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.

This is done by using a GPS tracking software that allows you to log onto the software provider’s website and quickly determine the location of your netbook. With a few short clicks of your mouse, the location is graphically displayed on the screen. This is very helpful for you and any authorities who are searching for your property. There are other advantages to this GPS tracking software that we will illuminate in a later post.

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.

Another thing it does is to help companies determine if their employees are goofing off. Some companies (like construction companies for example) require employees to have company provided cell phones. These phones are obviously for communication but they also provide a benefit to the employer. And the benefit is, that if the employee goes “off site” for a long period of time, the employer will see that and will know that the employee was missing from the work site. The employer can then follow up to see if the absence was company-related or not.

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 some of the worst weather and terrain on the planet. Navigation was finally no longer relegated to relying on outdated maps. Instead, the military gained access to real time geographical data so they could quickly pinpoint their location.

Once the 1990’s rolled around, the commercial applications became obvious. So the United States government released some of the bandwidth for communications companies. Overnight, the automobile GPS companies and cell phone GPS companies sprang up to fill the gap.

And as with most technologies, the use of GPS has spread like wildfire across the globe and has inserted itself deep within our culture. Within 10 years, GPS went from a little known military application to a household word.

Because of its ease of use and its applicability to a wide range of environments and uses, you can now see people with GPS in their cars, in their earpieces, on their cell phones, in their watches or even inside any articles of clothing they may have.

If you are new the term GPS, stick around and we will help educate you on what GPS is all about and the different ways you can use it.