Hasta La Gadget!

No matter where you are, hailing a taxi isn’t always easy, and when you’re not willing or able to flash them to get them to slow down, it can be frustrating, especially in a foreign country. There are a few different apps that allow you to hail taxis, but this new system by TomTom looks pretty interesting.

The free TomTom Taxi app was based on terminals that TomTom had installed in Amsterdam, allowing people to hail taxis to specific terminals. The app will call a taxi to your location, and will automatically let you know how long it will take for it to arrive. The app even lets you learn about specific drivers, and lets you order your favorite driver – if you actually have one.

There are already several Taxi-ordering apps available, including HAILO and Taxi Magic, but this is the first to incorporate TomTom’s award winning GPS and map tech.

TomTom Taxi is available now for the iPhone, and is coming soon for Android devices. For now, there’s no indication whether TomTom will extend this service beyond the Netherlands, but I can see this being useful almost anywhere.

[via Ubergizmo]

If you live in the area where Taiwanese artist Shu-Chun Hsiao set up his latest project, then you might be wondering why various locations have real and physical Google’s Maps icons plastered prominently on their walls or doors.

Wait a while, smell the flowers, and watch the birds, and you’ll have your answer.

These Google Maps icons aren’t just pieces of pop art based on the search giant’s popular maps application. They’re actually birdhouses that I’m sure birds of the right size will find a pleasure to live in.

Hsiao explains: “The project is aiming to put numbers of birdhouses all over the city for bird to accommodate. The iconic symbol will become a navigating landmark for the flying birds. Birds, have the most real experience of Google map. Birds can fly through the city, through streets. A birdhouse becomes their destination as Google Map(s) does.”

I’d like to have one for my house, please and thank you very much.

What do you think about Hsiao’s project?

[via Freshome via Laughing Squid]

OK, so maybe you shouldn’t use a GPS tracker watch to spy on your loved ones, but you’ll be able to make sure that your little ones or older relatives are safe and sound. LockStar GPS watches are designed for families caring for children, the elderly, or anyone who you need to keep tabs on, ensuring that they will be found if lost.

It’s definitely a bit of an electronic leash, but it will probably give you peace of mind if your loved ones are always running around and getting themselves into trouble. You can track them via any computer or the LockStar app on your smartphone. They work both indoors and outdoors, allow 2-way voice calls, it has an SOS button and geo-fencing support. LockStar’s call center is available 24/7 to give you real-time support if you need help tracking down a loved one. Of course, they also function as a watch.

The watch will be available in a variety of colors, and there will also be a version for pets. Who knew pets wore watches? Pricing and availability  for the LockStar hasn’t been announced.

[via Ubergizmo]

If you’re active, it’s good to have a GPS watch. They have plenty of uses, especially if you run or cycle. Keeping track of your workout is one of the best features. The ones that also feature active navigation will make sure that you won’t get lost. However, most GPS watches can be bulky, counterintuitive to use, and the screen usually isn’t that great.

The Leikr sports watch is supposed to link to GPS satellites faster than others on the market. It’s also is supposed to be less bulky and easier to operate than other GPS watches, though it still looks pretty big to me. That’s probably because of it’s 2-inch widescreen, 320×240 color display. The low-glare Gorilla Glass covered face is bigger than average watches, but it’s only 1.065 cm thick. Having such a large display allows for more legible maps than other GPS watches, as well as the ability to display all of your pertinent stats – time, distance, speed, pace, calories burned and heart rate – on a single screen.

It’s got 8GB of onboard storage and has a 500 Mhz processor, and can communicate with other devices using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and is also ANT+ compatible. Its rechargeable battery is supposed to last 6 hours of active use. Its maps are powered by OpenStreetMap, so I’m not exactly sure how accurate the map data will be. You might want to swing by their website to verify that the maps for your regular haunts are complete and up to date.

The project is currently raising funds for production over on Kickstarter, and you’ll have to pledge at least $279(USD) to reserve one.

[via TechCrunch]

Everyday objects are slowly being infused with modern technology.  There are fridges that can monitor their contents and automatically order online to restock themselves, socks that know how many times they’ve been washed and now, with the help of a tiny device, your car can be made so smart, it knows when it’s being towed and will tell you so.

This device is called the moj.io. I know, I wish they had come up with a better name. But the folks behind it probably spent all their brain power on the device itself, because it sounds very promising. The moj.io connects to the Internet via cellular networks and to your car via the On-Board Diagnostics OBD-II port (found in all major automotive lines since 1995). Once connected and paired to your mobile device, the moj.io can tell you where your car is located, if it’s being towed, the car’s overall condition and more. moj.io apps can also be more proactive. They can hold calls and text alerts while you’re driving to keep you safer or send text message alerts based on the speed and location of the car. Parents and obsessed lovers will find that one useful.

Pledge at least $89 (USD) on Indiegogo to reserve a moj.io unit. But because it needs to be online – as of now, it’s partnered with T-Mobile in the USA and Rogers in Canada – expect to pay extra for an Internet subscription. U.S. pricing is $7.99/month or $79/year, and canadian pricing is $12.99/month or $119/year. Though if you buy on Indiegogo, you get your first 3 months of service for free.

I’m sure some people have a few privacy concerns with having a device like this available to everyone, but I think that overall the benefits outweigh the risks. Besides, tracking technology has been available for a long time now, it’s just that now it’s in the hands of common folk.