What Are GPS Systems and What Are They Good For? by: Shakib Nassiri

GPS systems all started out in the army in the year 1970. In the army, many soldiers needed navigation systems to know their directions around other countries. Without this device it would be really hard for them to find their way around. This device has saved much of the soldiers time in war and has also saved them many lives. GPS systems are very powerful devices and are a great navigation system to use to get around. So what exactly are GPS systems? GPS which stands for global positioning system, according to dictionary.com is: A system of satellites, computers, and receivers that is able to determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth by calculating the time difference for signals from different satellites to reach the receiver. GPS systems have gone for beyond just serving the army. They now serve just about everyone. These navigation systems help drivers find there way through city streets and help hikers find their way through the rough terrains of the mountains. They also help pilots find their way around the skies as well as helping mariners find their way around the great sea. The GPS systems technology can help serve anyone in need of it. GPS systems are especially a great thing to have for men, and I’m sure all women would agree. As everyone knows men don’t ask for directions. If a man is just to cool to ask for directions he could simply use his navigation system and would never get lost and of course would never have to ask for directions again. This saves the time of the wife who always would have to end up asking for directions. If you really think about it, using the GPS to get directions is a form of asking for directions, but shhhh don’t tell any man this. When you decide to buy a GPS system for yourself, I would recommend any Garmin GPS. Garmin’s are the number one brand name for GPS’s and I’ve heard nothing but good things from people who have bought them. By all means do your research on all different types of GPS systems but at the end you’ll realize that no other navigation system can beat the Garmin brand. About The Author Shakib Nassiri, CEO of SplayTech – For the lowest priced GPS systems or any other consumer electronics product please visit http://www.splaytech.com

Panasonic Cell Phone Accessories - Working For Everybody by: Martin Smith

If you check out cellular reviews and comparisons you will find Panasonic wireless hand sets (cell phones) rated among the very best available and the extensive line of Panasonic cell phone accessories are also among the best for quality and performance. The right accessories can greatly enhance the cell phone experience. When looking at cell phone accessories you need to separate wants and needs. The one absolute necessary accessory is a battery charger. After all, no matter what bells and whistles your phone has, it is worthless if you can't use it. You will also need a hands free vehicle set. In some localities it is required by law if you are going to be using your phone while driving. Other Panasonic accessories you may want to look at are joysticks for gaming, crystal or flashing keypads and antenna boosters, battery chargers, spare batteries and antennas, changeable faceplates in lots of funky fun colors, USB cable, and connectivity kits for your Panasonic camera phone model EB G60VAVFVMGSM Mobile Photo cell phone, or one of Panasonic's three other camera phones. The batteries do not go on forever so you will need a battery charger for your home or office and one for your car. You may also want to keep a spare battery around. Antenna booster for areas with weak signals are another good choice. You can also get Panasonic MP3 players and FM radio head set to listen to music between calls. Whatever accessories you choose, you can rely on Panasonic to offer high quality, high performance, affordable accessories. About The Author Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice on purchasing a variety of Cell phone plans and more! His numerous articles are a resource of interesting and relevant information. http://www.mobile-n-cell-phone.com.

Location Sensitivity - Cell Phone GPS by: Robert Lett

by: Robert Lett This is basically a system to locate the handheld when making a call to 911. In the mid to late 1990's, many people got cell phones just for the emergency use of being able to call for help almost anywhere. The problem came up when statistics showed that almost 92% of all serious 911 calls, (where the person was just barely able to make the call), they either didn't know where they were or was unable to tell the 911 operator where they were, or they might not have been able to talk at all. This caused a big concern, 911 operators couldn't do anything but listen to the person on their cell phone as they pass away. The Location Sensitivity system still doesn't work if you are in an area that only has an analog signal. (Which is the older cellular system of the mid 1990's and earlier). Most metropolitan areas and all interstate freeways are covered by the newer digital service. It's just when you get out in the middle of no-where, you might end up with an analog signal. Most! phones will display the letter "A" in the top right or left corner when using this system. Check your phone documentation, some phones don't even have this capability. Which means if you get into one of these areas, you can't make any type of call what-so-ever. Soon, the Location Sensitivity feature will probably be offered by the cellular companies as part of their pricing plan. Some carriers like Nextel are already taking advantage of this new technology by giving customers a GPS location service along with their calling plan. If you don't have this option with your carrier, and you have a Smartphone you can always purchase one of the SD slot GPS units that works with mapping software. The program I've really enjoyed is Mapopolis, which works great with most of the popular GPS hardware available. And most even have a voice activation that will tell you where to turn, which is directed through the speaker phone portion of the Smartphones. The ability to have GPS information and mapping on your handheld will be a great plus while traveling. Back to the Location Sensitivity. I'm just wondering how much the cellular companies are going to charge for such a GPS type service!? I'm sure they're all working hard right now on the new pricing plans that we'll have to pay if you don't have the GPS hardware to install on your Smartphone. Find anything in your portfolio in seconds, anywhere - anytime, send an email with "ebook" in the subject to receive a free version of the ebook at: ebook@robertlett.com When these services become available, they will only be location based. Another words, most GPS's these days will actually give you your current altitude and most have a pretty fast refresh rate. The refresh rate is the time between position updates. An example; If you have a GPS in your hand that refreshed three times per second, this would be a very acturate reading. Even if you are driving at 70 miles per hour, the moving map on the GPS will be able to keep up with your actual location. That's an issue the engineers are dealing with on the Location Sensitivity system. It wasn't designed to have any type of refresh rate at all. Once a position has been found, it never was designed to refresh that position. (I guess if you are hurt, and you called 911, you aren't supposed to be moving. Hmmm, So if you fell off a bridge, and landed in the back of a truck driving down the interestate, I'm not sure if they would be able to locate you. They would know where you were when you! first dialed 911, but as your location changes, they might not be able to find you). Supposedly, the 911 operator can pull a refresh, this would at least tell them the direction the vehicle is moving. But to locate you while you're moving, might be more difficult than anyone had expected. Another problem with many of the handheld units, the actual speed of the processors within them. Most cell phones operate on around 1 to 2 MHz processor speed. Most Smartphones operate anywhere between 30 to 500 MHz. (Most new home computers are operating between 2 to 4 GHz processor speed, just to give you an idea). This is where the engineers are running into the biggest problem with creating a GPS refresh rate. The processors in all handhelds will just have to be faster than they are today. And like all of our other technolgies, I'm sure this won't be a problem very much longer for the designers. Hmmm, soon we'll have Pentium 9 cellular and Smartphones running at 8 GHz processor speed! You know it's going to come to this, and it's not that far away. To see how to use your handheld like a professional, send an email with "ebook" in the subject to receive a free version of the ebook at: ebook@robertlett.com Find out more of what it's all about: www.robertlett.com/whatisit5.htm This document is under Copyright through Infinite Data. You have permission to copy this document in its' entirety and make duplicates. You may not change, add, or edit anything within the document. Thank you for your help. Subscribe to our free Newsletter, email us at: subscribe@robertlett.com If you have any submissions or questions, please email us at: palm@robertlett.com www.robertlett.com An Individual Armed with Information Controls the Course of Negotiation Have it all with you, ANYTIME - ANYWHERE! About The Author Robert Lett has operated his 25 year old company Infinite Data for the past 4 years with nothing more than a handheld Smartphone. As a public records research specialist, I need to have all my important files with me when ever I speak with a client. I now carry all those files with me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, hanging on my belt. I haven't sat at my desk in front of my computer for over 3 years. Be productive 24/7, anywhere - anytime. palm@robertlett.com

GPS Vehicle Tracking from the Comfort of Your Home by: Shawn Davis

When most people think of GPS vehicle tracking, they think of police vehicles and theft prevention of official property. However, very few people realize that this modern technology is available to anyone. There are cars that come with global position systems (GPS), but many car owners simply use the systems for navigational purposes. It seldom occurs to them that GPS vehicle tracking is a reality that they can take advantage without leaving the comfort of home. The great thing about GPS is that it can show you where you are on a map. It can also help you plan the best route to take. Some systems are even advanced enough to be able to let you know when a certain road is blocked by traffic, and help you to plot a route around the affected area. However, rarely does it occur to the car owner that in order to represent the vehicle, the vehicle itself needs to be outfitted with GPS vehicle tracking. GPS vehicle tracking on your car is just as easy to access from home as it is to access in the car. The same process is at work either way. A computer displays the information; it’s just that the display in your car looks a little different from your home computer or laptop. So it only makes sense that you can accomplish the same thing from another computer. All you need is the right software and to know the unique identifiers that are attached to the GPS vehicle tracking device located in your car. Once you have the right software and the information you need, it is a simple matter to sit down and visually track your car using your laptop or home PC. This can be helpful in the event of a theft, but it is also useful on a more day-to-day basis. You can know where whoever has the car is at any given time, and know where she or he is headed. Know about how much longer it will be before a spouse gets home, or track your teenagers evening engagements. Either way you get the job done with GPS vehicle tracking. (c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about: GPS Vehicle Tracking. About The Author Shawn Davis To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products visit http://www.spyassociates.com . Read other related articles at http://spyassociates.blogspot.com/.

GPS Security Functionality by: Jeremy Maddock

One of the most common uses of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, by businesses and consumers alike, is to ensure security from theft, as well as human safety. Using a GPS tracking system ( http://www.gpsdevices.info/gps-tracking-system.php ) is an excellent way for an individual or small business to keep track of important equipment including vehicles, machinery, and portable electronic devices, such as laptops and cell phones. A prime example of the usefulness of GPS technology for security purposes is its abilities in the fight against vehicle theft. If you car or truck were stolen, and it had a GPS vehicle tracking ( http://www.gpsdevices.info/gps-vehicle-tracking.php ) system installed, then you would be able to pinpoint the exact location of the vehicle, and see its exact coordinates on a map. You could then turn this information over to the police, allowing them to retrieve the stolen vehicle, and apprehend those responsible for the theft. GPS technology can also be instrumental in ensuring basic human safety. This is especially true with children, as every parent’s worst fear is their child getting lost or kidnapped. Fortunately, with the help of a child GPS ( http://www.gpsdevices.info/child-gps.php ) tracking device, you can always know the exact location of your child. In the event of a kidnapping, you would be able to determine the exact location of the kidnapper and notify police and other emergency authorities of this information. All in all, there is little doubt that GPS can be an excellent way to fight crime, and ensure the safety of your belongings and of your family. About The Author Jeremy Maddock is the webmaster of http://www.TeleClick.ca - a trusted source of telecommunications industry news.

GPS Car Tracking and Navigation by: Shawn Davis

Global positioning system (GPS) technology first appeared in the 1980s. At that time, however, it was mostly used by the military. Next, it became widely available as GPS car tracking. Now, GPS devices can be very tiny, and they are used for a variety of purposes from going on treasure hunts to tracking teenagers. However, GPS car tracking remains one of the most popular and widespread uses of GPS technology. One of the reasons GPS car tracking is so popular is for its navigation benefits. A car-tracking device is most often used, not to actually track the car by someone other than the person driving the car, but to help the driver navigate. An on board computer helps to contact a satellite that in turn finds the information on the vehicles location and then communicates that information to the car’s computer. After the information has been received, it is displayed on a navigation screen. Often it is displayed in map form for a more effective visual representation of where the car is. GPS car tracking is very useful when navigating a new place. It is especially helpful on vacations. Even if someone has never before visited a locale, he or she can figure out where to go using the GPS navigation in the car. Such a tool is very efficient in mapping the best route to sightseeing attractions. It is also very useful in finding the way back to the hotel. Tourists are not the only people that make use of GPS car tracking systems, however. Many commuters use such devices in the morning to find the best way to work. Some systems are equipped to find out traffic conditions and then map out alternative routes. This can save the commuter a lot of frustration and time sitting in traffic. These systems make for more tolerable morning and evening drives. So, while it can be used to effectively apprehend auto thieves and recover stolen vehicles, it also has the ability to help its own navigate through the parts of life that involve driving from one place to the other with the help of GPS car tracking. (c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about: GPS Tracker. About The Author Shawn Davis To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products visit http://www.spyassociates.com. Read other related articles at http://spyassociates.blogspot.com/.

GPS Buying Tips For Technophobes by: Gary Ruplinger

Black glasses with masking tape holding them together and a pocket protector are no longer a required part of the uniform for GPS owners. GPS has gone mainstream. But if you’re still not up to date on what it is and how it works, and if you’d like some advice on what to buy, this article will bring you up to speed. A GPS device is like a map on steroids. First of all, it always gives you that little “You Are Here” dot – you no longer need to figure that out for yourself. And all you need to do is tell it where you want to go and it will plot the course for you. It doesn’t end there, however. New GPS units will provide you with voice guided directions for the entire trip, tell you where the nearest gas station is, and will even put you back on course if you take a wrong turn. GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a system of 28 satellites orbiting earth. It was originally developed for military use, but its uses have spread far beyond just military applications. Your GPS unit can receive signals from these satellites, and by using these signals, calculates your position (within 3-10 meters), direction, altitude, and velocity. Once your GPS unit knows where you are, it can help you get to where you’re going as long as it has mapping software installed. All but the most basic GPS devices currently have mapping software. Now that you know a little bit about what a GPS device is and how it works, it’s time to educate yourself on the features available and decide which unit will best suit your needs. There is certainly no shortage of GPS devices available, so doing a little research can save you a lot of time and hassle. Step 1 - Which type of GPS do you need? There are four main types of GPS units; the car navigation system, the portable outdoors unit, the marine system, and the PDA/GPS hybrid. If you’re mainly planning on using your GPS to get you from point A to B in your car and don’t think you’d use it for much else, your best bet is the in-car navigation system. These systems can be built in to your car or you can purchase a device that mounts onto your dashboard. Desirable features for the in-car systems are: voice guided directions; detailed built in maps; touch screens; rerouting in case you get off course; and a database with points of interest to help you find the nearest gas station, restaurant, and many more places along your route. If you’re going to want a GPS device that isn’t limited to the car, then you may want to consider a handheld GPS (http://www.gpsmaestro.com/handheld). These devices are ideal for anyone who loves to hike or bike. Features to look for in a handheld unit are: lightweight, rugged, waterproofing, long battery life, color screens, and mapping features. The handheld GPS units are geared towards people who spend a significant amount of time outside. For example, if you’re out hiking you can easily track where you’ve been; mark your own points of interest; and even find out how far you’ve gone and at what speed. Many new handheld devices offer some navigation features while driving. You can even purchase handheld units that offer built in radios that will not only allow you to communicate with other members of your party, but will also display everyone’s location on your screen. If being on the water and fishing is your thing then you should probably consider a marine GPS. These units are specifically designed to be on and around water. All of these units will feature waterproofing and should have screens that are easy to read even in bright sunlight. Some other good features to look for are: color chart plotters, onshore and offshore maps, fish hotspots, and sonar capability. You may also want to consider a unit that will function as your car navigator, eliminating the need for two devices. The final category of GPS device is the PDA/GPS hybrid. This device offers a good combination of the car navigation systems and handheld devices. You’ll get the large screen that you’d find in the car system and the portability of a handheld unit. Also, you get a PDA to help you keep organized. One drawback is the limited selection of these units. Only a few companies have attempted to make an integrated unit, and all have some serious limitations. If you are considering a PDA/GPS hybrid, I’d recommend you purchase the PDA separately from the GPS. Find a PDA that offers all the features you want in your PDA, then look for a GPS receiver that will attach to your PDA via Bluetooth. The features to watch for are the same as listed for the in car systems. All of the current PDA/GPS devices are better suited towards driving than hiking, although they do offer the portability for outdoor activities if needed. This category probably offers the most potential of the four, but it is also the newest, so watch for significant improvements in this category in the future. Step 2 - Budget Considerations If you’re on a budget, then it’s important to decide which features are most important to you. If you want a full featured car navigation system, it can easily run over $1000 (and over $2000 if you want one that’s built in). If, however, it would be more of a toy to play with, then a handheld device could be a better choice as they can be as low as $100 and are rarely more than $500. Marine GPS devices vary widely in prices, but a very good device can usually be purchased for no more than $1000. If the PDA/GPS devices interest you, they typically range from $400-$900. Step 3 - Where to Buy Finding the right store to purchase your GPS device can be difficult. Most stores only carry one or two kinds of GPS. For example, if you go to a sporting goods store you’re likely to find the handheld GPS units and marine GPS units but not the car navigation or the PDA/GPS hybrids. I actually prefer shopping online for GPS units as the prices will likely be lower, and you’ll be able to read user reviews of the items before you buy. Just make sure that if you have a problem with your GPS you are able to return it. Owning a GPS can be extremely helpful, especially if you tend to get lost a lot or if your glove compartment is overflowing with outdated maps. They can also make planning a long trip to an unfamiliar area a breeze. Deciding which GPS to purchase can be difficult, but as long as you make a list of the features you absolutely must have then all you have to do is find the units that match your budget. Read reviews from other owners and you should have no trouble at all. Once you purchase your own GPS unit, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one. About The Author Gary Ruplinger is the webmaster and writer for GPS Maestro, site offering tips, tools, and reviews for GPS Devices. To learn more, please visit http://www.gpsmaestro.com.