Ed Fotheringham
Smart & Wired: Public Display of Affection
March 1, 2005
Handheld GPS technology has four main uses for civilians: street routing,
marine navigation, topographical mapping and aviation navigation. GPS receivers
determine your position by calculating how long it takes to send and receive
radio signals from three or more satellites. Only the software and the graphical
user interface for each application are different.
Street routing helps you
navigate roads, either on foot or by car. “Street routing software plots your
position on a street map and will give you directions to and from a
destination,” explains Robin Martel, business development manager for
Toronto-based software manufacturer Fugawi. “The software can tell you exactly
when to turn right and how far away from your destination you are.” It can also
help you find the closest four-star hotel, park or tourist locale. “We’ve done a
few road trips,” says Stephen Waybright, manager, Global Product Marketing, iPAQ
Accessories for Hewlett-Packard. “We were able to use the Points of Interest
feature and find the closest park or restaurant.” Most street-routing software
features moving maps—you see your car as a tiny, moving blip on a map that
details street names, direction and mileage. Although it is a feature built into
many of today’s new cars—for example, the OnStar service is factory-installed on
more than 50 General Motors models—you can’t carry it with you when you travel
or switch vehicles. The onboard modules don’t synchronize with your calendar and
contact lists, either. Handheld PDAs, Internet access and software make it
possible to do both, says Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO of Research in
Motion, the developer of the BlackBerry wireless platform. “If you have a
meeting at my office, I can click on my address, create a map and directions,
and e-mail them directly to you,” he says. “Anyone using a PDA is mobile. Anyone
who is mobile has location issues. GPS is the natural answer to those issues.”
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