Question:

I’m trying to find out if the GPS on a smatphone is the same thing you would find on a stand-alone handheld GPS and if not what are the differences? Which smartphone has the most powerful GPS? Will the smartphone GPS work in a commercial airplane?

Thanks, Douglas

Answer:

Douglas,

The smartphone in a GPS technically is a little different as smartphones use aGPS chips (assisted GPS) while a standalone doesn’t.  aGPS tends to be a little better but for all intents and purposes, the end result to the user is the same.

The best way to prevent your GPS from being stolen is to take it with you when you leave your car. However, this may not be practical for everyone as it can be a real hassle to try to remember to put the GPS back in the car every day and your GPS may be too heavy to carry around comfortably.

The second best thing you can do is to stop using a windshield suction-cup mount. An alternative mount is the friction mount, which attaches to the dashboard instead of the windshield. A friction mount is easier to detach than a suction-cup mount, it doesn’t leave any tell-tale marks for thieves to detect and it’s easy to hide underneath a seat. Always make sure to remove the mount when you leave your car. If you’re stuck using a windshield suction-cup mount, there are still ways you can protect your GPS device. Every time you exit your car, remove the suction-cup mount and wipe the windshield to remove the smudge left behind.

Make sure to write down the serial number and make of your GPS. Also, register your GPS with the manufacturer. If your GPS does get stolen despite your best efforts and the cops manage to recover it, you then have proof that you own the device. There’s also a hope that the thief will send the device to the manufacturer at some point to have it repaired and the manufacturer will be able to return it to you, but the odds of that happening are low.

Many GPS devices come with a lock or a password feature. Utilize this feature – it may not help prevent your GPS from being stolen and it can be easily cracked within a few days, but why not make it as difficult as possible for would-be thieves?

About the Author

Trevor Stuart is from the website Complete Insurance. They provide car insurance in Calgary and other Canadian cities.

Specialized GPS devices designed specifically for truckers can make your life on the road a whole lot easier.

A reliable GPS device is vital for folks whose job it is to be on the road day and night.  Truckers need to ensure the road/highway data they have is accurate which allows them to take the most efficient routes, saving them time and ultimately money via less money spent on gas and being able to make more trips.  In order to ensure they’re taking the shortest and safest route they need to know things like:

• What are the weight, height, and load restrictions?  Important if the route contains bridges or tunnels.
• What are the lane widths, and can the route accommodate wide loads?
• Where are the nearest travel centers, and what do they have?
• Does the route require U-Turns?  These can be difficult depending on the size of the truck.
• Where are the closest weigh stations?
• Does the route allow for transportation of hazardous materials?

One of the first things that should be determined before the hunt for the perfect truck GPS begins is a clear understanding of what is needed.  Is it a single GPS device for one truck, or are you looking for a total fleet tracking management solution?  There are different solutions based on what you’re looking for.

Individual PND’s (Portable Navigation Devices)

In the event you’re looking for a single GPS device, Rand McNally offers their IntelliRoute® line of GPS devices that are made specifically for truckers.  You can enter in all the weight/height/load/hazmat info of your truck before heading out and these devices will tell you the best route to take based on the entered info.  The TND 700 model claims to have 35% more truck routing information than other GPS units, which sounds good, although I’m not exactly sure what that means.  If you’re only looking for a basic routing functionality, the TND 500 will work just fine, but if you’re looking for calendar functionality with a larger (7” compared to 5”)  HD screen and a stylus, then the TND 700 is the way to go.

Garmin also offers two unique lines of GPS devices for truckers: dezl™ (higher end, more expensive starting at $470) and nüvi® (more affordable, starting at $349.00).  Garmin has always had great routing functionality, which is arguably the most important feature on any trucker’s GPS device.  One of the downsides of these Garmin lines is that they don’t offer a 7” display option like Rand McNally, so if screen size is important to you this is one thing to keep in mind.

PC Miler is the other popular line of trucking GPS devices that should be mentioned in the same class as Rand McNally and Garmin, although it appears to be a step down from the others.  PC Miler does offer a 7” screen although some of that screen is taken up by elements that other GPS devices simply overlay on the map, so it’s not a great use of screen space.  I’ve also read some complaints about poor routing which could be a deal breaker.

Fleet Management Solutions

In the event you’re looking for GPS devices and/or software for a whole fleet then Telogis is worth mentioning.  They offer a robust fleet management platform.

It’s also worth noting that both Garmin and Rand McNally have fleet solutions.  Rand McNally has their TruckPC powered by DriverTech which is a Windows based platform, while Garmin offers both a PND based mobile resource management (MRM) and a handset MRM solution.
Jill Hanson is a contributing writer for TruckertoTrucker.com, a site devoted to the trucking industry which offers a variety of products including dump truck and flatbed trailer sales.

The “portable navigation market”, as it is called, must also compete against the latest and greatest GPS-enabled features on a variety of smart-phones, where applications are numerous and exist for most any task imaginable. But, if you are not interested in obtaining the latest “EUR USD” quotes from a list of forex brokers or the best price for a flat-screen TV at a local merchant, then perhaps the latest portable navigation device, or “PND”, will suit your needs just fine.

Going from “Point A” to “Point B” never got easier with the following “Top Five” of the best PND’s on the market. Interfaces provide up-to-date maps and audible driving instructions, coupled with data feeds for traffic reports and Internet connectivity for local searches. Price ranges delineate quality and feature sets, but each of the five listed below will get you where you need to be with minimum effort and reliability that may cause you to discard your roadmaps forever. Here is a brief summary of each, ranked in order by their overall rating for design, features, and performance:

• Garmin Nuvi 3790T: Price Range = $335-$400; this model is the “Cadillac” of the industry with the best assortment of features and design. Thin and light, but the only negative is that the glossy screen tends to create a bit of glare;

• MotoNav TN765t: Price Range = $135-$150; Motorola has produced a PND that is on par with the best available, and some believe its interface is unequaled. The negative is that its data service is often down, requiring manual intervention, and skyscrapers can cause signal problems;

• TomTom XL 340 S: Price Range = $105-$140; The TomTom is also popular because of its price point and advanced feature set, but the “knock” on it is its larger size and the fact that routing is quicker while standing still than moving;

• Magellan RoadMate 1470: Price Range $90-$170; this model’s touch screen is larger and more flexible than most, but the cradle is improperly designed and obstructs the power cable when mounted;

• Garmin Nuvi 205W: Price Range = $110-$170; This PND is the industry-standard’s entry-level product, designed for a more discerning budget. The feature set is limited, and the cradle is bulky.

Destination planning just got easier, but as city users realize, roadwork projects tend to mess with a PND’s “brain-cells”. Maybe I should keep my trusty maps after all.

While the real mccoy isn’t quite as cool, a Japanese  company has managed to turn regular old glasses into a gps navigation device.  The selling point they’re offering is “safe navigation.”  It allows you to keep your eyes on the road and on traffic and pedestrians rather than looking at the little map on your gps device to tell you where to go.

Here’s the video if you’d like to learn more – not sure about a release date or if they’ll ever see the light of day but I think they’re a pretty cool idea.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LC5OMAW-xI

Learn all about it here – and here’s a video to watch:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdcJVuylmsM

Now you can use Google Maps on your computer, laptop, or even smartphone, and have Google send those directions to your vehicle and when you get in the vehicle, the directions will be there waiting for you.

And that means you get to use one of my favorite parts of Google Maps – the extreme ease of customizing your route (you simply drag the blue line on the route to the road you want to take and it adjust the route for you so if you know a shortcut,  you can take it and still be following your voice prompts).

This video explains it all pretty well – if you’re interested, it’s definitely worth the 2:15 of your time.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3EhHr7lbkk

Sure, there are plenty of apps for smartphones available with similar functions, but gps watches are a lot easier to run with and they don’t mind if you sweat on them (after all, no self respecting gps watch would be without waterproofing).

One of the best is new Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS Watch available exclusively from REI.

Timex GPS Watch With Heart Rate Monitor

You can get it with or without the heart rate monitor – with it runs $325, without $275.

Here are the features straight from the horse’s mouth:

• Featuring SiRFstarIII™ GPS technology, the watch quickly locks on to satellite signals to measure pace, speed and distance in real time
• Watch measures your location and tracks altitude ascent and descent distances and rates
• Records up to 100 GPS waypoints so you can find your way home or create custom routes; recall up to 50 custom routes so you can track your pace
• Included heart rate chest strap takes continuous readings of your heart rate and sends them to the watch so you can monitor how your body is performing
• Adjustable and flexible elastic strap makes the sensor comfortable to wear; ANT™ technology eliminates cross talk with other heart rate monitors
• Custom heart rate target zones help maximize performance, whether your goal is to burn fat or train for a race; visual and audible alarms alert you when you fall out of a zone
• Watch counts and displays calories burned during a training session
• Customize the display to show up to 4 windows of information so you can monitor pace, distance, split time and heart rate all at the same time
• Chronograph with interval and countdown timers lets you develop personal workouts that will help you improve your performance
• Performance pacer mode helps you meet goals and set personal records
• Watch is water resistant to 50m (165 ft.)
• Download your workout and route data and analyze it using online training software
• Customize and manage watch settings using the included desktop software
• Recharge the internal lithium-ion battery by connecting the watch to your computer with the included USB cable or plug it into the wall with the included AC adapter
• Compatible with Timex bike sensors (sold separately) that use ANT+™ wireless technology; also compatible with third-party bike power sensors using ANT+

Yeah, GPS is for the dogs.

Seriously.

Garmin just released the latest version of it’s Astro Dog Tracking System.

Geared towards hunters, it allows you to keep track of your dog from miles away so he can do his job of tracking and flushing out game and you’ll still be able to find him and up to nine friends.

List price is $599 but if you should be able to pick it up for $500 of less online (Amazon had it for $488 last I checked) .

The latest one, the DC-40 now allows you to track up to 10 dogs on the same receiver.

Garmin Astro DC-40 Dog Tracking System - GPS

Looks really cool, but haven’t actually used one of these systems myself since I don’t actually hunt or even own a dog for that matter – anybody care to chime in with their thoughts?  I’ve noticed the old system, the DC-30 is pretty well rated on Amazon and people seem to really like it.

When will it become socially acceptable to put these things on our kids too?

I love GPS – I have almost no sense of direction, and even when given clear directions, frequently follow them incorrectly.

However, I was reading this article in the Washington Post and it got me to thinking about the dark side of GPS.  Namely, that we assume the GPS device is smarter than we are and we throw common sense aside and blindly follow the route calculating algorithms built into our phones of PNDs.

When I’m driving in towns I’m familiar with, I frequently power up my GPS because I like to know how far I am from destination and the ETA seems pretty accurate when in town (when on the Interstate, it’s crap, but that’s another story).  However, I almost never follow the directions to the letter.

Heck, just last week I was driving up to Omaha for a concert just to get the exit number I needed.  It wanted me to take the wrong one.  Then when we took the correct exit, it wanted us to take the longer way.  All in all I turned the GPS on because I needed three turns, all three were wrong.  Had we blindly followed the GPS, out trip would have certainly taken longer.

When using GPS, the best tool in your arsenal is common sense.   If it seems wrong, don’t do it.  Of course, it’s easy to override the GPS when you’re in an area you know.  However, when you’re traveling I recommend having paper maps handy just in case or that you use a service like Mapquest to map out your planned route ahead of time just so you can see if something is really wrong ahead of time.  Mapquest certainly isn’t infallible either, but it tends to give pretty good directions, in my opinion.

Bad Directions

When following a GPS, it’s critical to make sure you pay attention to street signs… especially one way streets.  Most GPS devices know which streets are one ways, but they’re not 100% accurate so you always need to make sure that street signs match up with directions.

Keep in mind that there can be errors on maps as well.  I remember my first GPS was a TomTom and it had an error on Interstate 76 when heading to Denver.  It always wanted me to get off the interstate and take a couple highways to go around.  I never followed those directions because I knew it was wrong.  I finally figured out that the map in the system didn’t have Interstate 76 going straight through so it always wanted me to go around.

Of course, the experience I had that really takes the cake and constantly reminds me that I can’t be 100% dependent on GPS is an experience I had in Northern Colorado when driving to Steamboat Springs to go snowboarding.  It was my first time taking the trip my GPS was a shiny new toy to me at the time so I didn’t bother to grab my maps before I left.  I figured the GPS was smart enough to get me where I was going and since the route was pretty straightforward.

All went well through Nebraska and Wyoming until I about 30 miles from my destination.  For some reason, the GPS thought that a snowmobile trail was a road and it took me down a gravel road that then turned into a dirt road that then turned into a mud pit.  I nearly got myself stuck 15 miles from the closest town in winter in an area with no cell phone service.  Fortunately, I got out of the mud, backtracked to the previous town and got directions from a real human being.   While a major incident was avoided, I’ve always tried to be cautious with my GPS even though I love it so.

Do you have any GPS experiences you’d like to share?  Whether it’s a case where it got you in trouble or saved your bacon, chime in with your experiences in the comments section.

Have a great day!