Concerns over privacy violations have surfaced in many states as GPS tracking has become more common. In light of the controversy, the seventh circuit court of appeals ruled that placing a GPS tracking device in a vehicle did not constitute an unreasonable search since the information gathered could have been observed in the public sphere. Some states, however, have begun drafting their own laws to protect the privacy of their citizens. Georgia, for instance, is preparing to discuss a bill that would make it unlawful to place a GPS tracking device on a vehicle in a public place. The intent is to protect citizens from stalkers or from unreasonable surveillance.

While discussions about privacy concerns have repeatedly surfaced around the nation with regard to GPS tracking, the benefits of using the technology far outweigh its potential problems. Police can use the technology to monitor movements of suspected criminals and to follow the activity of parolees. Parents can monitor their children when they’re away from home or walking to and from school. And private investigators can legitimately use the devices to help them do their jobs, providing essential information for legal teams and private citizens. Even if states do begin passing privacy laws that prohibit the use of GPS tracking in certain situations, P.I.’s would still be able to monitor the car of a client’s spouse if the vehicle was registered under both names. Since the property belongs to both individuals, no violation of privacy would take place.

Private investigators have come a long way since they were stereotyped in black and white movies. With the help of GPS tracking, they will continue to play a vital role in providing information to their clients.

from: GPS Obsessed

In an effort to protect assets, many banks now place GPS tracking devices alongside cash when it’s placed in bags to be transported. When a would-be robber demands money, he doesn’t know that the bag he receives from the clerk can bring police officers straight to him. One recent example of the strategy’s effectiveness occurred in Atlanta when a man walked into a bank and demanded money. Witnesses reported seeing the robber drive away in a black SUV, so as the police began their investigation, they focused on similar vehicles. A GPS tracking unit inside the bag of cash, however, eventually led officers not to a black SUV, but to a gold Nissan, where they apprehended both cash and criminal.

Law enforcement departments that are strapped for cash can realize more positive results in numerous investigations when they implement GPS tracking to help them solve cases. Recovering stolen vehicles and property, monitoring suspected or convicted criminals, and apprehending thieves like the bank robber in Atlanta can all be done more effectively with the implementation of GPS tracking. Acting as another set of eyes, a GPS tracking unit can stay with a person or piece of property at all times without needing breaks or overtime pay. By sending signals at intervals, the unit discloses the location of the item, vehicle, or person it’s tracking accurately within a few feet.

While the days of Bonnie and Clyde may be long past, bank robbers are still around, and they’re getting smarter and more technologically advanced. Thankfully, law enforcement departments have the tools necessary to fight back. With GPS tracking implemented into a law enforcement program, departments can not only increase their recovery rates for stolen items, but they can do so on a limited budget while still offering protection to the public.

Stopping Crime in its Tracks

The really nice thing with the Approach S1 is that it comes preloaded with over 14000 courses so more thank likely it is ready to be used right out of the box. It shows which hole you’re on and displays yardage to front, middle, and back of the green. Other features include the ability to measure individual shot distances, and also act as an everyday life when you’re not on the course.

As far as hardware specs Approach S1 weighs only 1.8 ounces but still is rugged and waterproof, and has an ultra-thin backlit display, with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can last about 8 hours in GPS mode and up to three weeks in regular watch mode.

We had already talked about NAVIGON’s first MobileNavigator for the Android platform but today they announced their app for the US market with even more features.

The highlight of this release is of course the reality scanner that utilizes your phones camera, compass, and of course the GPS position to locate points of interests directly on the real time image provided by the camera.

MobileNavigator uses NAVTEQ maps to provide turn by turn voice guided directions, offers reality view for complex intersections along with lane assistant pro, offers speed assistant, and many more features.

MobileNavigator costs $60 but for the next two weeks it is discounted to $40 which also includes Live Traffic service.

What you’re looking at here is probably one of the few GPS devices specially designed for off road bikes. It is called Voyager and it is from Trail Tech. It is a really customized device for dirt bikes. For example it can read engine performance linked to GPS data and compare it against altitude to provide vital stats. It can track both ambient and engine temperature which saved in track data points and graphed for comparison with altitude changes.

It has a sunlight readable screen, a smart mount design that keeps it below the handlebars to protect it in case of crashes, waterproof design, 2.7″ screen, and connects to pretty much any AC/DC power from any kind of vehicle.

In addition utilizing GPS for your location Voyager also relies on other sensors such as ignition sensor, and wheel sensor to figure precisely when to stop/start tracking, etc.

You can upload OHV trails maps from ohvtrails.net which can be overlayed onto Google Earth and then uploaded to your device which has a memory card slot.

It costs $280 and does not sound like a bad investment.

Escort has been designing radar detectors and other rear view mirror with GPS navigation systems. Now we get the news that they came out with a new GPS navigation system called Escort Passport iQ that combines turn by turn directions with radar detection.

The radar detector is based on the Escort 9500i which gives you protection against radar, laser, red light and speed camera ticketing while utilizing a 5″ touch screen display and a newly designed antenna:

…engineers were able to change the standard radar detector form by designing a radically new microwave antenna assembly,” said Tim Coomer, ESCORT’s vice president of New Product Development. “Until the merging of these two major mobile technologies by ESCORT, drivers had no choice but to purchase and connect separate driving devices at the same time….

Are you ready for the price though? $650! Yes, The PASSPORT iQ Radar/Laser Detector with GPS navigation starts at $649.95. What do you think? Is it worth it?

I’m also assuming that the new units will include Mio’s relatively new Spirit user interface, something I was impressed with when I reviewed the Mio Moov 501 earlier this summer.

Japanese Sanyo announced yesterday that it will team up with Dutch TomTom to grab more market share in North America and Europe where the auto industry is supposedly picking up.

The collaboration between Sanyo and TomTom will supply auto makers with customized in-dash GPS navigation systems as early as 2010.

Sanyo has been making GPS navigation systems in Japan since 1993 where factory fitted sat nav system are more common place. On the other hand North Americans and Europeans are more into after market, windshield mounted, unsightly, portable systems.

Sony NV-U75 GPS

Sony Japan announced yesterday the NV-U75 portable navigation system. The feature-rich GPS device features a 4.8-inch WQVGA display, maps of Japan, voice-guided turn-by-turn directions with lane information, direction signs, 3D intersection views, and real-time VICS traffic information. The unit has 8 GB of built-in flash memory, Bluetooth, and Blu-ray disc playback compatibility as well. The Bluetooth feature allows KDDI cellular subscribers to transfer data from their cellphones over-the-air to the NV-U75. The new Sony GPS unit will only ship in Japan.

The maps cover over 28, 000 kilometers of Jordan’s road network including speed limits, and more importantly, 13, 000 points of interest which are key to navigation in a country where infrastructure is still in its infancy.

As NAVTEQ points out in its press release:

“With mail delivered to post office boxes, street addresses rarely used and most places of interest (such as government buildings, hotels and restaurants) in Jordanian cities and towns well known, directions are usually given based on nearby landmarks. With its usual attention to local detail, NAVTEQ has therefore included a particularly wide range of POIs which can be used as destinations. The commonly used 1st to 8th Circle names for the central jabal junctions have also been retained but NAVTEQ has also added the alternative official names where they are available.”

All of the Jordan map info is available in both Arabic and English, and includes all major tourists destinations.

The addition of Jordan brings NAVTEQ’s Middle Eastern map coverage to seven countries, also including Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.