I put together a J2ME midlet that will run on Motorola/Nextel phones. It picks the current location via is GPS receiver and asks for a map of the area from Yahoo Maps.
Jad: YouAreHere.jad
Jar: YouAreHere.jar
Need a GPS developer? Send me a note.
Popular Science has a tip on used OnStar modules.
And another project on a “wearable GPS Data Logger” using this module from Sparks Electronics. [which sells for about $150]
Makezine published a plug & play lesson on Parallax Modules.
GPS tracking with APRS anyone? Check this project.
And OpenDMTP has a sibling with a new OpenSource GPS Tracking (OpenGTS) project.
Wired has an article about how you can develop for the iPhone without one.
Google Maps for Mobile now available for Symbian [via GPSWorld]
“Google Maps […] built on the native Symbian C++ […] available for S60 3rd Edition on Symbian OS.”
Google Maps also includes versions with GPS support for the BlackBerry 8800 and Helio Ocean.
Talking about Symbian, Nokia has a Sports Tracker software package for S60 v3.0 and 3.1 phones.
Freebies
Microsoft Research has some free mapping apps available for download like the WWMX GPS Track Downloader.
Want to blog from a PDA? Check Mobile Blogger for Windows Mobile: “Read what you like and blog what you think”. First on Solsie
Live Tracking? Try Hipoqih.
Want a tracking app for your Nextel GPS phone? Check the Gadgeteer.
Remember Twitter? Here is a J2ME version.
Dash is coming out to say what it is about: if you got wireless during traffic you can have your own RSS feed and it might even help you avoid… traffic.
At the NYT and Wired.
Nokia launched the N810, the third version of its tablet-like device which now includes an embedded GPS receiver. You can Maemo Maps on its Linux-based OS which Doc Searls and Jim Thompson talked about (running on a previous model) couple of issues ago at LinuxJournal.
GPSWorld talks about Samsung entering the GPS phone arena. Among the features of its i550 the article says that:
“Samsung did reveal that the i550 will feature voice-activated turn-by-turn guidance. The phone will also feature a pedestrian mode with specific directions tailored to walking speeds.”
and that
“some observers are holding up the i550 as a competitor to the Nokia N95, Symbian, it is noteworthy that the S60 interface is developed primarily by Nokia and licensed for use to other companies, including Samsung.”
Plus
iPhone copycat? Check the HTC Touch
Groundbreaking chip technology: pressure sensing GPS receivers from NemeriX in partnership with Bosch, via GPSLodge
Successful launch of a new GPS satellite.
And it is never enough to say Play Safe as in “Five tips for first time GPS Navigation users” via Navigadget.
You will find a new Topo button added to the regular Google Maps satellite/hybrid/map options. First put a marker on some place in an area you want a map from. Then click the marker to get information about maps covering the area.
GeoPDF’s can be seen directly on Preview, but not sure it will take an extension like GeoPDF. Last I tried the GeoPDF plugin for Acrobat under Windows got bugs from all sides. Better now hopefully. The advantage is that with the plugin you can pinpoint latitude/longitudes with the mouse pointer.
Other map stories…
OpenStreetMap for iPhones may be down but it was a post on how to make use of the free map database. Meanwhile check the news from that side of the Atlantic.
Looking for ideas for your next motorcycle ride? Check this site.
NYC Subway system layer over Google Maps Hack.
Cool example of a real estate mashup.
Map Blog: Maperture.net
Map Site: Tagzania.com
How Children Wanders Less These Days, from the Daily Mail.
Garmin is at everyone’s sight right now. This article at CNNMoney opens up interesting new developments.
Also, research (made possible by OTX and eCrush which shows the kind of tool kids have at their disposal nowadays) announces that kids don’t care for GPS. [Via GPSWorld]
Not the technology, but the use you can make out off it I would add.
They digg geocahing.
Couple of days ago I made a presentation at a school in the Santa Cruz area. After the lecture groups went after caches hidden in the campus.They had an idea about where North was, latitude/longitude, and that some satellites were broadcasting time above their heads.
They looked curiously at the GPS receivers trying to understand what to do to get their treasure hunt prizes.
Back to the class they went out again to obtain the coordinates of specific location in the campus, out and indoors (teacher’s door handle for example). And back again to compare their findings.
Hardware Facts
PDA’s suck, mind the language, power and patience. Their compass runs too erratically and the 3D GPS signal is harder to stay fixed.
Had also a chance to try the Garmin 60CS and I liked it a lot. My geocaching friend thought that the antenna was slower than our Magellan’s, but I have a cheaper model than his so it didn’t quite showed that way to me.
And the firmware on the Magellan’s does need improvement to add all the features you can find on the Garmin’s.
Kids digg it
It was a great experience to hide caches and worry about weather, scope good sites and see their curious faces.
Curious about what kind of future the technology that is mirroring their lifestyles will be.
But technology will only do its part, they still learn how to read their own compasses.
Wow, take this Google…
TomTom already got TeleNav, so what now?
N95 is looking more and more attractive these days.
PR at AP.