GPS Zoom News and Tips

It’s Scandiwegiannish, that’s why, Darren. I’m a Heinz 57 of the species….but I know where I was made is all. www.geocities.com/hirvevarra/hirve.jpg

OmniCon: A Mobile IP-Based Vertical Handoff System for Wireless LAN and GPRS Links
Wi-Fi based hotspots offer mobile users broadband wireless Internet connectivity in public work spaces and corporate/ university campuses. Despite aggressive deployment of these hotspots in recent years, high-speed wireless Internet access remains restricted to a small number of geographical areas because of limited physical coverage of wireless LANs. On the other hand, despite their lower throughput, cellular networks have a significantly wider coverage and are thus much more available. Recognizing that 2.5G or 3G cellular networks can effectively complement wireless LANs, the authors set out to develop a vertical handoff system that allows mobile users to seamlessly fall back to such cellular networks as GPRS or 3G whenever wireless LAN connectivity is not available.

Cheap GPS receiver
Filed under: gps hacks Here’s a short guide for converting a Palm III GPS sled into a normal serial GPS receiver. The Palm III is old tech so its accessories can be picked up cheap and modified for other purposes. The GPS receiver needs to be separated from the Palm specific board and a few components need to be transfered between the two. Once that’s done you should have a standard serial GPS receiver. Here’s a cache in case the “Read” link fails. [thanks nevamore, who has done this hack with success] Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Owners of the TomTom GO 510, TomTom GO 910, TomTom ONE and TomTom Navigator 6 are getting a holiday gift — a free map update worth $150. If you have an older device, or TomTom Navigator 5, you won’t get the new maps for free, but you can get them at the discounted rate of $49.95. What’s just as interesting is that TomTom is billing this as the release of the most accurate and detailed maps in the industry for the US and Canada. TomTom uses TeleAtlas maps for the most part, and though they have an excellent reputation in Europe, their U.S. maps have been much weaker than NAVTEQ’s. Hopefully this will change with the release of the newest TeleAtlas map set….

FINEDIGITAL FineDrive 350 Portable GPS $199.99 AR
Staples.com - FINEDIGITAL FineDrive 350 Portable GPS $199.99 After Rebate. Staples has the FINEDIGITAL FineDrive 350 Portable GPS selling for $299.99 with a $100 rebate (exp. 12/24/06) making your cost $199.99 with free shipping.  See more info and photos at Amazon where it sells for $249.99. Features: Vehicle navigation system helps get you to your destination quickly and easily Features an intuitive design, user-friendly technology, and a 3.5-inch, bright color touch screen Includes a built-in MP3 player, picture viewer, and voice note option Small size ensures easy transferability from your car to another vehicle; tracks 12 to 20 satellites and shows your exact position on the map Dimensions (without antenna): 4.64 x 2.72 x 0.61 inches (WxHxD)

Garmin StreetPilot i5 Automotive GPS Navigator $269.99 Shipped
Amazon.com - Garmin StreetPilot i5 Automotive GPS Navigator $269.99 Shipped. Amazon has the Garmin StreetPilot i5 Automotive GPS Navigator selling for $269.99 with free shipping and no taxes for most. Features: Small, inexpensive but robust automotive GPS navigator Unique and convenient click-to-enter scroll wheel makes it easy to select destinations Three-dimensional map graphics with voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions through a built-in speaker Automatically puts you back on course when you make a wrong turn or run into traffic problems Measures 3 x 2.74 x 2.15 inches (W x H x D)