink of an eye. One storm changes the bottom of the lake or ocean and you can no longer find what you are looking for. This is one of the reasons a marine gps system is a good idea. If you end up lost on the lake or at sea, your waterproof marine gps system acts as a homing device, sending a signal out to alert search and rescue teams of your latitude and longitude, even in dense, thick fog, rescue workers will still be able to find you. Some of the more popular models of marine gps systems feature tide data and celestial charts offer information on water situation and most favorable fishing times.

One of the larger waterproof marine gps systems is a 5" bright screen which comes with preloaded maps of the Untied States inland lakes and simple, straightforward menus and buttons. This particular model comes preloaded with 5300 lakes with shorelines, navaids, depth contours and much more. Over 300 of these lakes have been enhanced with extra inland vision features. This is a 3D mariner's eye or fish eyes view that provides you with a 3-dementional perspective of the map's information both above and below the surface.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charlie_Lee

How Does GPS Work - A Guide To Navigation

2008-04-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

Orbiting the Earth there are over 24 Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. They were placed there by the United States Department of Defense. In 1983, then President Ronald Reagan, allowed public access to the entire GPS satellite network. Since then numerous uses have been found for GPS. One of the most recent innovations is in the use of GPS navigation systems.

The basic idea is quite simple: a GPS enabled receiver sends out a signal which is picked up by four, or more, satellites. Using the information received the GPS device can then accurately determine your location.

Obviously this is very useful, especially if you are exploring areas where maps are outdated or there aren't too many distinguishable landmarks. However, in cities the usefulness is limited. Most cites have plenty of signs and street names - you can easily tell where you are!

To make the GPS receiver more useful it can be combined with detailed maps. These maps are really just co-ordinates that are associated with places. So, when a GPS Navigation system determines the co-ordinates of your current location, it can actually tell, or show, you where you are in relation to your surroundings. Very useful if your are in a new part of town, a new city, or even another country.

Taking it one step further: if you need to travel to a specific destination, select the place on the GPS Navigation system and you can be guided directly there! No more thumbing through pages of maps and an end to getting lost.

There are many GPS Navigation (sometimes known as Sat Nav) systems. The basic operation and service on all of them is similar. There are some advanced uses for a GPS Navigation system: they can have a regularly updated database of speed cameras, or they can monitor traffic information so that trouble spots can be avoided. You can even get systems that can monitor your daily run, showing you the route and time taken; upload the data to a computer and you can have an instant chart of your progress.

There are many new innovations in GPS technology. However, the way GPS works will fundamentally be the same for many years to come.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karl_Baker

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Table of Contents

1. Loc8tor Plus

Verdict: Not Recommended

2. Ion Kids Child Tracking System

Verdict: Not Recommended

3. WorldTracker GPRS

Verdict: Highly Recommended

4. P-Trac Micro

Verdict: More appropriate for law enforcement than parents

5. SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker

Verdict: Only works outside. Good if your child is going camping.

6. Zoombak's GPS Car & Family Locator

Verdict: Relatively inexpensive, but better at tracking cars than people

7. GPS Snitch

Verdict: Like Zoombak, only more expensive

8. Amber Alert GPS

Verdict: Probably the most practical solution for parents

9. WorldTracker PLD

Verdict: Good if your kid is Agent Cody Banks

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