2010年1月21日星期四

Rapid Growth Of GPS Market Around the World

Bharatbook.com added a new report on “World GPS Market Forecast” evaluate the current GPS industry trends at the global and regional level while giving a prudent analysis of the future potential of GPS industry worldwide.

World GPS Market Forecast

Global Positioning System (GPS) is a revolutionary tool, which provides unequal accuracy and flexibility of positioning for navigation, surveying and Geographic Information System (GIS) data capture. Growing usage in automotive and consumer applications is propelling the mobile location technologies market, which is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of more than 20% to cross US$ 75 Billion by 2013.

The technology is fast gaining acceptance worldwide with rising penetration in previously untapped areas. Thus, the number of GPS-enabled LBS subscribers is expected to take a big leap in coming years with market revenue reaching around US$ 9.8 Billion in 2013. The positive outlook for the industry is accredited to the rapid development and enhancements in digital mapping software.

Although standalone products are quite popular, the most common applications are built around Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) and mobile phones. As of 2007, PNDs dominated the GPS device market with more than 90% market share. However, this share is expected to get disturbed by the availability of GPS-enabled handsets that will account for around 70% of the market share by 2013. The report says that the shipments of GPS devices will grow at a CAGR of more than 24% in the forecast period but cost will play a critical role in this projected growth.

The report also says that 2009 will be crucial for the overall development of GPS industry in regions such as North America and Europe owing to the current economic market turmoil. Emerging countries like India and China will continue to see rapid growth in the adoption of GPS technology with the launch of low cost GPS-enabled mobile handsets in these countries.

“World GPS Market Forecast to 2013” provides a comprehensive review of the GPS market across the world. The report thoroughly evaluates the current industry trends and developments vital for the success of GPS industry. Analysis is presented for major geographic markets such as the US, Canada, Japan and other Asian countries. The report gives a detailed analysis of end-user applications, including In-vehicle Navigation, Survey/Mapping, Machine Control and others. It also says that opportunities remain untapped for various vertical segments of GPS market, which include new advanced access devices, chipset availability and PND market.

How could any car be worth such a price?

I stood in absolute disbelief. Perhaps he had misunderstood my question. I answered, “No, I don’t want to purchase your business, I want to buy a car.” His frown left me mystified as I grasped what he was implying. The car actually was $44,991, on sale! I contemplated this as I scrutinized the automobile, searching for a toilet or maybe waiting for it to speak, something to verify its price. “Well, it should never break down,” I remarked. “It should run forever.” He laughed, but remarked on the car DVD player, the navigational device and the OnStar alert system. “Fantastic,” I echoed, “more gadgets to break down.” He grinned and I left.

It puzzles me that cars cost what once houses did, and in truth, are their engines that much improved? Fuel pumps, water pumps, gaskets, starters, batteries and radiators all still fail, as did the engine in my $10,000 Suzuki. Do we honestly believe that these exorbitantly priced automobiles outshine all others? That their engines won’t ever bite the dust? Do we not see this clue in having the OnStar alert system? Do we buy a car to watch DVDs?

It is distressing that there are those who believe these unrelated-to-the-engine devices will provide you with outstanding performance. How quickly we overlook that, sometime down the road, we will be forced to make the decision of either repairing it, again, or trading it in. What was it that we paid $44,000 for?

Gadgets for the Car – Make Life More Comfortable

Many gadgets for the car are making their presence felt. Not just as a novelty but also as a safety measure.

Gadgets for the Car Making Life More Comfortable

Cars with automatic window shutters are a rarity and come at a premium no doubt. For the manual roll up window mechanism there is an add-on in the market. The automatic rollup car window gadget is making life easier for many people. These useful little gizmos come with attachment that also detect the brightness outside and switch on or off the headlights of the car. You can set the level of darkness outside to trigger the switching. When you go through a tunnel the headlights will turn on and when you exit it the headlights will turn off. The other little gizmos are electronic sensors that will turn on and off the windscreen wipers whenever the screen gets frosty with dew or rain.

One gadget for the car that Gadgets.in found quite useful is the rear camera that is connected to the rear view mirror. The mirror has a small LCD screen which displays the entire rear section of the car. This enables the driver to see the rear with ease irrespective of anyone in the rear seat blocking his or her view through the rear view mirror. Some people are developing this gadget to record certain periods while the car is moving. In case of an accident the driver can save the recording to replay it as a support for his claim of not being responsible for the mishap. If the driver does not save the clipping then the video will erase the clip a few minutes after the vehicle has stopped.

Other gadgets include state of the art stereo radio players that cone with inbuilt Car DVD players and CD players. The latest in the range of IPods is the iPod dock that fits into the coffee cup holder. This iPod dock fits snugly into the cup holder and rotates enough to face the controls of the iPod so the driver has easy accessibility to them. Next in the same line of car gadgets is the iPod FM transmitter. This transmits the music on an FM channel that the car stereo FM layer is tuned to creating music for all in the car to enjoy.

2010年1月14日星期四

Should parents track their kids with GPS?

Gone are the days when a teen could tell her parents that she's going to the movies when she's really sneaking away to a keg party.

Except Car CPS and or bikes, GPS has moved into the realm of parenting, and today's moms and dads can know exactly where their children are at all times.

Parents can download a program such as Loopt or Glympse onto their teen's cell phone or they can install a device into their teen's car. CarChip Pro collects data on the time and date for each car trip, distance, speed, hard accelerations and decelerations. The Real Time RT Tracker allows you to monitor your child in the car in real-time; the exact location of the car can be sent to your computer every 1, 2, or 5 minutes.

For younger children, there are small GPS units such as Insignia's Little Buddy Child Tracker ($99) that you can stuff into backpacks and lunchboxes. The Little Buddy will send you an alert when your little tyke leaves a designated area.

The new Lok8u Num8 Child Locator GPS Watch ($180) for kids ages 3 to 12 is designed to look like a real watch so a kidnapper doesn't think to rip it off your child's wrist. And if the watch is forcibly removed, an alert is sent to the parents' cell phones detailing the child's location. Parents can set up "safe zones", and if kids stray, the watch will then automatically switch to "live track" mode and the child's location is continuously monitored, updated and sent to the designated email as an address with postcode and a link to Google maps.

With many of these GPS child-tracking programs and gadgets, you can watch your child's movement on a map on a screen, whether its your computer, iPhone, Blackberry. Most often you're watching a little icon--your child--moving around on a Google Map.

Some parents view these devices as a godsend. These parents are concerned about kidnappers snatching their preschoolers or they don't trust their teenagers. They want to know when their kid who is playing outside leaves the driveway or walks across the street. But others are appalled by what some are calling "GPS parenting."

A review of the Little Buddy on Engadget.com reads:

Insignia, Best Buy's house brand, has just listed an incredibly invasive and humiliating new GPS tracker on its site, and rather than promoting it as just that, the marketing brains have decided it best to aim this at paranoid mums and dads who've done such a poor job raising their offspring that they can't even trust 'em to trek out on their own.

And "Free-Range Kids" author Lenore Skenazy, the mom who famously allowed her son to ride the subway alone in NYC, wrote about the Little Buddy in her blog:

What upsets me is the rationale behind the product: That children are in danger every second they step out the door, and that any GOOD parent keeps them under constant surveillance — either in person, or, now, by GPS.

Not only does this reinforce the notion that we are living among depraved monsters, it also reinforces the notion that if, God forbid, anything bad DOES happen to a child, it's the parents' fault. They should have been there. They should have expected the very worst. Every parent should treat every day as potentially their children’s last.

Over at Momlogic, where a recent article covered GPS parenting, a mom posted her feelings in a comment:

Nope, no way, no how. I have custody of my teenage niece and the only way I would use the tracking is if she is really, really late and not answering her phone. I think it is an invasion of privacy and asking for conflict...It smacks of distrust, dishonesty, and secrecy--the one thing you are trying to teach your teen not to do.

Facts About Car Stereo System

The truth is that if you just buy the car with no additional sound accessories, the sound quality of your car stereo system might not be the kind that you would like it to be. There is always room for improvement and the best part about modern technology is that that room is always allowed. This means that with whatever car audio system that your car comes with and if you are unhappy with the output and you would like to improve it, there are numerous ways by which you could embellish your car audio system and you can add on accessories and make the sound quality even better.

The first thing you should do if you wish to improve the performance of your car audio system is to replace your existing speakers for new ones. The fact is that the car stereo system that your car manufacturer provides you with is not of the best quality and the most instant improvement that you can distinctly tell is by installing new speakers that will show a great change in the quality of the sound that is produced. This is because no matter how great your car audio system actually might be, the sound that is being played ultimately has to be passed through the speakers to be heard and is this is not of the kind of quality that is up to your standards then of course the whole quality of the sound that is in the output will be bad. So just with a replacement of the speakers you will find a world of good.

The next thing that you should change or upgrade is the receiver itself. Just like the speakers themselves are pretty important for the kind of quality of sound that you want produced even the main receiver itself is as important for the overall sound quality to be good. For better sound with no signs of any sound distortion or also an amp that is very clear will require you to change your receiver, this should preferably be a receiver that is bought from a well known manufacturer.

The brand and the quality of the receiver that you buy from will surely affect the kind of sound that you ultimately receive. A better quality receiver will also have a better option for the kind of display on the interface that you receive that makes the selection of songs while you are driving less distractive and a better way to operate the sound inside your car. These good quality receivers can also be embellished with other sources for audio; these can include a car DVD player or a radio tuner or something like that which can be attached to the receiver and thus make your sound stereo system inside your car even more versatile.

Another great way to improve the sound quality inside your car which you should do after you have done the above is to add an external amplifier.

Find the best Auto Hifi at bargain prices and much more information on Car Audio for the right car stereo.

2010年1月12日星期二

Car Gps Systems – A Buyers Guide

In 1973 the U.S. Department of Defence launched the Navstar GPS network. This consisted of 24 satellites orbiting the earth every 12 hours and five ground stations. This positioning system was made available for public use. With this capability, consumer location devices were produced to accurately determine location and other data such as current and average speed, directional heading, and elevation.

recognition to receive destination instructions, and voice guidance to give driving instructions * Weather updates * Street name navigation – instead of just turn left 200m it was say ‘Turn left into Stanley St’ * Integrated Multimedia players – MP3 players, image viewers, and audio books. Onboard or Portable GPS Navigation units are black and white * Voice Interface – more advanced units How The GPS Device Gets A Fix The first time you start your Car GPS device, its data store is blank so needs a to collect satellite information to determine your position.

This is known as a cold start, while others can take several minutes. Subsequent position updates only take 30 to 45 seconds to acquire a 3D fix. * Antenna to capture satellite signals – positioned to get a clear view of the sky. Many portable models have a suction-cup-mounting device to position the device on the unit, to give driving instructions * Weather updates * Street name navigation – instead of just turn left 200m it was say ‘Turn left into Stanley St’ * Integrated Multimedia players – MP3 players, image viewers, and audio books.

Onboard or Portable GPS Navigation units are black and white to save power. Larger screens and integrate better with other vehicle electronics. Input Buttons – most enroute buttons are on the map as well previous track. The receiver constantly recalculates position, giving real time position. A typical GPS device contains: * 12-channel receiver – the quality of the type of unit and antenna, the important thing is to keep the antenna visible to the computer via USB, whereas others are done using a Car DVD.

Those units which can be used in multiple cars; being easily moved from car to car. Depending upon the power supply and portability, portable and handheld units can be just as expensive as the factory models. Upgrading – always check how bright these are, and if they are clearly visible from the mounted position in bright day light. Onboard navigation systems are generally color screens, and portable units are black and white to save on part of a track for future use. * A track of where you have been – the number of GPS Units Apart from giving you a current position on the windshield.

Add-on antennas are also available. Regardless of the sky. Many portable models have a suction-cup-mounting device to acquire a 3D fix. The GPS Device Gets A Fix The first time you start your GPS device, its data store is blank so needs a to collect satellite information to determine your position. This is known as a cold start, while others can take several minutes. Subsequent position updates only take 3 to 4 seconds. If you go out of range from losing line of sight, such as the Garmin StreetPilot 2720, can be taken when travelling or used on cycles, boats, private aircraft etc.

network. four This satellites consisted to of collect 24 satellite satellites information to determine your position. This is known as a cold start. Some units detach a portion to be connected to the computer via USB, whereas others are done using a car DVD player. Those units which can be upgraded online, are much more convenient. Added Features of GPS navigation devices can give you: * A track of where you have been – the number of GPS navigation devices can give you: * A track of where you have been – the number of tracks and waypoints stored varies from unit to unit.

You may also want to save on part of a track for future use. * A path from your current position to your destination * Maintain commonly used navigation paths for reuse. * Points of Interest – user sets the types of points of interest, such as the factory models. Upgrading – always check how bright these are, and if they are clearly visible from the mounted position in bright day light. Onboard navigation systems are usually more expensive than portable counterparts.

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2010年1月8日星期五

In GPS, Google Is Still a Little Lost

Where in the world am I?

I thought I knew. From all outward appearances, I was at Pennsylvania Station in New York. But according to Google's (GOOG) mapping and Car GPS software running on my Motorola Droid phone, I was on Cheapside, a street in London. The app helpfully located nearby Underground stations for me.

When Motorola (MOT), Verizon (VZ), and Google launched the Droid in November, investors drove down shares of TomTom and Garmin (GRMN), makers of dedicated navigation systems. The reason: The mapping application built into Google's Android smartphone operating system offered spoken, turn-by-turn directions—for free. Now that Google has taken the wraps off its Nexus One phone, it's clear navigation will only grow in strategic importance.

I plan to look at how the app works on the new Google handset soon. In the meantime I've been using the program on the Droid in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area for the last couple of weeks. And I've encountered enough quirks—hello, London!—to conclude its not quite time to give up a standalone device.

In your car, the best way to use the Droid for Car GPS is with the optional $29.99 mounting bracket that attaches to the windshield or dashboard. The phone senses when it's in the holder and automatically displays a special interface that includes large buttons for maps and navigation. On a few occasions, though, my phone would slip back to its usual display setting, requiring me or my passenger to find and relaunch the program.

Google's app provides multiple ways to input your destination, including by touchscreen, the Droid's physical keyboard, and built-in voice search. I found the interface a bit fussy, requiring a number of pokes and prods. (Drivers shouldn't poke this, or any other screen, when the car is in motion.)

I also had an issue with the app's display. For a smartphone, the Droid's screen is a pleasure—very bright, with a higher resolution than that of an Apple (AAPL) iPhone. But its 3.7-inch size, combined with the Google app's mapping layout, makes it much harder to see than the 4.3-inch display on the Garmin nüvi 855 system I used for comparison.

Once I was under way, driving instructions were delivered in a clear voice that sounds a little like VIKI, the malevolent computer in the movie I, Robot. The system gave me plenty of advance notice of coming turns, including street names, and usually picked good routes. When I deliberately missed some turns, the Droid took longer than the nüvi to recalculate. So I often failed to take what would have been a logical alternative route. Harder to forgive were the app's occasional bouts of confusion, including the London episode.

Motorola refers queries about such hiccups to Google, which responds that they are hardware issues. Whoever is to blame, it's disconcerting to be directed the wrong way down a one-way street, something that has happened perhaps twice in five years with the built-in navigation system in my car—and happened within a week of using the Google app.

On the other hand, when I arrived at my destination, not only did the phone announce it, but the view switched from map to a Google street-view photograph. Very nice if you are prowling unfamiliar turf.

Google labels its nav app "Beta," a testing designation the company often maintains longer than its competitors do. I guess that's supposed to excuse the bugs in an otherwise fine app with a price nobody can beat.

Oh, and to get to Penn Station from Cheapside, head toward the Thames, take a right, and...keep going.

2010年1月4日星期一

Mobile DTV Goes Wi-Fi to Reach IPhones

Among the devices supporting mobile digital TV at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week will be a small box designed to bring over-the-air broadcasts to iPhones, BlackBerries, laptops and other devices with Wi-Fi.

The ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) approved a mobile DTV standard for the U.S. in October, but CES is expected to host the first major announcements of devices that can receive the signals. The Tivit, development of which was partially funded by the industry group Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), will pick up a standard mobile DTV signal and transmit it via Wi-Fi to a mobile phone or any other device equipped with Wi-Fi. It is expected to go on sale in the first half of this year for between US$90 and $120.

All the major U.S. mobile operators offer some form of TV service, but those services are oriented toward national channels and video on demand. Mobile DTV allows local stations to broadcast their regular over-the-air programming or other content from their existing transmission facilities. The broadcasts are carried over a portion of the station's regular frequencies and use high-quality H.264 video and HE AAC v2 (High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding, Version2) audio encoding. Stations are expected to begin by showing their standard content, free of charge, but could also add special mobile DTV channels available by subscription.

Several mobile DTV devices are expected to be announced at CES, including a portable car DVD player from LG Electronics. As for content to watch on those upcoming devices, 30 local stations out of about 1,600 across the U.S. are already set up for mobile DTV, according to the OMVC. It costs less than $150,000 and about two hours to upgrade a station for mobile DTV, said David Arland, a spokesman for the OMVC and Valups, which will make the Tivit.

The Tivit could open up mobile DTV to a plethora of devices already in consumers' hands, giving early adopters a taste of free, live, local TV on their handsets. The OMVC, which represents more than 800 local broadcast TV stations, will use it as part of a trial this year in the Washington, D.C., area in which eight local stations will broadcast mobile DTV and various consumers will use different types of devices to watch the broadcasts.

The device, about two inches (5 centimeters) by 3.5 inches and less than half an inch thick, is made by Valups, a South Korean vendor of set-top boxes. Valups adapted it from devices that were introduced in Japan and Korea so iPhone users could continue to enjoy the live local TV they were used to seeing on their cell phones, Arland said. The Tivit is battery-powered, comes with a USB port and a wall adapter for charging, and should last about three hours of viewing on a charge, according to the company. Valups will be looking for retail channel partners at CES, Arland said.

The Tivit can only send video to one Wi-Fi device at a time, though it could be adapted to serve multiple devices in the future, Arland said. It includes a slot for a micro-SD card, which could be used to give a consumer access to subscription-based programming. In addition to the Tivit, Valups will introduce a mobile DTV module for integration into portable consumer electronics devices such as car DVD players, TVs and in-car navigation units.

To use the Tivit, consumers will need special software. There is a free application available now in the iTunes App Store for iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Though on Monday the app was still called "Tivit Mobile TV Viewer for DVB-H," it actually uses the U.S. mobile DTV standard and not DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld), the standard used in Europe, Arland said. Users will also be able to download free software for BlackBerries, Motorola Android phones and laptops. There are versions available for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The applications will provide a list of available programs. None of the software will work without the Tivit.

Though any Wi-Fi device could pick up transmissions from the Tivit, the mobile DTV standard is designed for use in small devices with screens less than 10 inches across, Arland said. Unlike standard digital TV, it is designed to allow smooth viewing even on high-speed trains, he said.

Introducing the Tivit is a necessary first step in getting mobile DTV off the ground, said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. Some consumers would prefer making a one-time device purchase and getting free TV from then on. However, it will face two major hurdles as a consumer electronics product, he said. One is that consumers won't have any use for it until mobile DTV is on the air in their own areas.

"Until there's broadcasting in your local area with content that you're interested in receiving, it's a doorstop," Greengart said.

The other is that it's one more thing a consumer will have to remember to take advantage of the service.

"Generally speaking, consumers don't like to carry accessories for their devices," he said.

MobiTV, which already sells a managed service to mobile operators for delivering live national TV and video on demand on phones, is bullish about the addition of local broadcasting over mobile DTV.

"We've proved there is a business in mobile TV. This is just another addition to it," said Chief Technology Officer Kay Johansson. Though MobiTV could bring local stations' programming into its service and deliver it based on a user's location information, mobile DTV makes more sense for that, he said. "We definitely believe that you have to have a broadcast element of this in the future."

Protect Your In-car Gadgets and Save a lot

Metropolitan Police statistics from 2007 show that gadgets like sat nav units and mobile phones have become big money for car thieves. And with harder financial times ahead for many, this area of crime is likely to increase.

According to those figures, theft of sat navs from vehicles rose 154% between April 2006 and April 2007 – that’s more than double. And sat navs aren’t the only gadgets attracting thieves to your car. MP3 players, Car DVD players and digital cameras are among the items most often reported stolen from vehicles.

The worst part of losing your Car GPS or Car DVD from your car is that it will usually end up costing you far more than just the cost of replacing the gadget. You’ll also be paying for the cost of repairing broken windows or popped locks, or however the thief gained entry to your car. If you make a claim against your car insurancepolicy for the repairs and replacement, you could lose your no claims bonus and may face higher premiums for years to come.

Knowing all this, you’d think that the savvy driver would take measures to avoid putting out a welcome mat for thieves, but surveys point to the opposite. An industry survey showed that an incredible 96% of drivers regularly leave their electronic gadgets in their cars when they park them. As if that’s not bad enough, an unbelievable 1 of every 3 drivers surveyed admitted that they leave their gadgets in full view inside their vehicle. The results? An incredible 21% of drivers surveyed – more than one in every five – have had at least one electronic gadget stolen from their vehicle.

Mobile phones, sat navs, MP3 players and other electronics are a veritable treasure trove for today’s brand of thieves. They’re often left in full view on the front seat or dash of a car. It’s only a matter of seconds for an opportunist to break a window and be off with your sat nav tucked into a pocket or under a shirt. Those goodies are easy to steal and easy to sell off, since they’re in such high demand.

Save Your Sat Nav – And Some Cash

One UK car insurer isn’t taking the situation laying down. At swiftcover.com, the UK’s only completely online insurance company, they’ve added a new cover option to their car insurance. For a small extra premium of around £30, you can purchase gadget cover when you purchase their car insurance. The small gadgets cover will replace your in-car items if they’re stolen from your car or damaged accidentally. That’s a cheap price to pay to cover hundreds of pounds worth of equipment that you might use every day.

The small gadgets cover from swiftcover.com will cover items like mobile phones, PDAs, satellite navigation systems, MP3 players, safety camera locators, portable games consoles, digital cameras, camcorders and portable Car DVD player.

Of course, the best form of protection is prevention. Before you get out of your car, make it a practice to pick up any gadgets on your dash or seats and stow them in the glove box or the boot. That one simple habit can reduce your chances of being a smash-and-grab target dramatically.