Waterproof GPS

The year was 1957, and the free world was in a panic. The Soviet Space Program successfully sent Sputnik into orbit and the end of civilization, as we knew it was at hand. How could the dirty Reds have invaded space with such relative ease? In less than a year, President Eisenhower, working in tandem with Congress, quickly established NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to formulate a response to the looming threat.

Under the cautious direction of Wernher von Braun, NASA immediately began to explore the possibility of sending human beings into space. Within the first year of their inception, NASA had launched the Explorer 1 satellite into space. Dubbed Project Mercury, this program involved seven original astronauts, of whom, Alan Shepard became the first American into space, while John Glenn would become the first American to orbit the earth.

Tracking these projects were revolutionary GPS tracking devices that could track their location, altitude, and rates of speed. So coveted was this GPS technology that it remained classified until 1983, when a Soviet interceptor aircraft shot down a civilian Korean Air airliner, killing everyone on board. The plane had strayed into Soviet airspace and although the Soviets had probable cause, had the airliner had accurate navigational systems, the tragedy could have been avoided. President Ronald Reagan subsequently declassified GPS tracking systems for civilian use.

Initially developed by the Navy, the first successful GPS tracking system was dubbed Transit, and used five satellites to triangulate positions around the globe. With the Space Race underway, NASA began implementing a new tracking system, called the Global Positioning System (GPS). The system involved the use of satellites to track the position and location of both spacecraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Global positioning systems have not only become ubiquitous, they’ve become the preeminent navigational systems used by scientists and taxi drivers alike. In fact, law enforcement uses GPS tracking to find stolen cars and keep tabs on criminals on bail or probation. Now, not only can someone find where they are on a city grid, but also he or she can find nearby businesses and restaurants.

Your GPS tracking device is closer to you than you thought. Actually, it’s ringing now.

Sometimes I’ll write about something that prompts me to revisit it and wonder: should I rehash this? Have I said everything I could about a particular topic? Can I say more? Am I being redundant? Sometimes the answer to all these questions is an emphatic yes. Sometimes, it’s a definitive no. Today, I think I’d like to rehash a topic that still haunts me every time I pick up my blessed iPhone.

First off, I know there is a tsunami of animus directed towards we Mac-lovers — and for good reason. I know it’s annoying to have to put up with out smugness and our superior attitude. But don’t blame us — blame Steve Jobs. He made us into the snobs we are. After all, we were just following orders. In fact, I get new orders, via my Cupertino-designed beauty everyday. I swear — Apple is talking to us…in our minds.

In the recent past, I’ve written about the iPhone and its 3G network and its awesome apps, but the feature I find myself using — trailing behind the actual phone and the email access — is the GPS driven map. I can’t tell you how many times that tracking beacon has directed me to assorted Shangri-las across this fine nation of ours. Taco stands, burger joints, coffee shops — I’d be utterly lost without this function. I know — what a cliche. But like all good cliches, there is truth to it.

As my mind — and all my retention — bleeds out into the ever-increasing, ever-expanding cloud, I can’t help but wonder…what was I talking about? Oh, yes, my GPS tracking device — I mean, my iPhone. Without it, I’m rudderless, a mere pawn in the chess game of the Gods. With it, I defy the Gods, I stand vigilant, ready to be directed to the nearest ATM or Hot Topic store. You can never have too many racing flame high-top Chuck Taylor sneakers, you know.

Ok, I know the tinfoil hat set would have me believe the phone could be used against me — as if I had some worthwhile scheme or master plan to dominate the world that was worth spying on. No, if the government wants to track me, I’d be flattered — but I’m not picking up the tab if they show up at my local Starbucks. If they do show up, I can show them my six pages of solid apps and then maybe we could go for a walk and have dinner together. Again, I’m not paying.

Snag your GPS tracking device — I mean your iPhone — online. Hurry, before the government shows up and eats all your Fritos.

If you have company vehicles on the road - cars, trucks, tractor trailers - and you do not have GPS vehicle tracking in them, you are probably spending money on wasted time, wasted fuel, and unnecessary vehicle maintenance and repairs. If you want to reduce these costs and improve your bottom line, GPS vehicle tracking is what you need.

Do you recall the news reports a few years ago when UPS decided to have all of their drivers plan their routes and make their deliveries without making left turns? They did some analysis and found that left turns were burning fuel, time and money. How did they perform the analysis? They used GPS vehicle tracking to reduce costs.

The information gathered by UPS and the action taken by the company can be useful to most businesses that have vehicles on the road. GPS vehicle tracking clearly demonstrates that left turns require waiting, either for the intersection to be clear of traffic or for a light to change. While waiting, driver time is being wasted and fuel is being wasted by an idling engine. Once this information is expanded across a full day, then across the entire company, the lost time and wasted fuel translates to significant cost. This knowledge indicates left turns are expensive.

Even more enlightening information was gathered by the Dyersburg, TN city government after they received angry complaints from city residents about long delays in responding to calls for trash pickup. The city installed GPS vehicle tracking and analyzed the data it gathered over a brief period of time. The waste they discovered is not uncommon, but it is worth considering. They found reasons for customer complaints and frustration. But they also discovered driver actions that needed correction. The driver actions included such things as: driving all day, except for lunch and breaks, without ever stopping, personal use of city vehicles at night and on weekends, wasteful habits like taking unnecessarily long routes to destinations, picking up a small amount of trash and going to the dump before picking up the next small amount of trash.

GPS vehicle tracking provides a wealth of information to management, including:

- speeding

- unsafe or inefficient driving habits.

- use of less efficient travel routes.

- leaving vehicles idling for a long time

- ability to identify and re-route the closest person when there is an urgent need.

- excessive time spent at a location

All of this information then becomes the basis for helping drivers exercise better driving habits, identify consistent habits that reduce efficiency, and even document reasons for some customer complaints. The ability to activate warning systems, for example, for bad driving habits and to communicate more efficient alternate routes is just the beginning of the value to a company of GPS vehicle tracking to a business of any size.

GPS vehicle tracking systems can help you protect and extend the life of your vehicles by helping drivers exercise safer and more efficient driving habits. When data from the tracking devices is analyzed over time, it will identify waste, lax employee performance, unauthorized use of vehicles, and identify numerous ways to become more efficient. These are only a few of the ways a GPS vehicle tracking system can provide the benefits of consistent and trustworthy data that can help you cut costs, increase efficiency and productivity, and increase profits.

Your drivers can find the best driving routes, reduce waiting time, improve fuel economy and contribute to a better bottom line. GPS devices are very affordable and very easy to install and monitor. Many insurance companies even offer rate reductions for vehicles equipped with GPS vehicle tracking. Perhaps best of all, the ROI of this investment will be many times greater than the cost and you can demonstrate improvement almost instantly.

To learn more about gps vehicle tracking, claim your free report “7 Ways Your Company Can Save Thousands of Dollars With GPS Fleet Tracking.” Many companies have substantially boosted their revenue and decreased their costs by installing GPS vehicle tracking for their fleet. To calculate the ROI for your company in under 30 seconds, see the fleet tracking ROI calculator.

The iPhone has come a long way in a very short amount of time. It has graduated from phone to smart-phone to phantom limb. Short of slicing and dicing, the iPhone is an unparalleled GPS tracking device, media player, and Internet platform. It has become synonymous with cutting-edge, beautifully designed engineering.

Truth be told, it’s more than a phone. It’s a cultural phenomenon. It is a navigator, game platform, television, music player, and even an instrument. Once it was nothing ore than a trinket for the idle rich. Now, it is a vital component for millions worldwide. It gives credence to the old adage: wants become needs as income increases. To be sure, few cellphones can compare to its sleek, seamless design.

Users can connect to the Internet in milliseconds. This allows people to use the Internet and other features up to twice as fast as the old models. The cost for third generation models is very agreeable. Also, it appears as if the third generation phones have smoothed out the edges that plagued the second-generation phones, namely a Cut & Paste function. This has opened the door for many more people being able to afford this smart-phone.

Of course, what makes the iPhone what it is, is the touch screen. You don’t use a stylus or another device to navigate which makes it quicker to get to where you want. There isn’t even a keyboard on the phone, but instead you get a virtual keyboard on the screen. You can email, send pictures, or browse the web extremely fast regardless of where you are. The phone even operates as a video player. You can store all your songs and videos on the phone and watch them or listen to them at will. With all of these cool features, the best new feature is the GPS capability on the iPhone 3G.

You can find your location and get directions in a matter of seconds. Just make sure you’ve pulled over first. The phone integrates with Google Maps and can find your location within a matter of seconds. A map is brought up and your location is represented by a blue dot on the screen. It integrates with several iPhone features to give you a completely unique experience with your phone.

Transform your iPhone (or any phone) into a veritable GPS tracking device. How can you know where you’re going if you can’t find out where you are?

The Soviets had threatened to dominate space well before the Eagle had landed. When the Soviet Space Program successfully sent Sputnik into orbit in’57, the so-called free world was in a panic. Congress reacted with swiftness reserved for a national crisis. Indeed, for many Americans, the perceived superiority of the Soviet program was tantamount to a crisis. President Eisenhower moved quickly to establish both NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) in’58.

NASA moved quickly for the American public when it launched the Explorer 1 satellite on January 31,’58. Led by the former head of the German rocket program, Wernher von Braun, NASA immediately began to explore the possibility of sending human beings into space. Dubbed Project Mercury, this program involved seven original astronauts, of whom, Alan Shepard became the first American into space, while John Glenn would become the first American to orbit the earth.

Though the GPS system was initially reserved for military and governmental use, in’83, a Soviet interceptor aircraft shot down a civilian Korean Air airliner, killing all 269 people on board. The plane had strayed into Soviet airspace and although the Soviet had probable cause to destroy the perceived threat, it was determined had the airliner had accurate navigational systems, the tragedy could have been avoided. President Ronald Reagan subsequently announced that civilians and civilian agencies should have access to the GPS tracking systems.

With the Space Race underway, NASA began implementing a new tracking system, called the Global Positioning System (GPS). The system involved the use of satellites to track the position and location of both spacecraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Initially developed by the Navy, the first successful GPS tracking system was dubbed Transit, and used five satellites to triangulate positions around the globe.

Law enforcement uses GPS tracking to find stolen cars and keep tabs on criminals on bail or probation. Now, not only can someone find where they are on a city grid, but also he or she can find nearby businesses and restaurants. Now, most people consider GPS devices to be ubiquitous. It has become an integral part of modern 21st Century culture. Not only has it become the preeminent navigational system for cars, but the scientific community has used it to track wild and domestic animals and migration patterns.

Finding a GPS tracking device these days is as easy as looking at your cell phone one.

In Los Angeles, finding a place to live is hard work. My wife and I finally found a house that met all our needs. It’s a cozy enough place for the two of us, our dog — and my mother-in-law. I know what you’re thinking. But, we had no choice. You see, she pays most of the rent.

She may be paying most of the rent, but it was up to us to find the house. We thought we would be taking advantage of the real estate bust out here in California, but the bust has had little impact on rent prices. This is where her mother comes into the picture. Anyway, we started our search by driving around the neighborhoods we fancied most — not including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, or Bel Air.

This worked for about an hour — until the reality of Southern Californian real estate prices hit us straight on. One of the first things you learn when moving to a big city is compromise. So, instead of the middle tier neighborhoods, we headed for the cheaper fare of the Valley and Santa Clarita.

As we called each prospective property, we were knocked down a peg. One by one, each house was either too small (two bedrooms) or too expensive ($1600 and up). We had exhausted ourselves and the drive-by method. Our next alternative was to enroll with an online house finder service — for a nominal fee, of course.

Not only had we exhausted our gas and ourselves, but we also exhausted the batteries in our GPS tracking system. What good is it to know how to get somewhere only to be told you can’t afford to live there. Eventually we found a place — a house — that was big enough for all of to have the space we need. Do I like knowing my mother-in-law pays two-thirds of our rent? Let’s just say it’s hard on the ego.

If you’re looking for somewhere to live in Los Angeles — or anywhere — you might want to invest in a GPS tracking device. Don’t get lost and don’t let your mother-in-law pay for your rent.

How things change in the matter of a few years. Whereas once an iPhone was deemed a trinket for the idle rich, today it is a vital component for millions of people worldwide. It gives credence to the old adage: wants become needs as income increases. To be sure, few cellphones can compare to the sleek, seamless design of the iPhone. The iPhone has become, for many people, more than a phone — it is a navigator, game platform, television, music player, and even an instrument (literally).

The 3G Internet connection enables users to connect at faster speeds to the network. This allows people to use the internet and other features up to twice as fast as the old iPhone. The price for the new iPhone 3G is also a lot more agreeable than the original version. The cheapest version is being offered at $199 with the 16 gig iPhone offered at $299. The third generation of iPhone has smoothed out the edges that plagued the second generation phone, namely a Cut & Paste function. This has opened the door for many more people being able to afford this smart-phone.

A simple touch can unlock a number of features. You don’t use a stylus or another device to navigate which makes it quicker to get to where you want. There isn’t even a keyboard on the phone, but instead you get a virtual keyboard on the screen. You can email, send pictures, or browse the web extremely fast regardless of where you’re at. The phone even operates as a video iPod. You can store all your songs and videos on the phone and watch them or listen to them at will. With all of these cool features, the best new feature is the GPS capability on the iPhone 3G.

The phone integrates with Google Maps and can find your location within a matter of seconds. A map is brought up and your location is represented by a blue dot on the screen. It integrates with several iPhone features to give you a completely unique experience with your phone. The phone triangulates your position and gives you the ability to find where you’re at and find directions.

The drawbacks have been redressed and it is hard to imagine any contender could trump the technological wherewithal of Apple. As with any device that is designed accordingly, if it fits easily into people’s lives, they will use it. The iPhone has graduated from phone to smart-phone to phantom limb for most users. Short of slicing and dicing, the iPhone is an unparalleled GPS tracking device, music player, and Internet connector.