GPS Notes
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October 29, 2005
Hiding a geocache
Lots of readers of this blog are geocachers so here's a post just for you - tips on hiding a geocache! Keep caches as small as possible - the bigger they are the harder they are to hide. Color caches... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 5:26 PM. | TrackBack
Garmin StreetPilot 2730, 7200 and 7500
Funny how companies upload manuals and other information for devices before they are released, thinking that no one will notice! The other day Garmin uploaded the manuals for the new StreetPilots - the 2730, 7200 and 7500. If you want... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:28 AM. | TrackBack
October 27, 2005
Emappz
Emappz has released a beta version of their free (well, ad-based) GPS navigation software for mobile phones. Emappz uses the RaveGo Location Platform from Idevio which produces rotating maps, 3D views, streaming data transmission, routing, POIs, etc. Data is supplied by NAVTEQ.... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 7:24 PM. | TrackBack
Trusting only your GPS is foolhardy
Aunty Spam has an interesting post about a vacation that turned into a nightmare because of a GPS unit in an Avis rental car. Car GPS units are supposed to help you navigate from here to there without a snag.... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 7:18 PM. | TrackBack
October 25, 2005
'Spoof' Summary of the book
Today I got yet another query about my book "Hacking GPS" asking where in the book it explains how to use a GPS as a metal detector. My usual reply is "Oh dear! Sorry. Hacking GPS doesn't actually cover turning... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:00 PM.
Pretec CF GPS serial port hack
Here's the details of a great hack - modifying a Pretec Compact Flash GPS to work off of a standard RS 232 serial port. As usual, this will totally void your warranty but is otherwise good, clean fun! (via Hackaday)... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 5:13 PM.
October 24, 2005
TomTom ONE
TomTom have announced TomTom ONE – another small GPS navigation/travel gadget. TomTom ONE is a small, hand-held device measuring 4.3 x 3.5 x 1.3 inches and a 3.5-inch 320 x 240 resolution touch-screen. It comes with 32 MB of RAM... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 5:14 PM.
October 21, 2005
Memory Map Toughprint Waterproof Paper
Waterproof paper – now there’s something that we just can’t resist testing! Toughprint by Memory Map is marketed as a 100% waterproof paper suitable for colour and black and white printers and copiers (there are different flavors for inkjet and laser).... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 3:26 PM.
October 19, 2005
NAVTEQ also announced the released
NAVTEQ also announced the released a new data set, specifically tailored for the trucking industry, that provides truck access restriction and recommended truck route information linked to the NAVTEQ map of North America. The NAVTEQ North American truck attribute data... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:14 AM.
NAVTEQ to power HP iPAQ hw6500
Today NAVTEQ announced that digital map data for North America will be available on the new HP iPAQ hw6500 series Mobile Messenger. Easy to install, NAVTEQ maps drive the iPAQ Mobile Messenger’s navigation solution that features: Graphic, text, and voice-prompted... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:12 AM.
October 17, 2005
Magellan RoadMate 800 features
The Magellan RoadMate 800 has some new and exciting new features and takes shows an evolution of GPS receivers from just navigation devices into fully fledged on-the-move navigation systems. Easy-to-useGPS navigation is easier than ever with simple touch-screen menus, easy... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 7:02 PM.
October 16, 2005
Magellan RoadMate 760
CNET have reviewed the Magellan RoadMate 760 and have rated it 7.7 out of 10. The pros and cons listed are pretty much what people are saying about the RoadMate elsewhere on the web: Pros Fast route calculation Good detour... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 11:04 AM.
Garmin StreetPilot 2720
PCMag has a review of the latest vehicle-based GPS receivers from Garmin – the Garmin StreetPilot 2720. Their results are interesting to say the least: Bottom Line It's hard to find fault with the 2720; an impressive screen, live traffic... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:55 AM.
October 15, 2005
GPS coordinates in RAW files
Good news for GPS users that also enjoy digital photography and using Photoshop – Adobe have added GPS coordinate support in Adobe Camera Raw 3.2 plug-in for Photoshop. This supports coordinate info in RAW files such as the Nikon NEF... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 6:24 PM.
Vodafone's GPS-compatible 3G handset
Vodafone KK announced Thursday it will commence sales of the Vodafone 903T 3G handset by Toshiba, the world's first's mobile handset capable of network-assisted GPS navigation both in Japan and abroad, in the Kanto-Koshin region, with a nationwide rollout on... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 3:31 PM.
October 14, 2005
MeHere GPS Tracking
MeHere is a GPS tracker for Google Maps that outputs a real-time KML file so that you can plot the location of others on Google Earth. MeHere also makes the GPS data available to other applications using scripts (such as... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:32 AM.
October 12, 2005
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006
Just released – Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006. This navigation package comes in two flavors – Standard and with GPS Locator. In case you’re wondering, the difference is that the GPS Locator version comes with a GPS receiver. This from... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 9:50 PM.
October 11, 2005
Sierra Nevada hotel adds geocaching
Interesting story in the San Francisco Chronicle about a hotel in the US that offers geocaching to guests. In fact, Tenaya Lodge have tweaked the program and are offering offers both a hiking and a mountain biking version of its geocaching program.... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:45 AM.
Laipac S-911 Personal Locator
There is increasing use of GPS in safety equipment and the Laipac S-911 represents the latest in personal safety. The S-911 is state-of-the-art wireless technology combining indoor GPS capability. The S-911 can provide global coverage by making use of the... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:39 AM.
Rockwell Collins get GPS Contract
Defense Industry Daily is reporting that Rockwell Collins Government Systems have received a $50 million ($49,999,999 to be exact) contract to provide Rockwell Collins Security Devices for Global Positioning System receivers. These receivers will incorporate anti-spoofing and Precise Positioning Services... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:22 AM.
October 10, 2005
DIY GPS tracker
Introducing Mologogo. What is Mologogo? It’s a free service that will let you track a GPS enabled cell phone from another phone (no GPS required by the tracker) or via the web. And the great thing about Mologogo is that it works on pretty... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 7:34 PM.
October 9, 2005
The "Ultimate" GPS
Want to impress your geocaching buddies and get the ultimate in accuracy when out and about? then you need the Trimble GeoXH. The GeoXH is an awesome GPS receiver – It is a Pocket PC-based device that achieves its accuracy... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 1:54 PM.
October 8, 2005
GPS - The Movie?
You’ve read the book, now see the movie. Well, OK, it’s not based on the book (I’m not sure yet whether this is a good thing or a bad thing). Either way, it’s finally happened – GPS The Movie. It seems... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:10 AM.
October 7, 2005
Leadtek 9553
The Leadtek 9553 Miniature Bluetooth GPS receiver is a receiver with a difference. Not only is it small and light weight, it is also the first GPS receiver to make use of the SiRFstar III architecture. The Leadtek 9553 is a high performance... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 9:28 PM.
Preventing vibration induced GPS shutdown
CycoActive have a very interesting page looking at how to properly hardwire a GPS to a motorcycle to prevent vibration induced shutdown ruining your GPS experience. The have some very good advice – such as eliminating spring fuses, taping up... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 8:48 PM.
GPS and IPX
If you live in Europe or have an European GPS then take a look through the manual for a GPS and you might come across a mention of IPX7 or IPX8. These tends to throw a lot of people because they... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 8:34 PM.
GPS drawing
Looking for something to do this weekend? Take a look at GPS drawing! The concept is simple – you switch your GPS on, walk a path and draw a picture using the track log stored on the receiver. If you... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 8:15 PM.
What is mAh?
We talk a lot about batteries in relation to GPS devices and one thing that we mention a lot is the rating of batteries as measured in mAh. Question is, what is mAh? mAh stands for milliAmp hour and is... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 5:36 PM.
NAVTEQ to create Australian maps
GPSreview.net is reporting that NAVTEQ have announced that they are to work with PSMA Australia Limited to create the first digital maps of Australia. Given the scale of Australia this is a massive undertaking and it will be very interesting to see... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 12:41 PM.
October 6, 2005
Memory Map V5 - First Look
Let me take you on a quick tour of a few of the new and exciting features present in Memory-Map version 5. This is just going to be a very quick review based on the sample maps available from Memory-map... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 7:30 PM.
Google Maps no longer a "beta"
Only a minor point but Google have taken Google Maps out of beta. Looks like the final re-tweaking of the interface was part of the roll-out! Technorati Tags: GPS, Satellite Navigation, mapping, maps, Global Positioning System, Google, Google Maps... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 6:11 PM.
October 5, 2005
Magellan firmware (correct to Oct 5th)
Vehicle Navigation Products PRODUCT UPDATE VERSION COMPATIBLE WITH Magellan RoadMate 700 North America (What's New in Firmware Update v4.32) 4.32 v 4.00 - 4.26 Magellan RoadMate 700 Europe (What's New in Firmware Update v4.31) 4.31 v 4.00 - 4.25 Magellan... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:00 PM.
Google Maps revamp
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one bothered by Google swapping which side of the screen the map and the search results are on. It used to be that the maps were on the left and the... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 9:20 PM.
Memory-Map V5
The good folks at Memory-Map have released V5 of their mapping software. New features include: 3D-World™ - visualise routes in continuous 3D landscape Create and save 3D Fly-through movies of routes and tracks Multi-page maps - print maps at any... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 1:53 AM.
October 3, 2005
Garmin GPS firmware (correct to Oct 4th 2005)
Garmin mapping applications Product Name Software Version Date MapSource Beta 6.9.0.2 Beta September 30, 2005 MapSource 6.8.0 August 12, 2005 nRoute multiple May 11, 2005 Firmware for current Garmin products Product Name Software Version Date cf Que 1620 2.70 April... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 11:58 PM.
Garmin acquires MotionBased.com
Garmin have today announced that they have acquired the online GPS mapping service MotionBased.com. The why is pretty clear from the press release: MotionBased Technologies, headquartered in Sausalito, California, is recognized for processing GPS and other data (e.g., heart rate)... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 5:42 PM.
Magellan RoadMate 800
Look out for the new Magellan RoadMate 800 later this month (or the beginning or November). As well as being a GPS navigation aid it’s also sports an integrated 4.5 GB hard drive and is capable of playing MP3 files and... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 2:01 PM.
Mio 268 and 269 map update
Mio are providing European map updates to version 2 free of charge for Mio 268 and 269 units. Download available direct from Mio. Technorati Tags: GPS, Satellite Navigation, Maps, Mio, Mio 268, Mio 269... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 1:49 PM.
Garmin StreetPilot 7200
Look out for the latest Garmin vehicle-based GPS to hit the streets – the StreetPilot 7200. Apart from all the typical vehicle navigation features that you expect on a GPS it also has some interesting and at present unique features. ... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 10:41 AM.
October 2, 2005
Removing scratches from a GPS
The reports of the new iPod Nano being easily scratched has resulted in a lot of interest in the blogsphere about removing scratches from electronic devices, and because GPS receivers spend most of their working lives outdoors they pick up... continue reading.
Posted by Kathie 11:06 AM.