Had it not been for a GPS tracking device in OJ Simpson’s mobile phone, he would not have been found to be tried on his wife’s murder. A GPS tracking device is much like driving around in your car with your mobile phone. It allows a person to locate the current position of a moving vehicle or identify where its been and as well, where it is heading. This is ideal for chasing criminals who has just fled the scene of the crime or finding where a suspicious vehicle will be heading next.
A GPS device calculates its position by measuring distances between itself and other GPS satellites. In return, the signals emitted by the GPS tracking device are transmitted to tracking service provider by cell phone technology. Then this information is made available to you via the internet. Aside from absolute location, other civilian benefits in GPS tracking devices include direction of travel, average speed and time of travel. This information is very valuable to the fleet manager of any business.
Other benefits of GPS tracking devices is the ability to know the location of each vehicle or carrier on a map. This technology can also create a digital view of the vehicles current position in a geographic map which is also an additional feature for vehicles with GPS. This allows you to track vehicles that are operated in remote locations without named roads or operated off road.
More advanced GPS devices can even tell you which turn to take or which roads to take to reach a destination. Life is now easier drivers who simply get in their cars and start their engines without knowing where to go. GPS in vehicles have given eyes to the almost blind driver. The world is much smaller these days as a result of this new technology. For each geographic location we are at, have been or going to, can now be identified with a simple click of a button.
So, if you ever wonder where your car may be, your GPS can track where it is. If for instance your car gets stolen, you can easily find where it is heading or where it currently is. Suppose a vehicle stops in the middle of nowhere because of some car trouble, the driver could easily ask for help, or his location could easily be tracked for emergency assistance, that is for as long as there is a signal and cell phone coverage is available. Real time GPS tracking systems will not work without it. These features will definitely decrease car theft or even robberies with getaway vehicles. This can also give cheating husbands or spouses a second thought on their actions. Moving around in vehicles with GPS can very well ruin a secret affair because of its non-discreet ability to identify ones exact location.
With the advent of such technology, GPS in your mobile phones or GPS in your cars, we are giving away a part of our private lives to know where our vehicles and loved ones are. We are giving up away our privacy and that is a big concern for many people. If you do install a GPS tracking device, then you should expect that somebody else can have access to your tracking information.. But, for as long as knowing where we are can do no harm and you are not doing something illegal, then GPS tracking device information will do us no harm.
By: Jim Kesel
Posts Tagged ‘Mobile Phone’
Bluetooth GPS Vs CF GPS
November 3rd, 2009
For some people there is a debate over which to choose a Bluetooth GPS receiver or a compact flash GPS receiver. I have used both so I am writing from experience. There seem to be quite a few advantages a Bluetooth GPS receiver has over a cf GPS receiver.
The main advantage would be versatility, you can use a Bluetooth GPS receiver with a Bluetooth PDA as well as a compatible Bluetooth mobile phone whereas with a cf GPS receiver you are limited to only a compatible PDA as mobile phones usually don’t have a cf slot.
Another advantage is with regards to battery life, some Bluetooth GPS receivers have exceptional battery life lasting up to 26 hours, some mobile phones also have a long life, although a PDA won’t last anywhere near that, when using a cf GPS receiver the PDA battery is usually depleted faster as the it has to also power the cf receiver since the cf receiver can’t work on its own
The third consideration is convenience, one can find some new GPS receivers that are extremely small, the Holux GPSlim 236 comes to mind, because of their size and sensitivity you can stick them in your pocket and still get a very good signal so you don’t have anything sticking out of the PDA as is the case with a cf GPS receiver.
Another thing to consider is that a lot of newer PDAs seem to be loosing the compact flash interface, a good example is the Fujitsu Siemens Loox 720, it has being rumoured that the Loox 720 replacement won’t be including a cf interface. My conclusion would be it seems that manufacturers don’t consider the cf interface that important to include in newer PDAs, kind of like being phased out so it might not be a good idea to invest in cf devices
My final argument would be that when it comes to using a GPS receiver for driving, it is easier to position a Bluetooth GPS receiver in a convenient position where it can receive a better signal than with a cf GPS receiver because since the cf GPS receiver is fixed to the PDA, you are limited by how much you can move the PDA around and still have a good view of the PDA screen.
Based on all these facts I would consider a Bluetooth GPS receiver a better choice to a cf GPS receiver.
By: Francis Ononye
