GPS Passion

GPS wishes for new Apple iPhone

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This is my wishlist for a Apple iPhone v2.
I am not hindered by any deep knowledge on the iPhone (v1) (because it is not available in Europe [and if it would be it would not work]), but have my eyes and ears open.

Apple’s biggest mistake is to put Google Maps on its iPhone without GPS support and Steve Jobs calling it something like a killer app and better than every version before. Is that right?

I would love it to have:

• built-in GPS, but the possibility to use a better external GPS would be great too!
• Google Maps with connection to internal or external GPS to you choice
• reasonably priced software for paperless geocaching (CacheMate for iPhone?)
• reasonably priced software for compass, location and strength of GPS signal (Java?)
• 3G mobile broadband like UMTS or HSDPA
• backup of the above with GPRS

Did I forget GPS related features for the iPhone v2? Tell me in a comment.

Why NY cabbies don’t want a GPS

I have mixed feeling again… The stories of New York taxi drivers going on strike because they do not want to to install a gps in their cabs got my attention. I was wondering what all the fuss was about. But there is more than the headers of the stories go…

I think the cabdrivers have the right to be upset (they always have ‘the right‘ of course), I think. It isn’t just a gps unit so that clients can see where they are going.

We’re talking about:

• 24-hour tracking GPS
• text messaging boxes
• credit card readers
• back-seat television monitors with TV show clips, weather, news and public service announcements

The cab drivers must make costs between 3000 to 5000 US dollar (!) for installing it and can count on a monthly price tag of about $50 for the cellular data service they need to use. Did I forget the 3% credit card transaction costs?

So we are not talking just a gps unit here, but a big brother homecinema set with location tracking and credit card. Engadget shows us the systems.

Personally, I think they are right. But who am I?
Just a GPS lover…

Trackstick the ultimate logger?

There are some people squealing that they want the new Trackstick II, even if it has a pricetag of around US$ 250 179.
The TrackStick is a device that logs you position data and can project it in Google Earth. (XP and Vista only)

It would be nice to compare the quality of the TrackStick and the QSTARZ BT-Q1000 Bluetooth GPS Receiver Data Logger (review of DigitalReviewsNet) (which I did mention here before) which in fact does the same, logging/backup to:

• CSV
• NMEA
• Google Earth file format

for a price of about US$ 119

The first doesn’t have bluetooth (!), no POI button (nice for play) and it is uncertain which chipset is used how the quality of the used chipset is. I did find the details of the chipset at qbik.ch:

email from TrackStick: We use the FTDI bm232 USB chipset.

Who will be the winner? My pre-vote goes to the QStarz because of the extra features.

TomTom ready to buy Tele Atlas

Dutch car navigation maker TomTom has agreed to aquire Tele Atlas, the second largest (also Dutch based) digital map maker in the world for lets say 2 billion euro (read: $ 2.77 billion).

This makes that TomTom is getting even closer to its source. Without digital maps, no car navigation. By buying Tele Atlas TomTom has the idea that it can react faster to customer feedback.
I am sure we are getting closer to real-time maps, but I hope that in the mean time the static maps will be kept up to date better than they are now. One way driving directions of streets (if changed) sometimes take quite some time to get through.

I am curious whether the same maps will still be delivered to the customers of Tele Atlas. This is not nice to think, but we are in the year 2007 and things have changed. I may be wrong and the will provide exactly the same maps to others and take pride in developing their software. This is their intention:

We will supply all companies wanting to rely on the improved maps for their PNDs, wireless handsets, in-car systems, internet services and in-house routing services.

I am very curious what this future will bring us, concerning TomTom and Tele Atlas.

via GPS Business News