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You know the classic scene-a driver gets pulled over for speeding. They sigh, slow down, and pull over. A police officer exits a squad car, taps on the driver’s side window, and asked that famous question, “Do you have any idea how fast you were going back there?” Answers may vary from ” I don’t know, officer” to giving an excuse for why the speed is so necessary to making up a number.
But what if you didn’t have to make up a number? What if you could give an accurate answer? That might help some drivers and hurt others, depending on their actual speed.
One father is attempting to prove that his son was not speeding by using evidence gathered from the GPS tracking device he placed in his son’s car. The main purpose of the device was for the parents to stay informed about their son’s whereabouts and to monitor his speed, but now it may be put to another use.
As new technology enters our lives, we have to find ways to deal with how we apply it and how we govern ourselves in relation to new machines and gadgets. Cases like this set new precedents for how speeding tickets are contested.
There are any number of reasons that could account for why the GPS recorded a legal speed, while the officer’s radar gun recorded something above the speed limit. In one possible scenario, the calibration for the radar gun that the officer used was not exact.
The case has not been decided so it will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
In the meantime, the father involved stressed that he and his wife did not put the GPS device in their son’s car to avoid traffic tickets. Their goal was to encourage their teen to be a careful driver. He actually hopes that the attention that this case has received will get other parents thinking about using GPS technology to keep teen drivers safe and on the right side of the law.
gpscity.com takes a closer look at the Garmin nuvi 1300 Series (including the nuvi 1350, nuvi 1350T, nuvi 1370T and nuvi 1390T). Find out all you need to know about the main screen on the Garmin nuvi GPS. Subscribe to keep up with new products, and How-To guides! Connect With Us: Website/Online Store www.gpscity.com www.gpscity.ca Call Us 1-866-GPS-CITY (477-2489) Facebook www.facebook.com myspace www.myspace.com Twitter twitter.com
Transferring geocache locations to your Garmin Nuvi allows you to easily see where you need to go to make the find! It will also allow you to see if a geocache is located near you as you drive around in the area of your pocket query. Rack up some finds with ease!
Success of every business lies in the consistent efficient operating method followed. Fleet management is vital for any business dealing with vehicles. For instance owner of many vehicles would surely need an efficient system for managing vehicles and records related to the same. This could be handled efficiently by the use of latest GPS (Global Positioning System) technologies also called as GPS vehicle tracking system.
Main Features of the System:
Efficient Tracking and Monitoring of Vehicles Remotely:
The system helps in monitoring the vehicles easily by using its GPS receiver. The GPS receiver is nothing but an equipment which when fixed into the vehicle shows in a map by which the exact geographical location of vehicle could be traced. This helps the owner to track and monitor the vehicle remotely easily and efficiently.
Effective Data Management:
This GPS technology helps in storing and managing all the data related to vehicles effectively and precisely which helps for future reference and tracking.
Special Mapping Attributes:
The GPS fleet management system not only displays the exact location of vehicle but provides special mapping attributes like one can view details of location by zooming in or zooming out based on their needs. In addition to this one can also post their questions for getting more information related to the location traced in map.
In-depth Analysis:
The system helps with in-depth analysis by its detailed report on MIS and also with its speed management and analysis.
Working Technology of the System:
GPS system used for vehicle tracking works with the same basic principle as followed for GPS used as navigational tool. The main component present with GPS system used for vehicle tracking is a unit for tracking. This tracking unit does the main functionality of determining the location of vehicle based on the input signals received from satellite. These data are also used for calculating the speed at which the vehicle travels which is further stored in database and also passes to anyone needed.
Major Types:
There are three major categories in GPS Fleet Management System and they are as below:
Active Systems
Passive Systems
Hybrid Systems
Advantages:
Since GPS fleet management system helps with remote tracking of vehicles it helps your vehicles to be maintained with high consistent standards.
GPS system also could monitor the speed of vehicle which helps in efficient maintenance in the driver’s output
Helps in achieving efficient and high customer satisfaction
Both distance and speed is tracked by the GPS system and so billing is accurate with supporting relevant data also maintained.
By efficient tracking and monitoring activities overtime is reduced and hence costs on fuel is saved a lot thus contributing a lot to efficient cost management and thereby higher profit.
With wide ranges of features and advantages as described above it is a system that is used by major companies around the world.
The Garmin 255w GPS can be found online for under $200 and has text-to-speech (TTS) which is commonly found in more expensive kits. TTS allows the device to give directions with street names instead of the generic turn left/right at a certain distance. The Garmin 255W GPS comes loaded with Navteq data of North America + Hawaii + Puerto Rico and includes 6.5 million findable points of interest.
Other valued features include HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) which helps locate satellites quicker, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features, Photo Navigation allows uploading of geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them, and the ability to send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest via PC. There are a few things that I discovered to be slow about the nuvi 255W package. The first is the lack of an included mini-USB cable. As someone who reviews tech gadgets I have many of these cables lying around but for the average user this type of cable may be difficult to have at home. Garmin should package a mini-USB cable with this package.
While charging the Garmin 255W GPS I discovered that there is no charge indicator of any sort. This is not a big issue since the unit can be charged in the car but it is often good to know if your device is running out of charge or not. Battery life according to Garmin is around four hours with the rechargeable Lithium battery. During use I found it to last anywhere from three hours and fifteen minutes to three and half hours. Ultimately the Garmin has a deep menu system which to some people may be a bit restraining. The less technology inclined may not use all the characteristics of the “entry” model GPS because of its expansive menu. Luckily they will still get plenty of functions from this GPS device.
The importance of a great GPS system is the interface and the Garmin 255W GPS is one of the best ones that I have dealt with in comparison to other GPS models. It is a very well designed unit from the outer casing to the software inside. Garmin has been considered as the number one in GPS technology and they continue to dominate. While it is sold as an entry level unit in terms of price, its features and function make it act like a more expensive GPS model. Routing works great and that is the most important feature in these devices. TTS and the widescreen helps the nuvi 255W standout over other similarly priced models. If you are searching for a deep starter GPS unit, then the Garmin 255W GPS is the ultimate choice.
garmin nuvi 350 twn test film 2 TTS
When I got bitten by the GPS bug, I decided to compare GPS systems to see which would be the best for me. I only had a vague idea of what these remarkable devices did. I knew they were essentially electronic maps, but I had no idea how they worked, or what was important to look for when buying one. So, I decided to do some research.
My first stop was Amazon to check out their best sellers. (Just click on my link below to see the same information.)
I quickly saw that Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom dominated the market. Garmin, I had heard of-Magellan and Tom Tom, I had not heard of. My elation at seeing who were the best sellers for GPS units was soon crushed by an overwhelming sense of confusion as I clicked on each item, read its description, and tried to make heads or tails out of the differences between the units.
There must have been some pretty big differences, I thought, because the prices ranged from a low of about $150 to almost $1000 for portable units-the kind you can stick to your windshield and remove to take with you when you’re out of the car.
Well, suffice it to say, I did an enormous amount of research and became an expert of sorts.
To save you some time and frustration, let me tell you the basics of what I found out.
Although there are several manufacturers of portable automotive GPS systems, the three main ones are Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom. Garmin sells about half of the automotive GPS systems in the world, but Tom Tom is quickly catching up. All three companies make a good product, it’s just that understanding the differences between the three manufacturers and their specific products is a little difficult.
Garmin has two main lines of automotive GPS systems, the Nüvi and the StreetPilot. The functionalities of each line overlap quite as bit, so does their price.
In general, the Nüvi’s are sleeker, more compact units. Their interface (how you use the system) is not quite as straightforward as the StreetPilot’s interface. Garmin Nüvi’s come in a broad price range, from less than $200 for the Nüvi 200 to almost $1000 for the Nüvi 770. Per price point, Nüvi’s generally have a few more features than StreetPilots.
The main difference between the Nüvi’s and the StreetPilots, however, are these-according to Garmin, Nüvi’s have a high-sensitivity receiver, whereas StreetPilots do not. Nüvi’s weigh about half as much as StreetPilots. (None of these units is heavy, just StreetPilots weigh almost 10 ounces, where Nüvi’s weigh slighlty more than 5 ounces.
The biggest difference between the two units is the user interface. The StreetPilot “c” series was made expressly to be very intuitive and user friendly. This is not to say the Nüvi’s are not, they’re just not super simple, like the StreetPilots.
Tom Tom has devices that directly compete with Garmin’s. The Tom Tom One, for instance, is comparable to the Garmin Nüvi 200, Garmin’s entry level product. Both are basic GPS systems which come pre-loaded with maps, have touch screen, and voice instructions. The Tom Tom One has a battery with only 2 hours average life, where the Nüvi’s battery will last an average of 5 hours.
To my mind, the Tom Toms are not quite as sleek looking at the Nüvi’s, although their quality seems to be comparable.
Magellan does not have the market share of Garmin or Tom Tom, but they still build a good product. The Magellan Maestro 3100 is a big seller on Amazon. In both price and features, it’s comparable to the Tom Tom One and to Garmin’s lower priced units, both in size and weight. Magellan says their battery lasts up to three hours, fifty percent better than the Tom Tom’s.
One of the biggest differences between the cheaper GPS systems and the more expensive ones is the number of “Points of Interest” in the unit’s database.
Points of interest are preloaded hotels, restaurants, business locations, hospitals, basically anywhere you might like to go, which are included in your devices database. The Magellan Maestro, for instance has 750,000 points of interest. The Garmin Nüvi 200 comes with approximately 6 million!
If you’re going to use your GPS for traveling, having more points of interest available might be a key feature, and when you consider the distances involved, 750,000 items is just not that many.
Another feature I think is important is Bluetooth technology. Your higher priced units can work as a cell phone (both making and receiving calls). It’s hard enough (and even illegal in some areas) driving and talking on your cell phone. Add looking at your GPS to that mix, and…well, you might want to pull to the side of the road. To my mind, the fewer devices to keep up with the better.
This is a quick demo of a non-working Nuvifone from Garmin.
Check out all the features and functionality on the new nüvi 1690 from Garmin.