Category — GPS

Beyond geocaching and all the fun you can have with GPS trackers, business owners are increasingly turning to GPS units as security devices for expensive equipment and cargo. After purchasing a GPS tracker, business owners typically must pay an activation fee in addition to monthly service fees for continued tracking service whether they need it or not, which is sometimes more than they want to invest in GPS tracking. As an alternative to ongoing fees, a new GPS tracking device, known as the GAT , or Global Asset Tracker, requires no monthly service or activation fees until it is actually needed. Made by TrackingtheWorld, Inc., a Burlingame, CA firm, the GAT can be remotely activated via a pre-installed SIM card and holds a single charge for up to 3 years. In the news, GPS trackers have recently been credited with foiling the efforts of thieves. On April 28, The Dallas Morning News reported that GPS tracking led to the recover y of 2 air conditioning units valued at $2,000 each. Theft of air conditioning units is rapidly increasing due to the escalating value of brass as scrap.

Over a year ago I got my very first car GPS unit, the Garmin Streetpilot C550, but already it has saved my ass many times while driving around the poorly visible and M.C. Escher-esque streets of Los Angeles. I’ve taken it with me to Vancouver and Texas where it surely saved me hours of wrong turns, and potential accidents caused by using my former navigational system, the venerable Paper Map or its offspring, the printed map from MapQuest or Google Maps.

Like pretty much any global positioning system out there, it’s not perfect. I bought it with the traffic alert attachment, which at least in L.A. is not terribly useful — it saying “Traffic Ahead” is about as silly and helpful as “Look Ma, a cow!” Gee, really? That’s nice dear.

Its navigation around total gridlock is, well, not any more useful than your own senses and knowledge of the area. More than once I have let it throw me into the middle of traffic morass when I just knew I should have acted like Luke Skywalker, listened to Ben Kenobi, turned off my “navi-computer”, and just let the Force guide me around.

Probably my favorite feature is just its ability to tell me what streets are coming up (particularly in the dark). That and being able to bookmark wherever you are the moment. I like to change my car icon to fun things like a monster truck, or a pirate ship. I have mine set to an Australian female voice. Oh, and it’s got a Bluetooth “Hands-free” mode for my cel phone, where it becomes almost like an iPhone touchscreen can spend the hour long, 7 mile commute calling friends.

One thing I don’t like about it — sometimes it says “Please drive to highlighted route” and shows a twisty purple line without any arrows indicating which way you are supposed to drive.

Still, I can’t live without this gadget now.