Trucker Tech

Garmin® nüvifone ™ Combines GPS and Cellular

I wasn't aware of the fact but, according to Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO, the Garmin nüvifone “...is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for – a single device that does it all.” I knew I was waiting for something and now I know what it is; but, since the nüvifone is yet to hit the market, I'm still waiting.

The nüvifone is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2008 and, since it's a phone in search of a carrier, I'm assuming that, by then, appropriate agreements will have been reached among appropriate parties. No one knows how much it'll cost, yet, but I'm confident that it won't be cheap.

Garmin didn't announce the cellular technology upon which the phone portion is built but Engadget is claiming to know that it's HSDPA. If they're right, AT&T will probably be a leading candidate as a cellular service provider.

Trucker Tech Podcast Transcript: Episode 6, Part 1

Eventually, I'll post the transcripts for all the podcasts but, for now, I'm starting with the most recent. There may be minor deviations between the written and spoken words; due to the fact that transcription software isn't always 100% accurate. I did proofread the final version but, still, there are bound to be some small differences.

I'll also go through, at a later time, and insert appropriate links to any source documents or to the products I mention in the podcast. For now, though, it's just the spoken word.

If you'd like to download the podcast you can do so here. If you'd like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do so by clicking the appropriate button found on the right. Notice, also, that you can subscribe to the Life on the Road blog and Roadcast. Since the Trucker Tech podcast is published exclusively at Life on the Road, a subscription to Life on the Road in iTunes will get you the Trucker Tech podcast, as well.

Transystem i-Tracker

Just in case you haven't already read a blurb about the Transystem i-Tracker at NaviGadget or EnGadget I thought I'd post a blurb of my own. I'd like to post more than a blurb but, since the yet to be released i-Tracker is little more than one of thousands of new products making their pre-release debut at the most recent CES, a blurb is all I can muster.

According to the NaviGadget post:

i-Tracker includes both GPS and GSM modules and it can transmit location information to your PC or to a pre-assigned number via GPRS (read: real time tracking).

i-Tracker supports quad bands (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and can remotely be controlled with a predetermined cell phone and/or an internet connection. It features a SOS button that sends out the location info immediately and can last up to 120 hours with its 1600mAh Li-Ion battery.

Its those parts about being able to remotely control the i-Tracker with a cellphone or laptop coupled with the ability to receive information in the same way that's got me thinking this little device might be able to be worked into an alarm system. Yeah, there's lots of stuff out there that'll help you track a stolen vehicle but, if the SOS button could be rigged into the ignition system so that an alert is sent to both your cellphone and laptop, you might just be able to catch the thief before he absconds with your truck!

DeLorme Debut of Earthmate GPS LT-40 Set for April

DeLorme, one of the leading digital mapping, software, and GPS providers, today announced the imminent release of its new Earthmate GPS LT-40; the next generation GPS for laptop PCs. The LT-40 features the STMicroelectronics Teseo chipset, for superior satellite signal retention and positional accuracy, even in challenging urban environments.

DeLorme made the announcement at the Pepcom Digital Experience! 2008 press event in Las Vegas, held annually on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The device is expected to be available in April of 2008.

The STMicroelectronics Teseo chipset is, apparently, one of the most sensitive yet produced since signals as weak as  -159dBm are routinely acquired and maintained without sacrificing accuracy. The acquisition and maintenance of these weak signals is made possible by a Teseo driven feature known as ConstantLock, which also aids in maintaining a signal fix amid tall buildings and high radio frequency (RF) areas (e.g. close proximity to cell phone towers).

“The LT-40 is a very practical GPS solution for anyone with a laptop PC,” said Caleb Mason, Director of Marketing at DeLorme. “It will offer advanced GPS capabilities at a very low cost—just $69.95 with Street Atlas USA® 2009 software included. We are finding that many customers already traveling with a laptop PC prefer the large screen for GPS navigation and also the ability to plan trips and utilize the full computing power of a laptop versus what after-market PNDs (Personal Navigation Devices) can provide.”

The LT-40 and Street Atlas USA 2009 do indeed offer a nice set of features, including automatic road routing, interactive voice technology, (spoken directions with street and road names and numbers, and responses to a user’s spoken questions and commands), automatic back-on-track routing if detours or side trips take the user off course, and GPS radar to locate nearby restaurants, lodgings, and other places of interest.

User-Generated Updating of Digital Maps Gaining Ground

Nokia recently acquired NAVTEQ and both Garmin and TomTom are vying for control of Tele Atlas. These are just a couple of the many examples indicating the growing importance of digital maps and mapping services to those manufacturing and marketing navigation devices; hand-held or otherwise.

With the expected growth in the navigation and location-based service market it's becoming increasingly clear that traditional map generation technologies are quickly becoming as obsolete as the maps they produce. According to a report released last week by ABI Research; the up and coming methods of generating and updating digital maps will rely heavily, if not solely, on user-generated information.

Constantly updated maps noting such items as the current status of road construction projects can, obviously, be of tremendous value. Still, the greatest value may come with the addition, to those digital maps, of a seemingly infinite variety of user-added POI (Point of Interest) information. Speaking specifically about the trucking industry I can imagine a veritable plethora of possibilities. I spoke about some of these in the Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 2 during my brief coverage of the soon to be released Dash Express; a device that relies quite heavily on user-generated content.

As the demand for up to date, even up to the minute, maps and location based information increases I'm sure you can visualize the impossibility, not to mention the cost, of commercially generating this type of digital map. This leaves community-based efforts as the only available option. One such community can and should be truck drivers and trucking companies as well as shippers, receivers and vendors like repair shops and truck stops.

The ABI Research report asserts that "by 2012 a large part of all map and POI content will be generated by more than 50 million active members of user communities." Let's hope that we, as a community, aren't left out of this loop.

Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 2

I received a fair amount of positive response to the first Trucker Tech podcast so I've been spurred on to continue this effort in a more organized and regularly scheduled manner. The plans, going forward from this date, are to publish subsequent podcasts every Tuesday morning. My fervent hope is that you find them interesting, helpful and entertaining.

To that end, I'd really appreciate any effort on your part to leave a comment. I'm open and eager to hear both criticism and commendation. Additionally, if you've got any suggestions I'm open to those as well.

Download Trucker Tech: Episode 2 - Left click to begin play or right click and save to file.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Show Notes and Quick Links

I thought that in the first segment of this episode I'd share a little about my background, not that I'm all that interesting but, mostly, just in case any of you wondered. In the second segment I discuss a few tech gadgets, and their potential impact on the trucking industry, then, in the final segment, I've got a short commentary regarding Biodiesel.

• Dash Express YouTube Video
• Google Android
• AX BlueStream
• Jawbone
• Foolproof Hotspot Security
• Using a VPN for Hotspot Security
• JiWire Hotspot Helper

The bumper music I use in this podcast comes from the PodShow Podsafe Music Network. Check it out at 'music.podshow.com'. If you'd like more information regarding the songs and artists just leave a comment and I'll fill you in.

My Odeo Channel (odeo/fcbb724b34f9b157)

TeleNav GPS & Sprint Announce Free Data Plan

Those believing black helicopters are surreptitiously used by agents of the New World Order, troops of the United Nations or the Men in Black, for that matter, probably won't agree with me but there are some advantages to the GPS capabilities built into late-model cell phones. I know, I know, I've heard the tales of cell phone trucker tracking but, believe me, there are several easier and more effective methods available to anyone wishing to tail trucks. No, I think cell phones sporting GPS capabilities are, as Martha would say, a good thing.

This morning, for example, an article posted on AppScout.com focused my attention like a laser beam on the fact that Sprint and TeleNav have, today, announced new data plans for TeleNav's GPS navigation services. The article stated that "if you're on Sprint's $25 "Ultimate" data plan, by the end of April, you'll get unlimited navigation for free." If you weren't aware, and I'm betting that a fairly large percentage of you weren't (but by now may have guessed), TeleNav GPS Navigator™ can turn your cell phone into a turn-by-turn navigation device; with both on-screen and voice-prompted directions. Sprint/Nextel, because they've enhanced their network's ability to communicate GPS data between supported cell phones and location-based service providers, is the perfect platform for a service like TeleNav's.

If you're not a Sprint customer, but TeleNav sounds like something you might be interested in, you don't need to feel left out. You'll have to pay for the service and, because most GPS enabled cell phones only transmit GPS data when a 911 call is made (contrary to the conspiracy theories), you might find you have to couple a Bluetooth GPS device with your cell phone. Here's a list of supported devices broken down by provider.