GPS gadgets

ARKNAV is slowly but surely making a name for itself in the GPS navigation market, and their latest device would be the R-35 GPS Tracker.

Our extremely compact GPS tracker features a built-in motion sensor and is ideal for movement detection or anti-theft applications with vehicles or other assets. It is so lightweight and compact that it can even be used as a stop-motion detection device for the elderly — with alerts when subjects are not moving. And our tracker can be housed in an optional magnetic waterproof box with either a large rechargeable battery or external I/O power cables for easy attachment to vehicles.

This brings to attention that motion detection is of utmost importance where the elderly or chronically ill are concerned, and with the R-35’s integrated motion sensor, it sounds and looks like the perfect solution for stop-motion detection. Of course, you can also utilize this motion sensor to be set for movement detection for asset or vehicle security.

Press Release

Garmin is a well known name when it comes to GPS navigation systems, and their latest foray into the market includes expanding its relationship with BMW Motorrad, where both of them have joined forces to develop the next generation BMW Motorrad Navigator known as the Navigator IV. This is a motorcycle-friendly GPS navigator which will be based on Garmin’s zūmo 660, where it aims to bring out the level best of Garmin’s navigation technology, merging that with exclusive, BMW specific features including a customized mount, preloaded BMW dealer database, unique audio and Bluetooth handling capabilities, and more.

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VirtualHud gives heads up display to the private pilot

Like every private private pilot, I have a dream of enjoying a flight with a heads up display so I can spend most of my time looking outside the window, rather than having my head buried in the instruments. And now, the technology for a HUD is now available which utilizes the plane’s propeller as a projection screen, and it’s called VirtualHud.

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Despite enjoying the great outdoors, not everyone is naturally skilled at finding their way back from where they came from.  Even with a compass, if you happen to have a bad memory, it’s not going to go well.  Under the wrong circumstances, losing your way can become catastrophic quickly.  Well instead of attempting to find your way back to your camp with a compass alone, you could use this Qfinder instead.  It won’t appeal to those that prefer to figure things out on their own, but for those that are rookies at navigation, it’d be great to have around.

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Some of you might remember the Knight Rider GPS from Mio, but most drivers aren’t all men of action like David Hasselhoff. Some of us are the average working class guy like Homer Simpson.

Perhaps this is why TomTom invented the voiceskin of Homer Simpson for their GPS. Instead of a robotic, ersatz voice box telling you where to go, why not the most beloved cartoon dad of the last 20 years?

Homer says things like “whoo-hoo, you have reached your destination” and “at the end of the road, turn left, then take the motorway, hee-hee-hee”. I imagine that the studio had Dan Castellaneta in a recording studio for a day to make these vocal recordings. I hope he was sufficiently compensated, because I once heard that the Simpsons cast make about one million per episode.

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Regardless of whether you’re an avid golfer or one who just likes to tee off once a month at the greens, GPSGolfShot is able to cater to your needs. This is not a new way to strike the ball, but is instead an application that will be made available to Verizon Wireless customers on an exclusive basis, relying on GPS technology to help golfers navigate through new and familiar golf courses. Knowledge is (potential) power, and applying such knowledge ought to give you an edge over the rest of the competition if done in the correct manner as you will hold all the relevant information about the course on your handsets before you even hit the ball once.

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I realize that this headline might trigger surveillance society fears in some of our readers, but this article isn’t about putting GPS trackers in everyone’s footwear. No, putting a GPS in someone’s shoes is only a way to keep tabs on those who need it.

GTX Corporation and the shoe company Aetrex originally developed this technology to track elderly patients who have Alzheimer’s.

For those who do not know about Alzheimer’s, it is a condition (not a disease, even though it is often referred to as one) that involves both short and long term memory loss. Sometimes the victim is really lost in his or her own world of the past, and doesn’t realize he or she is very much in the present. In short, a victim can be as helpless as a wandering infant. I’m sure some of you have older relatives who have been afflicted with this.

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I find camera phones to be extremely useful these days as the camera is used to snap a photo of the level as well as spot where I parked my car, allowing me to find my way back there once I’m done at a mall. Well, for those who think that this method isn’t good enough since some sprawling malls can get very confusing with multi-level car parks and such, the ECCO GPS keychain sounds like just the right tonic to have.

Simply ‘lock’ in your starting location, go do your thing, then follow the ECCO’s idiot-proof LCD display. You’ll be tucked up before you can say ‘I’m sure I turned right at that big tree.’ Cooler still, the ECCO will store up to three locations, so you can find your way back to your remote guesthouse via the pub with a quick pit stop at that kebab shop you stumbled across the night before. Despite its diminutive dimensions, the ECCO utilises the very latest GPS technology. Satellite acquisition time is 30-60 seconds max, and it is accurate to within 10m.

Can’t really argue with that sort of accuracy eh? One thing though - what happens if you’re in an underground car park - will the £69.95 ECCO GPS keychain still be able to obtain a position lock?