We have talked about using GPS devices to navigate in your car. We have talked about how using a GPS equipped cell phone can help you find your lost cell phone. We have even talked about how easy it is to “amp up” your workouts by using GPS watches. But one of the best ways to use GPS devices is to use GPS for childrenin order to keep them safe.
Most parents have work schedules that are far too hectic to imagine. And when they come home the chaos does not get any better. As a result, they can sometimes not pay 100% of their attention to their child. It is in these times that children often do go wandering about and go missing (or worse, get abducted).
If the child had a GPS watch or a cell phone equipped with GPS their parents might be able to track them easier and be reunited with them very quickly. And this would help parents and the authorities find the child if the child were merely lost. But what happens if an adult with malicious intent has taken their precious little one?
So what are the manufacturers that make the best GPS devices on the market today? This is the question that is typically asked of pretty much every GPS curious consumer and the answer to this question is invariably…
… it depends.
The three biggest GPS manufacturers are Garmin, Magellan and Tom Tom. Tom Tom has the best marketing campaign as most people recognize the “Tom Tom GPS” commercials from the radio and television. Magellan is another route to go if you are looking for GPS. Magellan’s “Roadmate” is an excellent choice in terms of using a car GPS device.
But the big gorilla in the world of GPS stands almost alone. This big hairy primate is Garmin GPS.
We mentioned before about the Garmin Forerunner series of GPS watches that are a boon to runners everywhere. Another way that Garmin helps you is with its Nuvi line of car GPS devices. In each price point for consumers, from Read the rest of this entry »
Another way to use GPS in your life is to get yourself a GPS watch. GPS watches are an easy way to not only keep track of where you are and keep track of your children, but can also be very beneficial to joggers and runners as well.
With the miniaturization that has taken over GPS technology, a GPS device can be fitted into something as small and inconspicuous as a wrist watch.
Runners completely benefit from this type of GPS device. Some of the best GPS devices for runners come from Garmin. Garmin is a leader in GPS technology and has developed its Forerunner series to assist them in their workouts. Read the rest of this entry »
Another way GPS is used by people is in cell phones as cell phone locators. GPS technology has developed enough to start becoming smaller and smaller. This process is called miniaturization. And the result is the ability to have GPS receivers in smaller and smaller devices. Hence, their presence in cell phones.
Cell phone location works by the same method any other GPS device works to get their location. It pings the satellite in orbit and vice versa and then establishes its position on the Earth’s surface. Another way this is accomplished is by triangulating between the different cell towers to determine which one you’re closest to.
In order to do this, you first need to make sure your phone is GPS capable. The phones produced today are GPS equipped due to the aftermath of 9/11 and the needs of emergency personnel in such disasters. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting a car GPS really means a lot in terms of saving your sanity when planning your next trip. Instead of worrying about reading the map correctly, you will simply input the address of the destination and then follow the directional commands from the GPS device. You don’t have to worry about getting into an argument with your wife about the correct route to take or listen to her harangue you for not stopping to ask for directions. You only need to simply consult the GPS device on your dash in order to get the correct navigational information.
The way car GPS works is that you make sure its plugged in (if an on-dashboard type) or on (if an in-dashboard type). Once it is on, you need to put the destination address into the device. In seconds, the automobile GPS will calculate the shortest and correct route to take.
As you travel along the route, the car GPS device will give you the correct route to follow. It will even go so far as to show overpasses just like you were driving under or over them. Some auto GPS units even have audio or voice commands so that you don’t need to look away from the road to get your directions.
Consumers now can use their netbooks as portable GPS devices. Yes, you heard that correctly! According to this article by CNN, with a Dell netbook you can use it like a smart phone so you can find out where you are currently located and where you will need to be and what route to take to get there.
Just by installing a GPS card into the Dell netbook, the user will be able to do all the things any normal GPS device can do. Dell is even claiming that users in European countries will be able to avoid roaming charges if they get the right accessories for their netbook.
One other thing that the article may not mention is that with GPS capability, you may be able to track your netbook if it ever gets lost or stolen.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) works through a constant communication between the GPS device on the surface and multiple satellites in orbit. The way it works is that the GPS device sends out signals and the satellite sends out signals back to it. The data is then analyzed and by determining how quickly the signal is returned by any particular satellite, the GPS device can establish where it is on the surface of the Earth fairly quickly.
This enables joggers to figure out how far or fast they have run, drivers to establish the correct routes to their destinations and even enables companies to keep track of their shipments and vehicles.
One of the nicest things about our world today is the video we can see to help us visually teach our students. Here is a nice video that explains the basics a bit better than we can.
Lots of people talk about GPS but don’t ever really stop to think what it is all about. What we’ve learned through our education is that GPS stands for Global Positioning system and it was originally intended for sole use by the United States’ military.
You see, back in the 1970’s and 1980’s the U.S. launched satellites into geosynchronous orbits around the Earth. The communications satellites are positioned in such a way as to see the entire planet’s surface. From their position high above the Earth, they can communicate with any GPS device on the surface.
The U.S. military used (and still uses) it to navigate its land, air and sea units around Read the rest of this entry »