Filed under: GPS, Wireless

Just under a year ago, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced his hopes that one day he could pinpoint the location of his black Labrador, Koni, at any time of the day. Today, a dream has been realized. Mr. Putin has finally procured a satellite collar that will enable him to track the lab regardless of which of the eleven times zones she may be in while waltzing through Russia. Once the collar was slipped on, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov immediately said “she looks sad, her free life is over.” Putin didn’t miss a beat when snapping back: “In Soviet Russia, GLONASS track you!”

[Image courtesy of Picasa, thanks MJ]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Hunker down and find that tin foil cap, pronto! Privacy advocates, we’ve a new target for you to bang on: Integrated Media Measurement. The 4,900-person media research company is looking to take advertising measurement to a whole new level (or new low, as it were) by embedding tracking modules within cellphones. In short, the module picks up audio from ads and records information about the exposure; in the future, if you were to purchase whatever product you heard about (like seeing a movie that was plugged), it would register a hit and deem you a sucker. As of now, the only testers with these freaky phones are individuals who signed up for this stuff, but you better believe major marketing firms (and TV / movie studios in particular) are perking their ears up and begging to know more.

[Image courtesy of Corbis, thanks ugotamesij]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

It’s not quite a Batman-type science-bending project, but DARPA’s apparently hush hush “Gandalf” initiative looks to be fairly ambitious nonetheless — at least as far as we can tell from the rather vague statements that have been made about it. In an announcement of sorts yesterday, DARPA reportedly said that the project’s goal is to use “set of handheld devices” to track down a specific “signal emitter of interest” using radio frequency geolocation, and presumably some other measures they’re not about to dish the details on. The Register’s Lew Page further extrapolates that could mean that a group of undercover operatives or special-forces troops would be able to be dispersed near a target and hone in on a particular cellphone, or other electronic device for that matter, and then proceed to track it with no one the wiser. Whatever it is, it’s going to be discussed at an event in Virginia later this month, though we’re not exactly expecting any first-hand reports to come out of that.

[Via Danger Room]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Nintendo may not have been totally forthcoming with third-party devs about its MotionPlus add-on, but no secrets (okay, maybe a few) were withheld from AiLive. As it turns out, said outfit actually collaborated with Nintendo in order to create the MotionPlus hardware, and it’s extra kindly offering up LiveMove 2 “to help game developers take full advantage of its capabilities.” According to the company, LiveMove 2 can slash up to half a year off of the time required to tie basic functionality of the device into a game, though we’re obviously in no position to confirm / deny. For the small minority that cares more about how MotionPlus works rather than just accepting the fact that it does, check out the read link for a few geektastic vids.

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Wireless

For better or worse, targeted advertising isn’t going anywhere. Seemingly, it’s not getting any more discrete, either. NEC’s Digital Signage Solution combines a camera, a large display and a FeliCa contactless IC card reader / writer in order to dole out advertisements that cater to certain demographics. The system includes the innate ability to determine “gender, generation and other attributes” of a person in order to serve up advertisements that will cause him / her to spend some dough. From there, the individual can scan their phone in order to access related content on their mobile internet browser. That’s all and fine and dandy we suppose, but how on Earth do you convince busy citizens to stop by and have a look at an otherwise uninteresting flat-panel?

[Image courtesy of NEC]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Wireless

RFID has long since been a pretty common find in your modern day hospital, but now GE and CenTrak are teaming up to make the technology even more useful in those long, winding hallways. Simply hailed as RFID “virtual walls,” the creation enables venues to “track tagged mobile medical equipment down to a portion of a single room.” By providing sub-room-level distinction, personnel can locate hardware within a monitored area as tiny as 6- x 8-feet, and although it’ll likely be used to locate cardiac defibrillators and portable ultrasound machines, patients could theoretically be tracked, too. The new tech will be shown off at the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Conference in San Jose next week, though there’s no word on how soon the duo will roll this stuff out en masse.

[Via medGadget]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Taking a note from Japan, it’s being reported that South Korean police are backing a highly controversial plan that would equip each new mobile sold in the nation with a GPS chip. Reportedly, Song Kang-ho, chief of the investigation bureau of the National Police Agency, has stated that the government has “already submitted a related bill to the National Assembly,” and the general idea here is to crack down on the rise of kidnapping and various other crimes against children and women. Granted, there’s not a lot of supporting evidence that this is actually set to go down, so until we see it inked in stone, our skeptic hats are remaining in place.

[Via textually, image courtesy of The New York Times]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Oh yeah, we’ve seen GPS devices intended to sit secretively within the confines of a motorcar and beam back real-time tracking data to the powers that be, but typically, they’re fairly subtle about their purpose. Not so with the brashly named GPS Snitch, which makes no bones about its intentions of helping you catch that unfaithful SO or your rebellious teenager. As expected, this unit simply hides within one’s vehicle and can notify administrators via SMS / e-mail as soon as motion is detected or a pre-determined perimeter is exceeded. Additionally, you can track the vehicle’s progress through BlackLine’s website, and just in case the week of battery life isn’t enough, it can be hardwired to the car battery for logging extra long road trips. Ready to quell your suspicions? Grab one now for $399 plus applicable service plan fees.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Ah — dead, eerily-prescient, 20th century authors… they just can’t stop proving you right, can they? In a decidedly Orwellian turn, British authorities are considering a proposal to implant “machine-readable” RFID tags under the skin of some prison inmates as part of a plan to free up space in the country’s overcrowded prisons. Just like the nightmare world described in your favorite cautionary tales, the chips would enable authorities to track the location of implantees using satellite and radio-wave technology. The program would build off of the current ankle-tagging currently in place, and according to a official from the Ministry of Justice who finds the plan double-plus good, “All the options are on the table, and this is one we would like to pursue.” Of course, the controversial concept does have its detractors, Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, says that, “If the Home Office doesn’t understand why implanting a chip in someone is worse than an ankle bracelet, they don’t need a human-rights lawyer; they need a common-sense bypass.” Shortly following this statement, however, Shami was taken to an interrogation room and outfitted with a rat-hood, and all record of her existence was erased from state records.

[Via Slashdot]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: CES, GPS

Ah, the wonderful world of personal GPS trackers. Upon gazing at the i-Tracker, visions of Cheaters arise in our minds, but we’ll try to keep the nostalgia at a minimum here. Transystem’s latest — which was proudly displayed at CES — reportedly houses both a GPS and GSM module which enables it to transmit tracking information to one’s PC or mobile in real-time. As expected, it can be controlled with a predetermined handset or internet-connected PC, and there’s even an SOS button that instantly beams out one’s current location. Mum’s the word on pricing / availability, but make sure you clear that history after scouring the net in search of one.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS

There’s just something magical about listening to a British dame tell us exactly how many meters remain before we make our next turn, but we’re not so sure we’d be down with only that. Nevertheless, NavStar is hoping that you won’t mind the loss of visual aids when navigating to your next destination, as its Voice Navigator ditches the screen entirely and doles out guidance via auditory cues. Granted, the concept sounds at least halfway decent, but judging by a video of the unit in action, we can’t say we’re thrilled. The firm is, however, aiming to integrate “freshly updated NAVTEQ map data” to its servers each quarter, which should enable US drivers to take the most efficient routes as new roads open up. Hit up your local RV dealer for a demonstration, but set the expectation bar low, okay?

[Via GPSTracklog]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Digital Cameras, GPS

If you’re heavy into geotagging — and we think you are — you may want to look into an interesting new product from ATP (no relation to the multifunctional nucleotide of the same name) called the GPS Photo Finder, a unique device which automatically tags your digital pictures with latitude and longitude, without the need for a PC nearby. The little rectangular box works by reading SD, MMC or Memory Stick data and then tagging pictures on the media with location coordinates (as long as your camera is synced to the clock of the Photo Finder). The internal 128MB of memory allows for roughly 550 hours of tracking, and the pictures / GPS data can be read by any application capable of handling geotagged images (such as Picasa). The device is scheduled for mass release in the first quarter of 2008, no word on price right now.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS

There’s not a whole lot out there on this one just yet, but apparently, Mainnav is getting set to unveil the MG-910D’s successor — at least, that’s what we gather from the “available soon” icon beside it on the firm’s website. Nevertheless, we do know that it will sport a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, a display that shows speed, altitude and latitude, bike mounting hardware and a weatherproof enclosure. Additionally, we’re told that it can store up to 120,000 waypoints at once and can interface with Windows-based software (presumably for Google Earth viewing). We’re not quite sure if this one sports Bluetooth, but considering the current MG-910D does, we’ll be banking on the feature carrying over. Look for more info early next month once CES rolls around.

[Via NaviGadget]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Wireless

It’s been a tick since Zoombak’s pet locator snuck into the FCC’s database, but the time has finally come for the unit to go commercial. The outfit has at long last launched its A-GPS-based locator that can be used in both automotive and pet applications to find your favorite critter anytime of the day or locate your rebellious youngin’ who decided to take the family minivan for an extended Sunday drive. Owners of the device can create “safety zones” around particular locations and can be alerted via e-mail / SMS whenever something goes awry. As for pricing, you’ll be looking at $199 to keep an extra close eye on Fido or $249 for your vehicle, but don’t forget to factor in the $9.99 monthly service fee for “unlimited locating.”

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

We’ve been hearing about these highway use tax trials for years now, but apparently, a new $16.5 million Road User Charge Study will be looking for 2,700 mettlesome individuals that won’t mind driving around with a tracking unit riding shotgun. The absurdly expensive initiative is purportedly seeking to figure out whether Americans “would accept the idea of paying by the mile, instead of by the gallon.” North Carolina-based Innovation Management — which will “oversee the study” in the Triangle region of NC — proclaimed that folks who volunteer to take part in it would have their vehicle fitted with “GPS and computer hardware to track the miles they travel through each state and local government jurisdiction.” Best of all, however, is the tidbit noting that these very guinea pigs will also receive “make-believe bills” each month displaying what taxes they would owe if they were indeed being taxed per mile. Anyone want to guess how much revenue they could rake in from accidental payments?

[Via The Wolf Web, image courtesy of WRAL]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Here’s an interesting one. Apparently, a team of engineers failed to shut off the automated emergency calling system on a vehicle being used in a crash test facility in Germany, and as you may expect, it wasn’t long after the dummies slammed into a wall that medical personnel were arriving on scene. It was reported that this incident was the first of its kind, as members of the Cologne fire brigade rushed out to what they believed was some sort of “massive” automobile accident. The firemen were able to locate the vehicle due to its integrated GPS unit, and while we’re sure they were at least slightly confused upon arrival, at least they got to take the fire engine out for a leisurely spin.

[Thanks, Martin T., image courtesy of Edmunds]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

If your smartphone came with a built-in GPS receiver, you can choose to just overlook Google’s latest technology, but if your mobile is among the 85-percent (or so) out there lacking an integrated GPS module, listen up. The search giant has revealed new software (dubbed My Location) that enables non-GPS-equipped phones to be pinpointed within three miles of their actual location. Google is claiming that it can provide “neighborhood-level” data, and that pressing “0″ while in the app will enable users to skip the task of entering in a starting address when looking up directions. Notably, the system is not set up to collect phone numbers or any other personal details, and for those still paranoid, it can indeed be switched off. Currently, the tracking database still has a few gaps to be filled — namely locales in Europe and all of China / Japan — but Google could very well use the location data to eventually provide targeted ads to those who use it.

[Image courtesy of TracyAndMatt, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: GPS

Big Brother has been infringing on workplace privacy for some time now, but technology previously used primarily in the private sector is making its way out and into government-issued vehicles. Many administrators are suggesting that GPS-ified vehicles not only crack down on on-the-clock leisure activities, but curb wasteful spending on excess fuel / lost productivity. Proponents also claim that such a setup enables them to better monitor how efficient (or not) their current processes are. Granted, it’s not difficult to see just how polarizing the issue can be, and the Teamsters are already negotiating more contracts to keep workers from being peered upon. Still, if you’ve grown used to rolling your state-owned ride out to GameStop during lunch, we’d recommend taking a (very) good look around to ensure that you’re truly cruising solo — or, you know, just stick by the rules.

[Image courtesy of HamptonRoads]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: GPS

It would only take one case of having your precious data “mishandled” while in transit to spend some dough on a tracking mechanism for future shipments, and while we’ve certainly seen a number of options in the past, Fujifilm’s alternative is quite clever in its own right. The recently announced Tape Tracker takes the form of a standard 0.5-inch data tape cartridge, but rather than housing gigabytes of sensitive material, it hides a GPS system that enables data managers to “monitor important data assets in real-time or locate misplaced / stolen tapes instantly.” Furthermore, users of the device will have access to a secure, web-based application (aptly dubbed FujiFind) that can track several data tape shipments simultaneously, even through rural areas, within vehicles and inside warehouses. No word on a price just yet, but those willing to pay anything for peace of mind can look forward to a Q1 2008 release.

[Via SpaceMart]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: GPS

Aimed for Europe’s roads (for now), Blaupunkt has announced the TravelPilot Lucca 3.5, a circular GPS unit that will probably invoke some love it / hate it style comments. Either it’s a stylish looking unit, or its a waste of space (consider the square screen.) Either way, this thing features a 3.5-inch LCD, a Centrality Atlas III Dual Core 400MHz processor, detailed mapping of the UK and Ireland, major European roads, and detailed European mapping available at extra cost. It also has a SD/SDHC/MMC slot, and locations of speed traps to save you a ticket. If you don’t fancy the circular 3.5, you can go for the new Lucca 5.3, which features a 4.3-inch rectangular screen and case, Bluetooth support, voice control, and external video input for rear view cameras. You’ll undoubtedly see these models in Europe first, but for how much and when, we don’t know.

Read - Lucca 3.5
Read - Lucca 5.3

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!