The system's base station directly connects one's home to a monitoring station.
(Credit: Medical Mobile Monitoring)It's said we exit this life the same way we enter--drooling and in need of diapers. It is, then, cruelly fitting that Medical Mobile Monitoring has recently developed a medical-alert tracking system that resembles a baby monitor.
The company's MobileHelp medical-alert system, launched in November, tracks users no matter how far they wander, as long as they are within range of an AT&T cellular network. It costs about $35 a month. The system also uses GPS satellite tracking, so you can literally watch the person you are monitoring online in real time:
When subscribers need help, they simply press their help button and are connected via two-way voice to a central monitoring station that is live 24/7/365. The technology from Medical Mobile Monitoring also allows family members to see an online map and location of their loved ones over the Internet and be notified via mobile phone and email when an emergency arises.
Aside from such a service being both inherently creepy and inherently useful, it is also a sign of the times. In October, we covered the release of a similar tracking system, called EmSeeQ, whose faceless black watch has the unfortunate effect of looking like something Batman or a secret agent would wear, thereby calling unnecessary attention to itself.
MobileHelp's waterproof pendant may be better, but still doesn't hit the mark. ... Read more
Garmin's Oregon 450t wilderness GPS device
(Credit: Garmin)Garmin announced two new midrange touch-screen GPS devices Tuesday, the $399 Oregon 450 and $499 Oregon 450t for hikers or others who want a navigation system in the wilderness.
Both the models offer a 3-inch color display that can be operated even with gloved hands, the company said. Among improvements over earlier models are user-selectable "dashboard" interfaces, high-speed USB, photo navigation, a three-axis electronic compass that compensates when the device is tilted, and better track navigation that shows upcoming changes in elevation. Like earlier models, the 450 and 450t have a barometric altimeter and can exchange tracks, waypoints, routes, and geocaches with various newer Garmin GPS systems.
The 450t also has built-in 100,000:1 scale topographic maps for the United States and 3D perspective to better gauge terrain elevation. That map includes major trails, roads, coastlines, rivers, lakes, parks, and wilderness areas, Garmin said.
Both are due to ship in the first quarter of 2010, the company said.
The units also come with utility software for Mac or Windows computers to bring details of paper or electronic maps to the device.
This TomTom Car Kit for iPhone uses the EasyPort suction cup windshield mount.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)Any automotive GPS device worth its salt will come packaged with some sort of suction cup mount that will allow users to stick their unit to their vehicle's windshield. For most users, this is where road ends where GPS device mounting is concerned. But is this the best way to keep your navigation device in place while you drive? And what about that weird plastic disk that was also in the box? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of the different GPS mounting options.
Pay attention, because what you learn here can also be applied to mounting your GPS-enabled smartphone.
... Read more
(Credit:
Magellan)
Following the launch of its turn-by-turn navigation app for iPhone, Magellan has released its Premium Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch. The Premium Car Kit features an amplified speaker for spoken directions, a Bluetooth speakerphone for hands-free calling, a built-in GPS receiver that should improve positioning compared with the iPhone 3G's built-in GPS as well as adds GPS positioning to first-generation iPhones and the iPod Touches.
The mount lets you rotate the iPhone to portrait and landscape views, and has a built-in charger. Essentially, it will behave exactly like TomTom's Car Kit; however, the Magellan kit has an adjusting arm that will let it accommodate an iPhone or iPod Touch with a protective case.
The Magellan Premium Car Kit will cost $129.99. When TomTom's kit debuted for slightly less than that price, it was universally regarded as too expensive, so we can already guess what sort of reception Magellan's kit will get.
Magellan's Premium Car Kit for iPhone is available now for preorder.
(Credit:
Antuan Goodwin/CNET)
You've received a new GPS navigator over the holidays...now what? Just jump in the car and start navigating, right? Maybe, but maybe not.
While most modern portable navigation devices are simple plug and go affairs, there are a few things you can do to make your navigation experience both easier and more efficient. Check out our guide to get the skinny on getting started with your new (or old) GPS device.
That's not the kind of fun I meant, but you get the idea...
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)So, you're all set up with your new GPS device, effortlessly navigating, dodging traffic jams, and the like. However, when you're not charging from point A to B on the fastest available route, your shiny new sat-nav is just sitting in the bottom of your glove compartment, backpack, or purse.
Wouldn't it be great if there were some way that your could use your GPS device to have fun? Well, it just so happens that you can! We've gathered nine of our favorite fun things to do with a GPS device for your perusal. Check them out here and then let us know how you use your GPS device for fun in the comments.
The Bentley Continental Supersports is the fastest car Bentley makes.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
OK, we are going to get something out of the way from the beginning. The 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports may be the most extreme example of sport luxury available today, putting mere BMWs to shame, but its navigation system is terrible. The maps are very low resolution and, stored on a DVD, are slow to refresh and calculate routes. This navigation system lacks all but the most basic features, with no external data feeds or text to speech. It really doesn't belong in this car.
Let that rest as our main criticism so we can get to the good stuff, which is just about everything else.
Bentley has offered several variations of its Continental coupe since its introduction in 2003, but the Supersports model exhibits the purest level of performance. Bentley tweaked the already massive engine for more power, fitted wheels with big carbon ceramic brakes, and shed 243 pounds of weight, most notably by removing the rear seat.
And you really don't want a rear seat in this car, as you would resent any passengers back there for being a drag on performance, while they would unfriend you on Facebook for being relegated to such cramped quarters.
With its coupe design, the Bentley Continental Supersports cuts a nice profile.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)We were actually a little surprised at the manageable size of this car, making it easy to maneuver through parking garages and dense urban streets. Despite its smallish size, the body is a head-turner, with external lighting nicely molded into the body and the signature wire Bentley grille. The glossy black 20-inch wheels added to this car's unique look.
Of course, the engine also announces the Continental Supersports arrival with a throaty roar. When we pushed the start button, the engine's 12 cylinders began to pump, air was forced into the manifold from twin turbos, and 6 liters of displacement hosted precisely timed explosions that turned the driveshaft with 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.
This kind of power means you can lightly tap the gas pedal and find yourself far ahead of the pack of traffic sitting back there at the light, the drivers just putting their cell phones down so they can get back to the business of driving. Put the gas down a little harder and you push up to freeway speeds, the car showing very little effort. Introduce the pedal to the floor and you've begun a career in amateur rocketry.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $273,295.00
View the latest prices for 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports
BMW's X6 is a bit difficult to digest, a coupelike body with the proportions and stance of an SUV, managing to lose the virtues of both types of vehicles. And now BMW has given it the M treatment, putting a massively powerful engine under the hood and fitting the suspension with all sorts of ingenious gear to make this vehicle handle like a sports car. Its greatest asset may be that it defies easy categorization.
Cabin tech is good, with really beautiful maps in the navigation system, but we do think that a $90,000 car should have an iPod connection as standard. The X5 M offers the same tech as the X6 M, yet has practical interior space, making it the more obvious choice. But then again, BMW's M cars have never been about practicality.
The Coordinates feature makes longitude and latitude coordinates a destination that can be sent to others via e-mail.
(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)If you haven't purchased a GPS app for your iPhone 3G(S), now's a great time to do it. Wednesday, TomTom slashed the price of its app to just $50, and today Navigon followed suite with a price reduction and more.
The company released the fourth major upgrade to its iPhone navigation app, the MobileNavigator. Version 1.3 added essential features such as Live Traffic; version 1.4 adds features that, though not essential, significantly enhance the navigation experience with the app.
Navigon's iPod Mode now has a very well-thought-out Audiobook mode.
(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)Among the new features, my favorites are the Audiobook Mode, Direct Help, and Coordinates. I tried them out and found them to be very useful.
Originally, Navigon was one of the first iPhone GPS apps to offer iPod control features within its GPS app, which allows users to control their music playback without having to exit out of the app. Now with the Audiobook Mode, this feature automatically rewinds a second of the book while the audio-driving instructions are given and resumes playing when the instructions stop.
Direct Help allows users to quickly access local help in an emergency situation. It comes with four predefined categories, including roadside assistance, police station, hospital, and pharmacy. Though you will, of course, wish you would never have to use it, this could be a life saver when you are in an unfamiliar area.
The Coordinates feature uses precise longitude and latitude coordinates as a destination and allows you to send the coordinates via e-mail. The recipient of the e-mail can launch that location either in Google Maps or start navigating to it if he receives the e-mail on an iPhone with the MobileNavigator installed.
The new Direct Help feature could be a life saver in an emergency situation.
(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)Other than that, the 1.4 upgrade also includes these new features/changes:
- Google Local Search and enhanced pedestrian mode.
- Turn-by-turn route list provides a detailed list of directions, which update automatically during navigation.
- Favorites displayed in map: Destinations marked as favorites by the user are now displayed on the map in a named flag icon.
- Swipe screen integration for traffic messages: Users can now browse Traffic Live messages with the flick of a finger.
- Contacts as interim destinations: One-tap sets contacts as an interim destination. Using contact groups in the phone book as interim destinations is now also possible.
- GPS display enhancements: If the iPhone GPS signal becomes too weak during navigation, indicated by a red bar on the top of the display, MobileNavigator now calculates the approximate position and shows the estimated position in the map to provide better orientation. Active route guidance remains switched off but continues normal navigation until a valid signal is available.
- 3D map zooming: Users can zoom in on the map section, both in the 2D and 3D displays, using the iPhone's fingertip control.
- Country information: When the user crosses a country border, this points out the country's most important traffic regulations, such as the maximum permissible speeds or alcohol limits.
The best thing about this new update, however, is the fact that Navigon, for a limited time from now until January 11, has reduced the price of the app to just $60, down from the regular $90.
With this update, Navigon's MobileNavigator is now by far the most comprehensive GPS navigation application for the iPhone. I can't think of any features any other similar apps offer that it doesn't.
The 1.4 update is available now via the App Store. Make sure you use a broadband connection to download it as it's about 1.5GB in size.
TomTom's fully featured navigation app is on sale for $49.99.
It's already getting cutthroat in the young world of iPhone navigation apps. Facing increased pressure from the likes of ALK, which recently dropped its CoPilot Live North America app to $19.99, TomTom just slashed the price of its eponymous navigation app by 50 percent.
Well, kind of. The new TomTom U.S.A. app ($49.99) provides maps for just the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico). Missing from the picture: Canada. That's probably fine for most drivers, who'd rather not pay for unneeded extra maps anyway.
Of course, if you do need the top half of North America, you can still buy TomTom U.S. & Canada--now priced at $69.99, down from $99.99 when it debuted just a few months ago.
According to TomTom, $49.99 is an "introductory" price good until December 28. But will the company actually raise it in 2010, or leave it alone to stave off increasing competition from the likes of iGo My Way, Magellan RoadMate, and MobileNavigator?
We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, there's never been a better time to buy a GPS app for your iPhone. And in case you're wondering, CoPilot Live is still on sale (though now it's up to $24.99).
