Whether you’re going on a vacation, a hike, or you just like to watch where the day takes you — from an almost voyeuristic viewpoint –, the Trackstick II is the tool for you. The Trackstick II combines 4GB USB flash storage with a GPS tracking and geolocation device, and a pedometer.
Using the tool, you can geotag the photos you save to the drive with your current location and save them to Flickr, see where you are at any point in time using Google Maps, and count the number of steps and see how far you’ve traveled in a day.
The Trackstick II is powered by a pair of AAA batteries, and once it’s turned on, it’ll keep track of where you roam. When you plug it in to your computer, a Google Map will conveniently show you where you’ve been. You can share that Google Map, along with your path and waypoints, with friends.
The Trackstick II reminds me a lot of the SPOT Satellite Messenger, except without the emergency assistance, or check-in features. In other words, not as useful, but still fun. The Trackstick II will set you back $199 US, and is available now.
There are iPhone cases, and then there’s Magellan‘s waterproof Toughcase. Priced at $199.99, it’s actually just as expensive as a new iPhone 4 on contract, and double the price of an iPhone 3GS (which it actually houses). So, what does two Benjamins get you? Most would argue “not nearly enough,” but argonauts may beg to differ. The case meets IPX-7 waterproof standards, enabling it to be submerged at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, and there’s also an integrated 1,840mAh battery that’s able to “double the life” of your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or second / third-generation iPod touch. Moreover, there’s a built-in high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS chipset for superior GPS reception, and nothing here prevents consumers from accessing the touchscreen. ‘Course, the sex appeal of your iDevice goes right out of the window once you strap this monster on, and there’s no official support for Apple’s newest iPhone, but it’s hard to knock the approach here.
Magellan just launched the ToughCase, a refined yet rugged protective iPhone case, that’s even waterproof. The company is pitching it to outdoors enthusiasts and people who work outdoors.
But the ToughCase offers more than just protection. It has built-in GPS — enhancing the accuracy of location-based and GPS apps on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Even though it covers the screen, the ToughCase gives you total control of your device’s multi-touch interface. You can even place calls when your device is submerged in water (not that you’d want to, but it’s an option). It’s safe to stay 1 meter underwater for up to 30 minutes. The case lists for a big $199.99 at MagellanGPS.com.
Timex said that REI would get its Global Trainer GPS watch first when it announced it way back in January, and it looks like it’s now finally available both in REI stores and at REI.com — albeit a bit later than the originally promised May launch date. That includes both the standalone watch and the bundle with a heart rate monitor, which will set you back $275 and $325, respectively. As for the watch itself, it seems to stack up pretty well against the likes of Garmin’s Forerunner GPS watches — complete with SIRFstar III GPS, water resistance to 50m, ANT+ compatibility, and training software for both PC and Mac — and it does so while looking considerably more watch-like. Look for it to launch at other retailers globally this September.
A number of outlets are reporting an update to Apple’s privacy policy, which now gives Apple the option to store your location, if you opt in.
Frankly, this is all a bit puzzling. Users have been asked to provide location-based data to location-centric apps for years now. But Apple has apparently made this explicit in its privacy policy, leading to a small round of hand-wringing.
The passage in question:
To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.
Some location-based services offered by Apple, such as the MobileMe “Find My iPhone” feature, require your personal information for the feature to work.
As you might expect, there’s a provision in the settings from turning off the location features.
The LA Times seems quite worried that Apple might collect and store location information. If you’re that concerned, you might consider a GPS-less featurephone.
When Eric Boehs saw the garbage truck coming he panicked. Desperate to get the trash carted away, he ran to get the bags, setting down his own bag, his iPhone and iPad. What happened next has disappeared into an anguished blur of guilt and confusion. All Eric knew was that when the mists of his memory cleared, there were two things missing: The iPhone and the iPad.
Being a switched-on guy, Eric fired up his Mac and used MobileMe’s Find My iPhone service to pinpoint his iPhone on Google Maps. His phone and the garbage truck were parked outside Hooters. The crew, presumably, were enjoying “lunch.” After 45 minutes, the phone still hadn’t moved, so Eric and his friend Billy jumped in his car and started to follow the iPhone using Billy’s iPad, with videographer Kyle Roberts following along.
Meanwhile, the trash crew had finished lunch and were on the move. Billy and Eric were trying to close the gap but they were up against the clock. Every time Billy pinged the iPhone to get its location, the battery would be drained a little more. Soon, the guys caught a break, and the truck stopped again, maybe for another snack, or maybe the crew was done for the day. It was just three streets away.
Eric was pessimistic. “I think the iPad’s gonna be cracked in half,” he said. Billy thought it would be covered in grease.
Ground zero. The guys arrived at the iPhone’s reported location, but there was no trash truck. Eric used MobileMe to tell his iPhone to beep. This can be done from both the MobileMe website, or the new Find My iPhone app from Apple. The advantage of the web version is that you can stay signed in if you need to switch away from the page. Eric and Billy were using the web.
They were in a motel parking lot. The dumpster there came up empty, so they set the beep again and stared listening at doors. Nothing. They spoke to the neighbors. One of them wasn’t too happy about them filming the whole operation. “Dude, surely you’re not filming right now,” he said to Kyle, “I’m wanted by the law.” Kyle blurred his face from the finished film.
Eric and Billy were determined. They knew that the iPhone at least was nearby, and likely the iPad with it. They found some friendly guys from a roofing company taking a break and asked them if they’d seen the phone.
“You got a white one?” the first roofer asked, grinning.
“It is!” said Eric.
“It got ran over?”
“Probably.”
“Hell, open your trunk!” called the roofer at one of his coworkers.
“I got an iPhone, and an iPad. One of these guys,” said Eric, pointing at Billy’s iPad.
“They both got ran over?”
The roofer pulled them both from his cab and showed Eric the tire tracks on both. The iPad and the iPhone were never even on the garbage truck. The roofers had found them in the road and, thinking they were maybe broken, tossed them in the cab. Eric was of course very happy, but there was one mystery remaining.
“I have to ask you guys a question,” asked Kyle, “Did you go to Hooters earlier today?”
“Yes,” said one roofer.
“Where do you think he’s gonna want to eat lunch every day?” asked another. He was still drinking from a Hooters paper cup.
And the i-devices? Not so good. The iPhone was obviously still working, as it had faithfully sent position updates back to the mother ship, but the screen was crushed. The iPad was broken in a far more unusual way. Whatever had driven over it was heavy enough to crush the aluminum unibody casing so hard that it was stretched over the parts inside like it was vacuum-formed. The screen, although popping out at the edges, was completely unscathed.
What have we learned? That Find my iPhone works great, that the iPad screen is tougher than it seems, and that roofers like a little scenery when they eat their lunch.
It may not be a big deal — Android’s done it for years — but some will no doubt be interested to learn that Apple can monitor your GPS. In the latest revision of its privacy policy, presumably updated for iOS 4, it revealed the company can anonymously track the “real-time geographic location” of devices and is free to share that data with “partners and licensees” as well. In a nutshell, that means Cupertino could potentially sell location data, but don’t get in a tiff just yet — the company says it will do so anonymously and for location-based services only.
Speaking of sales and personally identifiable data, another addition to iOS 4 is the ad network iAd, which monitors your browsing habits and interests and serves up targeted advertisements respectively. According to the updated privacy policy, however, you don’t need to let the OS do that. Simply navigate to http://oo.apple.com to shut down automated cookie collection, and you’ll see boring, generic ads instead.
For the most part, standalone navigators have retained their same form factor for the better part of the last five years. Each one looked like the other, with the main differentiators being a fold-out or integrated antenna and a big or small display. With intense competition coming from the smartphone space (yeah, we’re looking at you, Google), the bigwigs at TomTom and Garmin are obviously thinking of ways to innovate and keep their consumer PNDs relevant. We aren’t exactly convinced that shaping said navigators like said smartphones is the best answer, but you won’t find us kvetching about the sleek lines and slim nature of the nüvi 3790T. Announced back in April alongside the 3760T and 3750 models, the king of the 3700 series packs a 4.3-inch WVGA multitouch display and a frame that’s just 9mm thick; what you’re left with is the most stunning personal NAV system on the planet, and we’ve had the opportunity to test one out before it hits US shelves in July. Care to see if this beaut is worth $449? Head on past the break for our two pennies (and a video overview, too!).
Ford has upgraded its SYNC 911 Assist emergency response app with the ability to send a vehicle’s exact GPS coordinates in the event of an accident.
Unlike GM’s OnStar service, Ford 911 Assist is a subscription-free, no-additional-cost service for the life of each vehicle, including models with SYNC, plus all 2011 MyFord and MyLincoln Touch-equipped cars.
The only catch: the system requires a cell phone paired over Bluetooth in order to work. That’s probably a small price to pay, given that the majority of the population now carries a cell phone–though many lower-end and older models still don’t have Bluetooth.
If you’ve ever watched an investigative journalism show that exposes things you didn’t know you had to worry about, there’s a good chance you’ve seen footage of the archaic green-screens in use at airport towers across the country paired with shocking headlines like “Hidden Airport Menace” or “Glidepath to Danger.” Plans to replace that tech are finally in motion, with the FAA indicating its new air traffic control system will go into effect by 2020, possibly as early as 2015. This system requires that any aircraft flying within commercial airspace must have a GPS-equipped navigation system — and we don’t mean a TomTom stuck on the windshield. These systems will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 for small planes and are able to beam information to ground control stations that will no longer have to rely exclusively on radar. The plan could cost the FAA alone roughly $4 billion, giving bored local news personalities something else to sensationalize.
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Whether you’re going on a vacation, a hike, or you just like to watch where the day takes you — from an almost voyeuristic viewpoint –, the Trackstick II is the tool for you. The Trackstick II combines 4GB USB flash storage with a GPS tracking and geolocation device, and a pedometer.
Magellan just launched the 
