QStarz have announced what they claim to be the world's most powerful bluetooth GPS enabled data logger. It features a powerful MTK II chipset with a pretty high sensitivity of -165dBm and also has 66 channel tracking. With this high sensitivity, this device is essentially able to track weak signals. The device also features ultra low power consumption which can essentially operate the device for up to 42 hours. Certainly this is a commendable feature of this bluetooth GPS travel recorder.
Other notable features include sub-15s position acquisition, internal memory to log up to 200,000 waypoints and the ability to connect to a smartphone or laptop as a wired or wireless GPS receiver. Data can be outputted and mapped on Google Earth with the included software, with logging either done automatically or manually triggered via a button on the BT-Q1000X itself.
Here are some details on the hardware performance:
• Adopt MTK II latest chipset with high sensitivity -165dBm and 66-Channel tracking
• Ultra lower power consumption up to 42hrs operation
• Less than 15-Sec. AGPS fix support: download almanac data to realize faster TTFF and positioning under warm start
• Stand-Alone travel recorder to log up to 200,000 records (*)
• Easily switch Travel Recorder to LOG mode or NAV mode (Navigation + Log)
• Support button push manually to memorize your location immediately
• Update Rate 1~5Hz changeable by utility provided
• G-Mouse + Bluetooth in one: wired and wireless GPS receiver
• Fast Position Fix ,Cold start 35s, Warm start 33s,Hot start 1s
• Auto On-Off function for smart power control
• Personal/Portable Navigation (PDA, Smartphone, PC, etc.)
QZSS, DGPS(WAAS+EGNOS+MSAS) support
No word on the pricing or availability yet. This GPS travel recorder certainly looks like a must have for those intending to get a bluetooth enabled GPS data logger. The fast TTFF and long battery life are certainly excellent features to have on this GPS device.
[Via QStarz]
Read more...
Bluetooth GPS Travel Recorder: QStarz BT-Q1000X
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
Download Google Maps to your TomTom GPS device
Have you ever wondered how to download Google Maps to your TomTom In-Car GPS device? With GPS devices getting to be so cheap, it is definitely worthwhile to look at how to harness Google Maps in these devices. Google and GPS maker TomTom have partnered to make it easier to upload destination information into your in-car GPS. By following the instructions in this how-to, you can simply click on "send" in Google Maps to upload destination addresses and locations into your TomTom in-car GPS.
This will be an extremely cool feature when you are planning for your next vacation or business trip. Here are the steps you could follow to make use of this feature:
1. You will need a TomTom brand in-car GPS receiver to make use of this feature. Google Maps does not currently support other brands.
2. Install the TomTom Home software from a disk that came with your GO or ONE device. Update your Home software to the latest version (2.1.2.121 or later) for free by visiting the TomTom PLUS services page. Apple-compatible Home software is available for download, as well.
3. Connect your GPS receiver to your personal computer with its included USB cable or docking station. Turn on the GPS, and touch "yes" when it asks to connect to the computer.
4. You are ready to search for and upload a destination into your GPS. Open your Web browser and go to Google Maps .
5. Type a destination into the "Search Maps" box in Google Maps. Google Maps has powerful search features, a good reason for using it in concert with your GPS.
6. When you have identified the destination you sought, click on the "send" link (with the envelope icon) in the upper right of the destination map window.
7. A dialog box will apear with the options to send to "e-mail," "car," or "GPS". Choose GPS. This selection will automaically start your TomTom Home software with the selected destination information (and its exact coordinates) in place.
8. The TomTom Home software has now captured your chosen destination, and you have the options of showing on a simulated GPS map, navigating to the destination, or saving the destination to your favorites file. I find saving to favorites to be the most useful of these three options.
9. Now that you've mastered Google Maps-to-GPS, you can quickly update your favorites, and plan trips around pre-selected and pre-uploaded destinations. You'll spend more time on fun or business, and much less time looking for destinations!
[Via About.com]
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
GPS for the blind
Kudos to designers who create gadgets for the blind. This is definitely one really awesome and useful GPS device for the blind. This is basically a navigation aid for the blind.
"This product would help a blind person navigate city streets without requiring additional human aid. The benefits for the user are increased independence and freedom. The concept is a headset with built-in microphone and audio transducer. The headset would incorporate GPS, speech recognition, and obstacle detection technology."
This brilliant piece of technology enables the user to navigate easily through obstacles via audible tones of increasing frequencies. The user would be able to speak through a built in microphone and specify the address of the location that he wants to go. This is still a concept and is one of the entries in the "Create the Future Design Contest 2008" . The advantages of this system are hands free operation, lightweight, and obstacle detection.
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
GPS Cell Phone Tracking Software: BuddyWay
This cool GPS Cell Phone Tracking software called BuddyWay is definitely a must have if you would like to track your path during those long road trips. This software can be downloaded into your GPS Cell Phone and is absolutely free. You could also download it into your GPS enabled PDA. What the software does is it tracks the movement of the GPS Cell Phone and sends the information back to BuddyWay's server which can be viewed in real time or could be viewed at a later time.
All you need to do is to register and download the software from BuddyWay into your GPS Cell Phone or PDA and this software will track your movements on maps from Google Earth. You will be able to track and save your trips, share it with your friends (yes in real time), import and visualize your trip and even get trip stats like date, time, duration of a break etc. Like I mentioned, this software is absolutely free and is a cool tool for your GPS Cell Phone. If you would like to try it out, you can register and download BuddyWay.
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
You have A-GPS on your Cellphone - so what?
Quite a number of cellphones nowadays are built with A-GPS in the handset. But what exactly is this A-GPS? And how does it differ from traditional GPS devices? For starters, A-GPS stands for Assisted Global Positioning System while GPS stands for Global Positioning System (which is not assisted). So what assists the A-GPS system? If you have not understood this technology, this article is for you.
Traditional GPS system
Traditional GPS systems typically find orbit and clock data from relevant satellites (typically 3 or more) and triangulate your position. This will enable the GPS device to locate your position. One important factor to note is the TTFF or otherwise known as Time To First Fix. This is the time it takes for the GPS device to locate your position during a cold start and it can range from anywhere between 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. It really depends on the GPS chip which is on board the GPS device and also depends on the environment - the performance will not be good if you are around tall buildings or indoors. This is the typical characteristic of a traditional GPS system.
Assisted GPS system
Assisted GPS systems or A-GPS systems work under a different model. Typically the A-GPS system leverages something called as an Assistant Server which provides information on cell ID and other information which helps the device to identify which satellite it needs to lock to. The assistance server is also known as a Mobile Location Server. The server uses your closest cell phone tower and uses this to calculate your position. Since the server has better processing power than your cellphone or your GPS device, the calculation is typically much faster. Hence we are able to reap benefits such as:
- Faster TTFF
- Do not need a high end processor on the device
- Better battery life for your A-GPS device (your cellphone)
- You could even get location acquisition indoors
Traditional GPS systems were designed basically for outdoor use (remember, GPS systems were primarily designed for military purposes). But as we start to use GPS in our cellphones for locating points of interest such as the nearest restaurant, hospital or bar the technology has evolved to include A-GPS which is now almost the de-facto standard in most GPS enabled cellphones. So the next time you use your A-GPS cellphone to locate that watering hole during your vacation, you will be able to appreciate it better!
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
Cheap and Portable GPS from TomTom - for only $119
My friend recently told me "Did you know they sell GPS systems from TomTom for only $119?". Really? I didn't know that. I always have been thinking that the GPS systems from TomTom are pretty much on the high side when it comes to price. After all, quality comes with price right? But I got to know that he recently acquired one from Amazon at an amazingly affordable price. He told me about it and I decided to write up on it here.
I like my GPS system to be really portable. I don't intend to use it while driving all the time. I could take it with me during my outdoor trips or holidays as well. But I needed something which was fast enough in locking coordinates and cheap as well. Something I could throw into the glove box of my car would be good.
Even though the ONE, 3rd Edition is TomTom's entry-level portable GPS vehicle navigation device, it remains a complete solution with an incredible range of features. This portable navigation device features an updated chipset that provides better satellite lock and TomTom's new MapShare technology that lets you add your own map corrections and points of interest, then upload your corrections to and download other corrections from millions of other TomTom users via the TomTom HOME website. You could get yours here from Amazon.
TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
GPS Buyers Guide, 6 things you must know! by: Jason Wolf
Yes there are six things you need to know before you buy a GPS for your car or truck. What do most people use a car GPS for? The most popular use is to get turn-by-turn directions while driving from point A to point B. Some popular car navigational units are the Magellan Roadmates, the Tomtom, the Garmin Nuvi units, and the new Navigon gps units.
1 - Screen Size and sound are important. Especially while driving. The screen should be readable and bright, Also Make sure the buttons are big enough for your fingers, so that you aren't pressing multiple buttons at the same time. Vehicles are noisier than you may think. Driving noise can make it difficult to hear weak audio. Be sure to check out the sound quality to make sure you can understand what is being said. It should be clear and loud so that you can hear it in your vehicle.
2 - Downloadable Maps and memory. Most gps units come with maps built in. A lot of them can download maps as well. It is a good idea to puchase one that has the ability to download maps, so that you map doesn't get outdated.
Memory - the more memory the gps unit has, the more locations, waypoints, landmarks, and maps you can save.
3 - The time it takes a GPS to find and display information. This depends on the number of channels a GPS has. The more channels the unit has the better the reception. Take this into consideration. You don't want to have to pull over and wait for it to get map data if you make a wrong turn.
4 - Does the unit speak street names? This is very helpful. If it does not say the street names and it tells you to turn right. You may have to glance at the unit to check the street name. This can be dangerous.
5 - What type of batteries are used with the GPS? Are they normal rechargeable AA batteries or are they special manufacturer batteries? Also how long do they last.
6 - Bluetooth is great for those who need to use cell phones while driving, With Bluetooth the driver can make and receive hands-free calls through the unit's speaker and microphone, and view their telephone book and access caller ID on the screen. What an amazing feature. Of course blue-tooth enabled units are little more expensive.
Those are the six things you need to know before you buy a GPS.
Heres a quick note about mapping data:
All Magellan Garmin and NAVIGON GPS units use NAVTEQ mapping data, while TomTom uses Tele Atlas. I've done research online and found that both NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas are both good and I would not base my decision on which mapping data the gps uses.
Where to buy?
A good place to check prices is at: www.gpsreviewvideos.com
This website has video reviews of numerous gps units and links to compare prices. That way you can watch a video of the gps unit, compare prices from multiple sources online and get the best price.
About The Author
Jason Wolf
http://www.gpsreviewvideos.com
GPS Video Review Site
See how gps units work before you buy.
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
Garmin nuvi 260W portable GPS navigator
Garmin GPS products have always lived up to their reputation. This article looks at one of the smaller products from Garmin - the Garmin nuvi 260W portable GPS navigator. With an LCD screen measuring just about 4.3 inches wide, this is easily one of the most portable units made by Garmin.
Ease of use is one the strengths of the Garmin nuvi 260W. It comes preloaded with city maps along with a variety of different points of interests like hotels, restaurants, fuel stations and more. As with other GPS systems, you just need to touch the destination on the screen and the Garmin nuvi unit plots the route and takes you there. It even announces the names of the various streets making it unnecessary to take your eyes off the road. It also comes with a variety of travel tools such as:
- JPEG picture viewer
- World travel clock
- Currency converter
- Measurement converter
- Calculator
and more. It also comes with an SD card slot. This GPS gadget really packs a punch as one of the thinnest units with loads of features. Get yours here:
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
Locator 2000 GPS vehicle tracking system
One of the common problems faced by fleet companies and transportation companies is tracking the whereabouts of their vehicles. This becomes a concern as their fleet becomes larger and their coverage becomes wider as well. Global Tracking Communications Inc has introduced the Locator 2000 that is ideal for this situation.
Some of the features of this neat gadget include:
* Realtime vehicle location
* Realtime vehicle status (stopped, moving, or idling)
* Historical movement of vehicles
* Nearest vehicle to an address or another vehicle
* Custom landmarks for mapping and automated alerts based on vehicles' location
* Custom geofences for alerts when vehicle enters/exits geographic area
* Time reporting
o first start to last stop times
o idling times
o trip times
* Historical reporting (start time w/address, stop time w/address)
* Mileage reporting
* Vehicle maintenance alerts
* Backup battery (optional)
* Multiple telemetry (2 inputs and outputs)
The Locator 2000 automatically updates every 5 minutes, every hour or every day according to your needs. Logistics companies and taxi companies would definitely find this extremely useful.
Read more...
|
Bookmarks: :
|
|
