GPS obsessed

There’s statistics out there that claim 90% of all New Year’s Resolutions are related to weight loss and usually the key ways people resolve to lose that spare tire are exercise and diet. Garmin’s Forerunner 405 helps with just that. Well, the exercise part anyway. The GPS-enable watch tracks all of the necessary vitals necessary to monitor your training, recording distance, time, heart rate when used in combination with an optional heart rate monitor, and even calories.

The Forerunner 405 stores all your runs, bikes, or swims in its memory, a handy feature if you want to go back and compare workouts, and it’s GPS reception is good enough to handle pretty much any urban or backwoods area. The majority of the on-watch navigation is via a thin silver touch bezel that circles the LED screen, and the Forerunner 405 even connects to your computer via a wireless connection so you can upload all your data onto your desktop or laptop. Possible via Garmin’s “ANT+Sport” connectivity system, it’s possible to upload workout from your computer to your Forerunner and even login to a Garmin online community that will be helpful in getting the most analysis and constructive criticism from your logged data.

Definitely not a cheap watch, but fully featured, the Garmin Forerunner 405 is available for $299 at Amazon.

Intellitrac’s X1 is a 12-channel, waterproof vehicle tracking system offering real-time GPS/GSM tracking, journey logging, geofencing control, and remote controlling.  A product of Taiwan-based Systech, the X1 can record conversations in your vehicle, features a tow alarm and will even record your vehicle’s mileage.  The light and compact device has a backup battery which has a lifespan of a little more than 3 days in case its connection to your car battery is disrupted, meaning this little gadget could be the one that saves your ass if you get stuck out in a winter blizzard miles away from the nearest signs of life.  So far though, the Intellitrac X1 is not available in the United States.

Random Posts

• February 11, 2009 — Lego, Alcatel team up to create modular Lego phone for kids
• September 4, 2008 — Navigon 2200T: “Genuine Entry-Level GPS Navigator” With Free Lifetime Traffic Reports
• July 8, 2008 — Rummble: A Unique Play On A Location-Based Mobile Search Engine
• March 11, 2008 — Royal Moves From Office Supplies To GPS With The Royal Expedition
• March 5, 2009 — Clear WiMAX network to hit 8 more markets in 2009

There is nothing like two hot technologies thrown together in one super functional unit, especially GPS and Bluetooth.  NaviSys manufactures the GR-312 receiver which is made up of two parts.  One part is the GPS receiver and Bluetooth, both built-in to a USB stick and the second part, a separate power source.  The USB can be plugged into a laptop or to an included car adapter which connect the USB directly to the power source.

The GR-312 can both provide GPS data to other outlets or be used as a standalone GPS logger and supplies your waypoints in KML format so you can view them on Google Earth.  So far no pricing info or availability dates have been announced.

Any GPS lover with a jailbroken 1.1.3 iPhone is probably disappointed right now with the dysfunctional faux-GPS feature.  When trying to find your current location on Google Maps, it attempts to load the page endlessly, but the load never actually happens.  Luckily Adam Pash from Lifehacker has outlined how to get iPhone’s faux-GPS working again.

“Just open up Installer and either re-install or install for the first time the Navizon GPS application. Once it’s installed, run it and find the switch labeled Invisible. If GMaps GPS hasn’t been working for you, you’ll notice that the switch is in the On position. Flip it to off, then let Navizon locate you once. After it does, try the current location button again. It should now be working perfectly (at least it does for me).“

Related Points Of Interest

• May 19, 2009 — SpotCrime maps your likelihood of being robbed, raped or murdered
• July 30, 2008 — RunKeeper: Track Your Running Distance On The iPhone
• June 12, 2008 — Apple Cuts Real-Time Navigational Apps From Developers
• December 31, 2007 — iPhone 1.1.3 Firmware Update Features GPS Functionality, If It’s Actually Real
• December 27, 2007 — Partfoundry’s locoGPS Allows You To Use iPhone As GPS

If you could add a GPS mod to your Asus Eee PC, would you do it? Hacker Torsten Lyngaas opened up his Eee PC and added a remarkable number of extra features including a GPS receiver. He was able to find a GPS DIY kit on ebay and with a little bit of fiddling was able to integrate it with his Eee PC to support most popular GPS mapping programs. If you want to see how he did it, he has the steps he took including plenty of photographs on his personal wiki. GPS was the only mod he pulled off though. The full list includes a USB hub, Bluetooth, card reader, flash drive, power switch, Wi-Fi, FM transmitter and modem!

Have you heard of Smarter Agent?  Happen to be looking for some new digs?  Have a GPS-enabled cell phone?  If you answered yes to the last two questions, but no to the first, let us tell you about Smarter Agent.

Smarter Agent is basically a mobile search platform that uses your cell phone’s GPS functionality to locate real estate listings from your mobile search location.  Using mobile search, Smarter Agent will locate apartments for rent, houses for sale (this spring), and even houses recently sold in the general area from which you conduct your mobile search.  Supported by service providers such as Sprint, Nextel, Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, the rapidly emerging mobile service won numerous awards over the past 3 years including a win for the Best Emerging Technology in 2006 from the CTIA.

Smarter Agent officially launched to the public with Sprint a little over a year ago and earns revenues through monthly usage fees.  This past summer, over 25, 000 people used the service, according to the company, with 35% of those users actually calling the owner of the found property arrange a viewing.  Not surprisingly, the company raised $6.2 million recently in their first round of funding from the likes of private equity magnate Ira Lubert, LLR Partners, Quaker Bio Ventures and Versa Capital.  The equity will be used to support further roll-out of real estate search services including the Homes For Sale application due out this spring.

Attention all Mac users! Garmin announced a new technology at the recent MacWorld conference codenamed Bobcat that lets Garmin GPS users transfer data such as waypoints, routes, and tracks via a USB port to their Macs. The software is considered pre-release meaning all the intended features are not yet functional, but Garmin plans to have completely developed software by the end of the year. You can download it at the Garmin website. Garmin also announced that they plan to release all maps in Mac format sometime this year, beginning with North America and Europe.

Don`t expect technological advancements in the GPS sector to stay solely in the realm of in-car and handheld navigation units. Take for example Making Virtual Solid, a New Jersey-based company, that’s developed Virtual Cable, an innovative in-car display very different from the typical GPS unit. Virtual Cable is a projected 3D image projected onto your windshield that appears as if it’s suspended over the road. The company claims it works better than voice command in in-dash or mounted GPS units because the cable appears to bend around the turn well before your arrival, eliminating any chance of potentially dangerous last minute maneuvers. Interestingly, the technological has to be installed in-factory and “can be integrated with any method of route planning: voice interface, in-car instrument panel screen, portable map display system, cell phone, PDA, or PC”. A detailed explanation of the Virtual Cable technology can be found here, but it is made up of components currently mass produced for other applications, and uses a volumetric head-up (HUD) display device located behind the dashboard of the car.

Another interesting GPS-related application comes from a cool company called Bug Labs, who were recently awarded CNET’s Best Of Emerging Technology Award at CES 2008 in Las Vegas for their snap-together electronics modules that with some Java programming can become any gadget you can imagine. Their online store just opened and one of the available modules available for the early adopter price of $79 is the BUGlocate, a GPS receiver that uses a SiRF chipset and active and passive antenna configurations to receive information from 20 separate satellites. The BUGlocate can also be integrated with other modules such as a touchscreen LCD display, motion detector and accelerometer, and a 2MB digital camera with a built-in flash.

Advancements such as these make me wonder what the GPS sector will look like in 5 years. Shipments are predicted to reach 900 million units by 2013, but technologies such as the Virtual Cable could render dash units defunct. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Image Credits: Making Virtual Solid, Bug Labs

Research firm ABI Research forecasts GPS shipments to exceed 900 million units by 2013 citing falling prices and improving technology. The research firm also figures that GPS will extend well beyond in-car solutions to pedestrian navigation handsets and Location Based Services. Technological advances we can expect include mobile social-networking services, geotagging with digital cameras, and toll booths that allow payment via GPS devices.

Navigadget apparently got their hands on spec sheets for the soon-to-be-released Maestro Elite 4350 GPS and though it didn’t specify any price information, it looks like it may be tagged somewhere in the $500 range.

Featuring a OneTouch user interface, real-time traffic info, and historical traffic data for over 750, 000 miles of roadway in 48 states that even includes average traffic speeds for every hour, of every day of the week, the Maestro also boasts voice command, 3D landmarks, text-to-speech, and AAA traffic info.

The touchscreen measures 4.3 inches, and its insides include a Titan GPS chip, SD card slot, Bluetooth, and an FM transmitter. Battery life extends to a reasonable 4 hours via a 2200mAh Li-Ion battery.

Related Points Of Interest

• March 3, 2008 — TomTom Go 930 And Go 730 Feature Advanced New Features: IQ Routes And Advanced Land Guidance
• March 3, 2008 — Navigon 8110: Navigon Continues To Impress
• January 29, 2008 — NaviSys Combines Bluetooth, GPS In the GR-312
• January 25, 2008 — Panasonic Strada Pocket Perfect For Making Your Way Around Tokyo
• January 4, 2008 — Pharos Starts Pre-CES Buzz With Trips & Pics Announcement