Archive for August, 2010

using Motion X GPS Drive on your iPad

Aug 30, 2010 , , ,


This dude has done it. It is not the most elegant way of using your iPad as a GPS navigation system but may serves as a proof of concept.

Like we said he’s using Motion X GPS drive as the GPS navigation software which only costs $3 to buy but you’ll have to pay $25/year to activate voice guided turn by turn directions.

Bad thing is there’s no built in map data, meaning all the maps have to be loaded over the air. Also it looks like there’s no text-to-speech to pronounce street names.

What’s your GPS navigation solution for your iPad? Let us know.

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ACR AquaLink View PLB with 406link

Aug 29, 2010 ,


Interested in a marine personal locator beacon? This one is ACR AquaLink View PLB and Panbo has a good review about it.

Because I’m also testing the Pro version of ACR’s 406Link service, the same “All’s well” short message and location link could have been emailed and/or texted to four other recipients. Frankly, though, I consider that Spot-like messaging feature quite secondary to the reassurance felt when you can test a critical safety device like this PLB all the way through the system (short of the rescue center). I also like how the 406Link user site keeps track of beacon tests, battery life, etc.

Amazon has a bunch of ACR Aqualinks varying between $366 and $650.

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garmin edge 800

Aug 28, 2010 , ,


Garmin just announced a new touchscreen device for cyclists called Edge 800.

It provides BirdsEye Satellite Imagery, has a bigger 2.6″ display compared to older Edge models. It can track all of your performance data, on and off road and always helps you find your way back to the start. Edge 800 tracks speed, distance, time, GPS position, elevation, calories burned, climb and descent. It syncs wirelessly through ANT+ technology with heart rate monitors and speed/cadence sensors. For even more data Edge 800 incorporates a barometric altimeter to pinpoint changes in elevation.

Edge 800 can displays temperature readings, changes time zones automatically, lasts up to 15 hours on one charge and alerts riders if they’re moving but the timer has not been started. Nice little feature.

Edge 800 costs $450 and Edge 800 Performance and Navigation Bundle costs $ 650.

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garmin’s major recall

Aug 27, 2010 , ,


You’ve probably heard this already but we’ll just go over a few of the details:

  • Garmin is recalling 1.25 million nuvi GPS navigation systems (796K of them in the U.S.)
  • there are issues with overheating batteries
  • they’re blaming a third party battery supplier
  • affected models are 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx, and 7xxT
  • however not all of these are affected, go here and check
  • battery supplier agreed the cost of replacing battery packs
  • Garmin says this won’t affect its financial results

Here is Garmin’s statement:

Garmin is voluntarily recalling certain nüvi devices that contain a specific battery that was manufactured by the battery supplier within a limited date code range. Garmin has identified potential overheating issues when certain batteries manufactured by the third-party battery supplier within a limited date code range are used in certain Garmin nüvi models with a specific printed circuit board (PCB) design. It appears that the interaction of these factors can, in rare circumstances, increase the possibility of overheating, which may lead to a fire hazard. Although there have been no injuries or significant property damage caused by this issue, Garmin is taking this action out of an abundance of caution.

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bushnell backtrack point >5

Aug 27, 2010 ,


Bushnell just upgraded their “backtrack >3″ to “backtrack >5″, a whole two new locations you can track for an extra $20. It is not currently in stock; maybe that’s a good thing because our favorite GPS X GUIDER which can store up to 300 points is in stock.

Bushnell backtrack point >5 has a different form factor and includes a nice little carabiner so you can attach it to your backpack or similar things. It is similar to other GPS backtracker devices in terms of other features such as the ability to include latitude and longitude, timestamp, and even temperature in this case.

It uses 2AAA batteries but they don’t report on how long it would last. We can’t imagine it would be that long before batteries run out with that relatively large backlit LCD display.

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new Cobra Platinum navigation system is for truckers

Aug 24, 2010 ,


Cobra just announced a new GPS navigation system called 7750 Platinum which has a 7″ screen and is designed for professional drivers. Cobra has added some new features with this model such as the junction view with lane assist, mileage log, and hours of service, etc.

Other enhancements include on the 7750 Platinum include visibility in sunlight, quick tabs for easy access to information such as the distances to weigh stations, etc, and also 3D images of junctions. Maps on the GPS navigation system for truckers are from TeleAtlas and include 1 million additional miles of road coverage in the US than the competing map provider according to the press release. Other software features include 17x more last mile (dock-to-dock) coverage and 4x more trucking attribute coverage on secondary highways.

The Cobra 7750 Platinum will be available at travel centers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $500.

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Nokia N9

Aug 24, 2010 , ,


Not to be confused with Nokia N900, Nokia N9 is the latest leak from China according to Engadget. If the rumors are correct Nokia N9 will be released beginning of December 2010, will have an aluminum construction, and run some version MeeGo operating system.

We can even see where the GPS receiver will be placed in the tear down gallery.

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they’re all after your lat and long

Aug 24, 2010 , ,

Check out this graphic summarizing all these new apps that let you share your location, also known as location based services.

Now that Facebook has entered the market with their “Places”, the competition for your location just got hotter. Before Facebook foursquare was probably the leader for “checking in” your location but we’ll have to wait and see how Facebook changes that. Just because Facebook is big doesn’t mean they’ll do well. Just look at Google Buzz for example. Exactly. The small difference here is that Facebook already has a ginormous 500 million user base to start with. It is quite an advantage.

Next time your battery runs out on your smart phone you’ll have something new to blame! All these platforms rely on your exact coordinates so they’ll have to turn on the GPS receiver which sucks out quite a bit of juice…

Read the rest of this entry »

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just give me the street adress!!!

Aug 23, 2010

We know xkcd loves GPS navigation systems as much as we do:


alt text says:

Yes, I understand that the turn is half a mile past the big field, but my GPS knows that, too. This would be easier if you weren’t about to ask me to repeat it all back to you.

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QStarz QTracker for real time GPS tracking

Aug 20, 2010 , , ,


QStarz finally comes out with a real time GPS tracking device. It is called QTracker and is still in sample phase. But we’re hoping we’ll get our own sample pretty soon. The idea is you put a SIM card (pre-paid recommended) in this device and dial this number from your personal cell phone and receive a text message back with a link to Google Maps. Brilliant! You can get moving alerts that can be sent up to three numbers. And it even texts you back when the battery is running low. The only thing you have to worry about is to find a SIM card that doesn’t charge you monthly fees for being idle and doesn’t expire.

This will potentially work in any country provided you plug in a SIM card that works where ever you are.

QStarz QTracker uses an MTK II GPS module which is capable of tracking 66 satellites at once. GSM frequencies it runs on are 850/900/1800/1900Mhz. It charges via mini USB in about 3 hours but the spec sheet does not mention how long it lasts. We’re hoping this real time GPS tracking device has an auto power off so it doesn’t waste batteries when your asset is parked somewhere for long periods of time.

We’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE: QSTARZ now ships worldwide.

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