Auto Navigation GPS

Tracking Your Child Has Never Been Easier!
Click Here To Learn About New GPS Child Location Device That Gives Parents Peace of Mind

How small do you think GPS tracking devices will get in the next few years? Ra­k­on, a 39-y­e­ar-o­ld N­e­w Ze­alan­d-base­d c­o­mpan­y­, h­as de­ve­lo­pe­d t­h­e­ wo­rld’s smalle­st­ GPS re­c­e­ive­r. C­laime­d t­o­ be­ as t­in­y­ as t­h­e­ s­ize o­f­ a­ ba­by­’s­ f­in­ger­n­a­il­,

T­his tiny GPS r­ecei­v­er­ chi­p i­s sm­all eno­ugh t­o­ b­e f­i­t­t­ed i­nt­o­ dev­i­ces such as wat­ches, cellpho­nes and other devices as small as a jump drive. As GPS b­eco­m­es co­m­m­o­nplace i­n o­ur­ ev­er­yday gadget­s, we can b­e sur­e t­hat­ t­hi­ngs wi­ll get­ a li­t­t­le m­o­r­e i­nt­er­est­i­ng.  Here’s a few uses of this miniature GPS chip that comes to mind, ever loose yur best pen?  Fire up your favorite online tracking program and find it on your co-workers desk.  How about the remote for your TV?  With this GPS chip installed you could tell exactly what couch cushion it was hiding under.

B­r­ent­ R­o­b­i­nso­n, R­ako­n’s M­anagi­ng Di­r­ect­o­r­, also­ m­ent­i­o­ned t­hat­ t­heir new GPS r­ecei­v­er­ chip wi­ll hav­e sensi­t­i­v­i­t­y go­o­d eno­ugh t­o­ pi­ck up weak si­gnals, per­f­ect­ f­o­r­ ur­b­an env­i­r­o­nm­ent­s wi­t­h hi­gh i­nt­er­f­er­ence. Let­’s see ho­w lo­ng b­ef­o­r­e t­hi­s tiny GPS chip get­s plugged i­nt­o­ ev­er­y o­f­ o­ur­ f­av­o­r­i­t­e po­r­t­ab­le gadget­s.

A few limitations of this GPS chip are that it still needs a power source and a GPS antenna.  I’m curious to know how long it will take Garmin, TomTom and other GPS manufacturers to pick up on this and start development of a whole new world of GPS devices.

Mio Offers Free 2009 Map Updates

Mio recently announced that they are offering free GPS map updates for any Mio Moov GPS or the Knight Rider GPS offered by Best Buy. To make sure that your Mio GPS navigation system stays up to date, Mio is offering owners of the Mio Moov family of products or Knight Rider GPS by Mio a FREE 2009 map update.

You just have to register by February 20, 2009.  This promotion is only valid for Mio Moov 200, 200c, 210, 300, 300c, 300x, 310 and 500 and Knight Rider GPS by Mio only.  After you register you will get an email from Mio Technologies letting you know when the new 2009 GPS maps will be available.

Free Mio Map Updates Promotion

Pay less at the pump this holiday season with the TomTom Fuel Price Service

Gearing up for holiday travel? Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer? TomTom, the world’s leading navigation solutions provider,  announced that the TomTom Fuel Price Service is now available for consumers to purchase at retail. With the TomTom Fuel Price Service, TomTom customers* can load and access one year of daily fuel price updates to their devices.

TomTom Fuel Price Service, enables TomTom customers to find – and navigate to – gas stations with the lowest fuel prices. Upon activation, users will be notified of the most up-to-date fuel information each time they log into TomTom HOME.

“TomTom is the first portable GPS company to sell this type of service at retail,” said Tom Murray, vice president of Market Development for TomTom. “TomTom’s Fuel Price Service allows our customers to access the lowest gas prices directly on their device wherever they go – a crucial feature in the midst of today’s economy. The Fuel Price Service makes a helpful and practical holiday gift for any TomTom owner.”

With this service, users can select from their device whether to list gas stations by location or price, and can request the lowest gas prices on their route, nearby or within a user-selected mile radius. Travelers can also choose which type of gas they would like tracked: regular, mid-grade, premium or diesel.

The TomTom Fuel Price Service is on shelves now at major retailers in the U.S. for a one-time fee of $19.95 for a one year subscription. The service can also be purchased online at www.tomtom.com.

Surprise your favorite TomTom owner this holiday season with the perfect accessory for his or her device.

* Service available for GO 720 and GO 920, ONE v2, ONE v3, ONE XL, Rider I, Rider II, ONE 130, ONE 130S, XL 330, XL 330S, GO 730 and GO 930 devices. A free software update is necessary to support fuel on some of these models.

Key Features Of TomTom Fuel Price Service:
• Get updates from more than 80,000 service stations across the United States
• Pricing data for most grades of gasoline: regular, mid-grade, premium, and diesel
• Unlimited updates via TomTom HOME (or over-the-air*)
• One time fee for 12 months of service

I think this is a great way of saving money and I’m sure that other GPS manufacturers will be coming online soon with this new way of finding cheap gas with their GPS.  If you think about it, your GPS can pay for itself with the money you save on gasoline.

Use NAVTEQ Map Reporter™ To Make GPS Navigation Better For Everyone

Have you ever had an instance where you were navigating to a destination using your GPS in your car and it showed the wrong directions on the dashboard map or you knew of a shortcut because a new road has been opened and was not showing up on your GPS?

Did you ever look up an address and found it wasn’t on the map or it showed it on the wrong side of the street on the screen on your GPS system in your car?

What do you do in those instances where you know you have the latest maps loaded in your GPS but they are still wrong or missing data?

Most of us do nothing, just shrug it off and move on down the road, but there is a way of updating that information on all GPS navigation maps.

There is a central GPS map service called Navteq that manages the maps for all in dash automotive GPS systems and most portable units, their service is also used for many online map services.  They have an online tool where you can update their map information with what you know, thereby helping all of us that use our GPS for navigation.

It’s called NAVTEQ Map Reporter™ and it works pretty easily.  To start out go to their page here –>  Report GPS Discrepancies Then zoom into the area you want to edit, select what type of information should be updated from the list below and send them the new GPS info.  In the end I think if we all thought about our fellow GPS Navigator and took the time to update any errors or omissions on GPS maps we all would be better for it, I know I would appreciate knowing about a quicker route to get from point A to point B , finding a closer store or getting more accurate information about my GPS destination.

Address

• address is missing
• address appears in the wrong location
• address should be removed

Point of Interest (POI) (bank, store, etc.)

• POI is missing
• POI has incorrect details (location,category,phone number,etc.)
• POI should be removed

Road and Road Feature

• road is missing
• road is in the wrong place or has the wrong shape
• road should be removed
• road name is missing or wrong

Traffic Restriction

• add restriction
• incorrect restriction
• remove restriction

There may be some instances where the map on the map reporter tool is already updated, that probably means it is time to get updated map information from the manufacture of your GPS.

If you own a business and you do not see it listed on the GPS map, you should add it as many people are already driving and using their GPS to search what’s close by not only business category but also by brand.

• Garmin Map Update 2008 City Navigator North America NT DVD for Current Users Only
• Magellan North America 2008/2009 Map Update DVD for Current Maestro Users