Drop this into your child's backpack and keep track of them where ever they go.

There’s a nifty little device being sold at Best Buy which keeps track of your kids everywhere they go. It’s called the Little Buddy GPS Tracker and it uses global satellite positioning and cellphone technnology to help parents keep track of kids. And the best part is, parents can place the Little Buddy just about anywhere from backpacks to lunch boxes to even stick it into their pockets when they aren’t looking.

The accompanying website shows your child's exact location and can even send an SMS text should they move out of a designated area.

About the size of a USB thumb drive, the Little Buddy transmits GPS location data where parents can monitor a child’s whereabouts. And for $100, it’s a very affordable way to keep track of busy kids who can lose track of time and don’t show up when parents expect them to. It even has an SMS Text message option which will alert parents when children leave the designated area.

And the device is so popular, that Best Buy can’t keep it in stores. It’s on back order already.

Hat Tip – Engadget

This is essentially the role of AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Assistant). This robot head not only serves as a GPS Navigation system, but it actually has expressions. It’s eyes will look happy when you’re going the right way, and become a warning sign when you are not. There is a video of this intriguing concept after the jump if you aren’t already sold on it yet.

AIDA is more than a navigation system, though. It is intelligent enough to remember where you have been, and from this information determines your driving habits. It uses a lot of sensors to gather intel, and will even let you know when you’re low on gas, and where is the best place to stop for gasoline on your way.

AIDA is still concept for now, and is under development by MIT SENSElab, MIT’s Media Lab’s Personal Robots Group, as well as the Volkswagen Group of America’s Electronics Research Lab.

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Press Release

The PhotoTrackr Mini DPL900 is not only smaller but faster than the original, where it will go about geotagging your photos with aplomb in order to preserve your travel experience as you share all those lovely shots with family and friends over various online web albums such as Flickr or Picasa, giving a detailed account of any and all trips you have embarked on so far, alongside the ability to work with Mac software and RAW photos support. This has been a long time in coming, and was always one of the major gripes with Mac users in the past who wanted to buy the PhotoTrackr Mini DPL900 but never did so due to such a restriction. Looking like a USB flash drive, it certainly won’t evoke a sense of fear or trepidation and bulkiness when you tote it around.

If you are interested in picking one up, the PhotoTrackr Mini will retail for $69.

Press Release

The AAGPS will work best when used with the company’s BrickHouse Child Locator product that was featured in Duracell ads most recently. Unlike the Locator that relies on GPS technology to make sure that parents are alerted when their child wanders beyond a set distance of up to 600 feet, the AAGPS device will offer the ability to remotely locate your very own children when they are away, where the nearest way to catch up with them would be to buy a flight ticket and jet set across the continent. All the parent needs to do is place the Amber Alert GPS System into their child’s personal items such as pockets and backpacks, or a more direct approach by attaching it to a wrist, ankle, or belt. Whenever you call or text the AAGPS device, it will return a detailed map and address of the child’s exact location via any text- or web-enabled phone within seconds. Of course, you can also opt to view location updates on your computer if you so desire.

You know what they say – there are no limits to the price of safety and one’s life. The Amber Alert GPS might be rather pricey at $379 a pop alongside a compulsory monthly subscription plan, but contrast that with losing a loved one instead to see just how valuable this could be in the event of an emergency?

Press Release

Apart from that, the wristband tag would also be at home when used in other places including amusement parks, cruise ships and other hospitality venues – basically anywhere where there is a potential for children or adults to be separated from their group. This got me thinking as well – it would be great for tour operators to slap their ‘party’ with one of these each just in case the more independent minded tourists chart out their own trail, especially in crowded places. Businesses can also keep track of visitors to make sure they remain off-limits to sensitive areas, hence preventing unwarranted snooping around.

The T301W tag will function similarly to Ekahau’s other tags, offering an unprecedented degree of location accuracy, movement tracking and workflow visibility. Accuracy can be measured down to a few feet regardless of being in a confined area or open space. Features include a programmable push button that will send a pre-determined message to the RTLS system when pressed, following by processes that result from a sophisticated set of business rules. Expect the T301W tags to be out sometime in the fourth quarter of the year, retailing for approximately $60.

Press Release

Now, you may ask yourself: why would I want a shoe that is Bluetooth and GPS enabled? Well, if that shoe is linked to your phone via Bluetooth, it can use its GPS functionality to let everyone know where you are. That is, if you are willing to let your friends track you online. I suppose you could use these shoes to track people who tend to wander out of their safe zones, like the elderly or small children (assuming their little feet would fit in these shoes).

In all honesty, I’m really not famous enough to have anyone want to track me by my longitude and latitude. I’m guessing the people who are famous enough to have anyone care about their every movement probably have their own paparazzi following them around anyway. In that case, they probably wouldn’t want their movements to be tracked. Ah, don’t you just love the society we live in?

You can pre-order a pair of these Bluetooth and GPS enabled shoes on the Isaac Daniel Website for just $150.

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Using latest GPS technology, miniHomer works globally, under all weather condition, 24/7. It is an indispensible tool for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether it is for returning to the camping ground, remembering a favorite fishing spot, or getting back to a place of particular interest you came across during vacation, simply mark the location while you are at the place. Later miniHomer can guide you back to the exact spot no matter how far away you start.

No longer do you have to embarrass yourself (and blow it on your first date) by forgetting where you last parked your car!

Press Release

You won’t find the nüvifone G60 wanting if you are heading off to unfamiliar territory, since it will feature similar core features as that of a high-end Garmin nüvi GPS navigation device, complete with maps and millions of points of interest (POI) for North America. Those who pick up the nüvifone G60 can rest assured they’re thoroughly equipped to use the device as an in-car navigation unit, where it will come with a dashboard and windshield mount. The device itself can be comfortably mounted in the car or detached for portable navigational use whenever you park and decide to take a brisk walk to your destination – also, it prevents tempting folks from breaking into your car at the same time.

The nüvifone boasts a “Where am I?” feature, letting you obtain your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, nearest address, intersection, hospital, police station and gas station with but a single touch of the screen. Apart from that, you can also use the G60 to mark the position of where you parked your car (by virtue of its last removed place from the windshield mount), making it ideal for folks who can’t remember where they parked their car in a sprawling parking lot. Expect to fork out $299 for the nüvifone G60 after a $100 mail-in rebate and agreeing to a 2-year contract.

Press Release

The satellite part of the TerreStar Genus works Whenever cellular networks are unavailable, with TerreStar’s satellite functioning as a cell site in the sky to provide ample coverage so that you can remain connected while talking. Ideally suited for government, energy, utility, transportation and maritime users, it is useful as a critical communications back-up capability, making it an extremely potent addition to public safety agencies, first responders, emergency services and disaster recovery groups.

The TerreStar Genus smartphone will feature GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA terrestrial wireless connectivity with satellite voice and data capability in a standard smartphone size and form factor. It will be powered by an unnamed version of the Windows Mobile operating system (presumably 6.1, although we do hope it will ship with 6.5), coupled with features including a 2.6” touchscreen display, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth support and GPS navigation to help you get around easier. There is no word on pricing, although we do know that AT&T will have a package for consumers as well as their enterprise, government, small business customers and corporate liable users sometime in the first quarter of 2010. Ain’t gonna be cheap, that’s for sure.

Press Release

Want to know more about the Motorola CLIQ? We’re impressed with the device from what we’ve seen so far, despite it being Motorola’s first Android device in the market. Should the CLIQ take off, this might just be the smartphone that revives Motorola’s fortunes in the cellphone division, as it boasts the highly innovative MOTOBLUR solution which integrates your various channels of communications, ranging from work to e-mail and social messaging activity, merged together on the home screen so that you remain on top of all incoming status updates and messages at all times, allowing you to respond faster than ever before while being kept in the loop. This sounds appealing to Generation Now, but for those who want a slower pace of life, they would do well to stick to a standard cellphone without such bells and whistles.

Other features of the Motorola CLIQ include a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.1″ HVGA full touchscreen display, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with video capture capability, a 3.5mm headset jack, music playback, a microSD memory card slot and GPS navigation support.

Press Release

It is interesting to note that the Local Search will be powered by Google, where it will allow you to search with better pomp and vigor. Apart from that, the TomTom XL 340S LIVE will be able to take advantage of millions of Points of Interest which have already been pre-loaded onto the machine itself, where you can also access numerous shops and businesses via TomTom’s LIVE Services regardless of where you are, navigating there in the most optimal way possible. With TomTom’s exclusive IQ Routes technology, you can be sure to get to your destination in the greenest way possible, where routes are calculated based on historical speed measurements for every time of day and for every road segment, ranging from large highways to small local roads.

You will find the TomTom XL 340S LIVE to wirelessly receive real-time traffic speed and incident reports automatically within intervals of two to five minutes. All traffic delays can be heard audibly and shown on the screen as well so that your co-driver can also have a look at it just in case you are pre-occupied in other more important matters. Knowing just how high fuel prices have gone up during the last couple of years, it would also be nice to know just where the best buys are where fuel prices are concerned within your immediate area. The new TomTom XL 340S will retail for $299.95 and comes with three months of LIVE Services.

Press Release

Each purchase of the Magellan RoadMate 1700 will come with preloaded maps of the 50 United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, where one will be able to benefit from highway lane assistance, spoken street name guidance, mini USB 2.0 connectivity, a microSD memory card slot, a multi-destination routing with route optimization and integrated AAA TourBook guide travel information to help you get around safe and sound. In fact, if you already know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there, kids can always be entertained by the Magellan RoadMate 1700 thanks to its video-In jack that can be hooked up to an iPod or other compatible video source to watch live video over its bright 7″ display. You’ll need to get your own cable though.

The Magellan RoadMate 1700 will come with a windshield mount and cradle, cigarette lighter adapter, protective pouch, USB data cable and an adhesive disk for dash mounting. It will set you back by $299, but you can always fork out more money for additional accessories such as cases, pouches and additional mounting options.

Press Release

The Yardage Pro GPS is like a caddy in your pocket.

Golf is a great, yet perplexing game. A budding duffer gets both relaxation and the utter stress of trying to figure out how to beat a damn little white ball with a stick. But what’s really frustrating for me is looking where my lie is and trying to guage how far out I am so I can choose the right club. The Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC GPC can help mitigate some of that stress and frustration. But you still have to work out that slice.

The Yardage Pro has a sharp high resolution LCD screen which gives shot information in full color and with it’s matte finish, can be seen with little glare in bright ambient light. The Yardage Pro gives you distance to hole information for up to 100 different courses around the world and can be updated with a simple upload. It has both hole up tracking and down the hole fairway perspectives and even keeps track of stroke information.

Comes with scorekeeping and statistic utilities, rechargeable lithium ion battery, belt clip and storage pouch.

Only downside is it’s cost … $350 from Bushnell.

Hat Tip Travelizmo

The nüvi 1690 when used in combination with nüLink! will basically place the most comprehensive set of POI search capabilities in your hands, unrivalled by any other PNDs in the market. With Google’s local search, you are automatically able to bring online points of interest (POIs) to your fingertips in a snap, letting you look for destinations using names or keywords – similar to what one does on a computer. In addition, Garmin has also thrown in a “quick search” function that enables one to look through various categories including food, lodging and fuel, doing away with the need to type a word or phrase into the search box.

The nüvi 1690 also holds the distinction of being Garmin’s first mobile navigation device that is able to turn traditional social networking into location-enabled social networking through the use of Ciao!, a patent-pending social network application which will connect multiple location-centric social networks into a single application. This allows you to share your current location with family and friends, while seeing where they’re at as well. The US-bound nüvi 1690 will also be equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, where it will come preloaded with maps of North America. Exepect to fork out $499.99 for this delectable puppy.

Press Release

The Edge 500 is one of those bike consoles that can do quite a lot more than your average bike console. Not only can it track the user’s GPS position, but it also gives the user readouts for velocity, distance, time, elevation, as well as climb and descent. It can also detect temperature, and will even change time zones automatically. Yes, a bike with an Edge 500 on it will call all other bikes wimps.

When connected to the Garmin heart rate monitor, the Edge 500 can detect changes in the user’s heart rate. This information can be used to detect the calories burned on the ride. As for the battery life, it is good for about 18 hours worth of “play-time”.

Apparently, Garmin was inspired by actual Tour De France rider Christian Vande Velde. He suggested a small device with a big screen, easy-to-use buttons, and a sturdier mount, “and Garmin listened”. By the way, Vande Velde is a member of Team Garmin’s bike team, so I really hope that they always listen to him.

The Edge 500 is going to be available soon for a retail price of $249.99, and $349.99 with the heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor.

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The upcoming Nokia 5230 enables consumers to obtain new content from the Nokia Music Store, and it doesn’t only cater to just music as it is also capable of purchasing applications, games, videos and other services from the Ovi Store straight onto their handsets after making a virtual transaction. Other practical applications of this new Nokia cellphone would include A-GPS navigation and the latest version of Ovi Maps complete with aerial images and 3D landmarks that works great for more than 200 major cities alongside terrain map views for clearer pedestrian and drive navigation.

Interestingly enough, the Nokia 5230 doesn’t fall short in terms of battery life, offering up to 33 hours of non-stop playback on a full battery charge. It also supports the Comes With Music service that is still in its infancy, offering all you can eat music at a set price. Currently, the Nokia 5230 with the Comes With Music service will be going for 259 Euros before subsidies and taxes. Nice to see Nokia include a 3.5mm headphone jack that makes it suitable for use with most common headsets without having to fork out more money for a proprietary model. The Media Bar offers quick access to your favorite media and applications in a flash for quicker and faster navigation. Expect to see the Nokia 5230 ship sometime in Q4 this year.

Press Release

The Amber Alert GPS 2G allows parents to limit their children’s boundaries by coming up with a pre-designated safe zone regardless of where they are. In addition, the device will help create a “bread crumbing” trail of the children’s route using a series of alerts. Not only that, it goes the extra mile by alerting the parent that the child has reached their designation safe and sound, while voice monitoring and the ability to monitor the vehicle’s speed surely go a long way in making this a “must buy” device for new parents who are anxious to keep tabs all the time and do not want to let one moment of carelessness result in a disaster. As for the kids themselves, they can also access an emergency button to alert the parent whenever they are in need of help.

The Amber Alert GPS 2G will retail for $379.99 a pop, but you do have to fork out an additional $9.99 monthly for the basic subscription. Depending on other plans, you will have to pay even more per month which could put a damper on your monthly budget considering the current tough economic weather, but there isn’t really too high a price to pay for safety, is there? Eternal vigilance is the phrase I’m looking at here…

Press Release

It would appear that the innovative designer is working on another device that has become common: the GPS device. His “Navigarius” uses a round display as opposed to the traditional square models. It also includes touchscreen controls, USB connectivity, a microSD reader, as well as a cigarette lighter adapter.

I can think of other features that my source does not list off. For example, voice recognition. However, that’s starting to become a standard on many GPS devices these days, especially with those cars with it built-in.

At the risk of gadget-gushing, I will have to say that I love it. Personally, I think this design will probably be picked up, and quite soon. In fact, I think that its design is so revolutionary, that I could easily see it on every dashboard in the future.

So are we looking at an age where we see a GPS device with a rectangular screen and say: “oh, that is so quaint”. Do you remember just ten years ago, when all of our computer displays were huge and square. Flatscreens changed all that, and I see the same potential for the Navigarius.

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