The Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS

by admin on February 8th, 2011

By Jim Bair

 The Nuvi 255W features predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The 255W adds complete maps for North America and Text-to-Speech, so you get turn by turn spoken directions with the real names of streets (e.g. “turn left in 50 feet at Nebraska Way”, rather than merely “turn left in 50 feet”). The 255W also offers a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around you.

The nvi 2×5 models all sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot.All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.

Important Product Information: This device features a “screen lock” feature. This is a standard feature on all nvi 2×5 and 7×5 Garmin units. If you slide the “Power” key to the right, it will lock the screen and prevent any accidental touches. Once the screen lock feature is engaged, the screen will go black/gray after about 15 seconds to save power on the device. To unlock the screen, just slide the “Power” key to the center position. This feature is really targeted for “Pedestrian” mode so that a user can put the device in his or her pocket/purse and quickly unlock the screen instead of powering on/off continuously. For more information, see page 5 of the product manual.

Key Features/Benefits for all 2×5 Series Navigators

* HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)

* Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)

* Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns

* Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)

* Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)

* Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)

* Automatic Time Zone Transition

* Text-to-Speech gives directions with real street names

* 4.3-inch Widescreen shows you more of what’s around you as you drive (Learn more)

* Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units)

* Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of North America + Hawaii + Puerto Rico, including 6.5 million searchable points of interest (Learn more)

* Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)

* Custom Vehicle Icons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)

* Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor

* Where Am I? — instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby

Improved Interface

One of Garmin’s key product philosophies is to make extremely complex technology easy to use for anyone right out of the box, and perhaps nowhere is that better exemplified than in the user interface for Garmin’s portable navigation devices.

Garmin’s interface is a key to their success part of what makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate.

The nvi comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps for all of North America, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.

In addition, nvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs

The Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS

In-Car Satellite Navigation Units – What Features to Look For When Buying a GPS Unit

by admin on February 4th, 2011

By Phyllis C. Miles

 Do you ever end up driving round a place you’re not used to and getting yourself totally and utterly lost? Yeah, I’ve been in that situation too, until I got my own a car GPS unit. Figuring out which model to buy can be confusing though, which is where this article comes in.

Main Car Sat Nav System Features

There are a bunch of feature which are standard in virtually all GPS units these days, and without which, the unit would be nearly useless. For instance:

Touch Control Screen: When driving, ease of use is essential when operating your GPS unit. A touch screen is a must.

Route Maps: If your new Sat nav system doesnt know the area where you want to drive, it would be pretty useless

Audio Instructions: You dont have time to stop and look at where the Sat nav system says you should go, you need to be told out loud, turn right, turn left, etc.

Additional Car GPS System Features

As well as the standard GPS features mentioned above, there are several extra features you might want to look out for, such as:

POI: Sometimes you dont just want to be told what directions to take; you also want to know about any interesting sights to look out for. For example, if youre on vacation in a particular area that youve never been to before, youll want to know the various important historical monuments, or you may just want to know where the best entertainment venues are.

Hands-free Calling: Using a phone while driving is dangerous. Many Sat nav system can connect to your phone, giving you hands-free access.

Lane Help: Some Sat nav units these days have the ability to give you detailed help with navigating the lanes of busy roads. This way, you’ll never take the wrong exit.

The Key Vehicle Sat Nav Brands and their Product Ranges

The other factor you need to consider when buying a new car Sat nav system is the make. Here are the main car Sat nav makes, and a brief idea of the range of products they have on offer:

Garmin: $60-$3,000. Key GPS company. More than 200 gps units on the market. Very wide range.

TomTom: $80-$1,000. Chief Sat nav brand. More than 100 gps systems available. Wide price range.

Kenwood: $320-$1,200. Quite a good range of gps systems. The majority of them are pretty high end GPS units.

Pioneer: $350-$850. Again, a similar kind of product range to Kenwood. Good range of high quality gps units.

JVC: $100-$1,000. Few gps systems, but covers a broad price range.

Sony: $200-$840. Similar to JVC. Not many gps units, large price range.

Boss Audio: $165-$195. Only a few models available, but they do have very big screens which also function as full-on in-car multimedia devices, for instance for watching DVDs.

Audiovox: $80-$270. Not a lot of models available.

Escort: $670. Only 1 product available, in the style of a replacement rear-view mirror.

Still unsure which car Sat nav system to buy? At Top Rated Car Sat nav we review all the major car GPS systems, such as the Garmin nuvi 270

Portable GPS Powerseller Tells Sellers to Sell GPS Units with Care

By Rose Li

 It is quite amazing how far the technology used in portable GPS systems have gone in providing users an excellent array of navigational applications as well as other functions that go beyond its core applications. The popularity of these devices can benefit you as a reseller, particularly with low-priced models available in the market which you can get from wholesalers. You must however, practice discretion and care when selling these units.

In the past, portable GPS navigational devices can be bought only from OEM manufacturers like TomTom, Garmin, Rightway and Magellan. These branded units are a bit pricey and can go from $250 to as high as $650 or even more depending on the model. Now, portable GPS devices from Chinese manufacturers have entered the market, distributing a wide array of units with wholesale prices of less than a hundred dollars which you can sell at retail prices of less than $150 much lower than their OEM counterparts.

** Things You Should Know when Selling Portable GPS Units **

There are however certain considerations that you should take before dealing with Chinese wholesalers of portable GPS devices. The following discusses some of these items which can guide you in having a successful business.

* Working with Chinese Wholesale Suppliers

Working with Chinese suppliers half-a-world away can be perplexing at first, particularly if you have doubts with the authenticity of what these suppliers are offering. There are however, ways for you to confirm this.

You can find suppliers from reputable online gateways and global trade facilitation companies that are focused in the Chinese market. These portals lists suppliers, rates them and provide third-party verification as to the authenticity of the business, much like what the BBB does in the US and Canada. Choose suppliers with a Gold or equivalent rating from these directories as well as the verification seals from third-party groups.

* Hardware

Chinese products have a reputation of having lower quality as a compromise for the very low price tags. Although this may be true to some extent, you can still check out the detailed product description and technical details about the hardware of the using you will be selling.

Although it may be difficult to have a one-to-one comparison with OEM suppliers as most of these manufacturers do not disclose their internal hardware specs, you can still check out if the items listed in the China specs are of good quality or not.

Check out if the processors used are of reputable quality such as the ARM926EJ or the Samsung CPUs. The GPS chipset receiver is also very critical but reading a high-sensitivity SiRF Star III chipset in the listing would be a good sign.

* Software

To minimize the cost of these wholesale units, Chinese suppliers ship GPS-enable hardware without a pre-installed licensed software. Although most of these devices run in standard commercial software like Windows CE, Symbian and Android, it would still be a good practice to check what particular applications can be used with the unit or not.

High-end units may require specific commercialized applications or software from OEM manufacturers. You can check compatibility by running an evaluation version of these applications. Portable GPS units that have lower specifications can run with free or open source software which you can readily download and install.

* Incentives

To compete with resellers distributing branded devices and encourage customers to buy from your listing of China-made portable GPS units, it would be a great idea to give them some incentives. You can be creative in what you can offer as long as you dont infringe on intellectual rights or licensing requirements from other products.

Good examples would be to offer customers with a free SD card which they can use on their units. You can throw in some MP3 or video files of popular music and MTVs as a bonus. For more intellectual type of customers, you can offer free eBooks instead. Aside from that, offer free accessories like audio cables, headphones, bags and other items that would surely catch their attention.

* Disclaimers

Finally, you should be aware of the limitations of your products and protect yourself from any untoward backlash by providing disclaimers. Such disclaimers include informing customers that you only sell GPS-enabled hardware and do not include licensed software. You can also put disclaimers about proper use and safety precautions while using their portable GPS units. This includes warnings about combining driving and activating the TV functions of your device among others.

Delving into the portable GPS device industry can be a very lucrative business if done right and you have studied all the ins and outs of the market. Taking care and planning everything ahead can assure you of success and help you avoid all the pitfalls that you may encounter along the way.

Get the portable GPS units that are guaranteed to sell visit Chinavasion.com or paste this link into your browser: http://www.chinavasion.com/in-car-gps/

Geo-Fence Capable GPS Tracking Devices For Beginners

by admin on January 31st, 2011

By Rose Li

 GPS tracking devices are this century’s real discovery when it comes to childcare and looking after kids. Historically parents have lost sleep due to fret about and stress over these two vulnerable groups.

Busy mothers and fathers cannot be with children all the time as they should work, so this can cause fret about whether they are safe.

Teens are a different proposition altogether! They actively attempt to go against their parents’ wishes, skipping class, chilling out with their buddies when meant to be studying and maybe even vanishing.

Taking care of them was a challenge indeed for mums and dads in the past, but that was then and this is now and parents have a new weapon in their arsenal, GPS tracking devices.

These are becoming increasingly well-liked the more well known they become, because parents are seeing that the power to know their kids’ location at any time and be well placed to stay in contact in a critical situation thanks to SOS calling is a bonus indeed.

There is another function of GPS tracking devices that parents should think about though, geo-fences.

A geo-fence is a pre-defined area that is around one point. If the GPS tracking device goes out of this area then the user will be notified with a message.

It’s straight away clear that folks could outline an area around their home or neighbourhood so as to keep control of the youngsters. If they did happen to stray outside of this boundary a straightforward text message would be sent to the parent who could then see where they had gone actually.

For younger children GPS tracking devices could just be attached to their backpack or coat, but thankfully these devices are truly little and so might be concealed from the far more sensitive kids very easily.

If you are selling these devices it’s important to clarify how they work to consumers.

These devices will mechanically receive location thanks to satellite signals coming from overhead, but in order to send alerts they need to have a SIM card which is kept charged with credit. One also has to be acquainted with map software,eg Google maps, where the trackers’ location can be found by typing in the coordinates given by its alerts. The battery also needs to be kept charged as well!

GPS tracking devices with geo-fence capability will also have their own mapping software which must be used to line up the boundary. This is really easy, but since it varies per device you as the vendor must be prepared to give some categorical advice in order to offer reasonable customer service.

Customers using GPS tracking devices with geo-fence to keep watch on their youngsters of any age will have to be conscious of signal radius ( which will affect how gigantic their geo-fence can be ), battery charge lifespan and GPS chipset.

If the device’s battery is weak then it limits how long the kid can be tracked for and the same can be said for the chipset which is the brain of the gadget. If the device loses the GPS signal you will not be well placed to track the kid and so the chipset’s capacity is critical too.

Size is also an argument as it is important for the device to be subtle or, better, invisible as kids and especially teenagers may not welcome being tracked!

If you’re a parent who fears about their children’s safety or whereabouts then GPS tracking devices with geo-fence can now give you the reassurance that you’ve been looking for, regardless of if you’re at work or on business in another town!

Discover top value GPS tracking devices plus geo-fence ability on the web. Come to Chinavasion or paste this link into your browser now: http://www.chinavasion.com/index.php/cName/electronic-gadgets-gps-gadgets/

The Anatomy Of GPS Tracking Devices: Under The Hood

By Rose Li

 GPS tracking devices are popular. Just as the map was a huge innovation one or two hundred years back, GPS devices are this century’s maps! Imagine having the ability to find your location anywhere on earth with just the push of a button? GPS tracking devices give you this amazing capacity!

GPS tracking devices work by receiving signals from a network of 24 orbiting satellites which were launched by the States in the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s for generally military purposes. Like most military technology, it shortly became apparent that GPS devices could have many applications in the civilian world such as maps and trackers.

Like a PC, GPS tracking devices ( and GPS devices generally ) have a central chipset like a processor. This is by far the most vital part within your device as it receives the satellites’ information and gives you your position based on it.

GPS satellites transmit on an especially low frequency and are really distant, so you need to make sure that your GPS tracking devices have got a good chipset in order to get a fast ‘fix’ on the signal and also keep the signal well amongst plenty of other signals and ‘noise.’

There are some good options for chipsets, most outstanding being the SiRFStar III chipset. Here comes the technical part! The SiRFStar III chipset has a feature called ‘massively parallel correlators’ which essentially allows it to receive extraordinarily puny signals well. Since GPS satellites’ signals are weak, this feature permits devices powered by the SiRFStar III chipset to locate your position very quickly, faster than others!

Other good options are the Motorola Instant GPS and global locate Chipsets, both of whom have the massively parallel correlators feature.

If you choose GPS tracking devices without this type of chipset then it can have practical results on your user experience due to their inability to pick up the GPS satellites’ signals well. As an example, if you’re driving in a city the signals can be influenced by the many large buildings around you or if you’re hiking in deep forest or canyon this may occur too. A SiRFStar III chipset or equivalent will prevent this or at the very least improve it a lot.

When you are shopping for GPS tracking devices it’s critical then to double-check which sort of chipset they have. Then judge whether it will be suitable for your purposes. If you use your devices in the town or cover of any kind then you’ll require a SiRFStar III chipset or similar, but otherwise a different kind should be fine, although may be a little slower.

Find the gnarliest GPS tracking devices on the web. Come to Chinavasion or paste this link into your browser now: http://www.chinavasion.com/index.php/cName/electronic-gadgets-gps-gadgets/

GPS Tracking Devices With Real-Time Tracking Tutorial

By Rose Li

 Real-time. It’s one of today’s hottest jargon. In these modern times, later or tomorrow just will not cut it any longer. People desire their information and they apparently desire it yesterday!

So it is with GPS tracking devices. Yes, it’s possible to use data loggers to collect the locational information from the movements of who or what they’ve been attached to later on , but they don’t offer the sheer convenience of GPS tracking devices with real-time tracking!

All GPS tracking devices are unified in their use of GPS signals coming in from satellites around the globe to determine their position in the world. This has allowed them to get to be one of the most up to date gadgets in recent years as they’re versatile enough to replace maps and allow you to monitor the whereabouts of vital things or folk like children and expensive automobiles.

Real-time GPS tracking devices are one of the cleverer kinds of this sort of widget since, as the name suggests, they permit you to check where the tracker is NOW. They can enable you to do this in other ways, either through the internet or by text message on your phone.

This is due to their utilisation of the GSM cell phone network to permit them to receive requests for information and send it out straight away, instead of blindly saving info and then just regurgitating it later when connected to a PC.

These realtime GPS tracking devices can be set to send a text to a pre-defined telephone number ( yours, for instance ) containing their position frequently or just when they receive a text from you requesting an ‘update.’ To use this device it just needs a GSM SIM card with some credit on it.

Certain devices like this could instead be part of a tracking service where theyare going to send a mail containing their position to a central server. To retrieve the e-mail you just need to log on to the Net. Again this kind of tracker will need a GSM SIM card, but instead of sending aSMS message it’ll send an e-mail.

Realtime GPS tracking devices can be used in any situation where you instantly have to know where somebody or something is, or have constant updates on their location.

You might see them used by premier marque garages, like Mercedes Benz, to secure their vehicles. After all , if one happened to be stolen it might be instantly tracked by the police! For a similar reason, owners of dear cars also use them to keep an eye fixed on their pride and joy!

These real-time GPS tracking devices are also used to find folks in alternative ways. The classic use would be suspicious partners using them to check on their lover or better half, but theyalso are generally utilized to provide assurance to folks and relatives of youngsters, aged or disabled people.

During the past you’d be sitting in your office at work wondering if these susceptible groups were ok. It may be possible to call them, but kids, aged people and the disabled often don’t have telephones or access to them if there’s been an accident. This is where realtime GPS tracking devices have revolutionised these peoples’ lives.

If you need to know where somebody or something is at this time, then you just have to consider real-time GPS tracking devices. Usually you are looking at spending up to around about 150 greenbacks, but they can be less online . If swift information is not a concern for you, then instead look at GPS data-loggers which just store their positions for you to get later as these are usually cheaper .

Find the best value GPS tracking devices on the web. Come to Chinavasion or paste this link into your browser now: http://www.chinavasion.com/index.php/cName/electronic-gadgets-gps-gadgets/

Finding your Niche News site – The Other News Source.

by admin on January 31st, 2011

By Joshua Penman

 A lot of the news these days found in some or other news source(s) can be more fab, or popular and even what seems to be controversial or entertaining.
I propose looking at the other news stories out there. Not just the basic ‘happy news’ sites but really wants to focus on good quality down to earth news.

With that I recommended doing a little online research and finding sites that have appeal outside of the mainstream news media.

There is a growing trend for specialized news sites from sources other than normal news channels that are targeted to a more ‘common’ viewpoint that I believe we all share.

The topics vary, but news other than mainstream news, more topical news finds its way into the hearts, minds and web searches looking for other niche news sites online more and more each day.

Some websites offering news that I would recommend are for the economy minded: www.TheEconomicNewsSource.com, for those that want to stay ‘on top of the news’ check out www.OnTopofTheNews.net even www.TheOtherNewsSource.com might be worth a view.

There are many sites that cover many news topics other than the norm: Earth, Green or Eco, Economy, Money or Currency, just local news,

There are many to choose from, bookmark, add rss feeds to your feed reader. Many ways to stay on top of the news that you really want to be reading about and seeing on a daily basis.
So start searching for your niche news site and enjoy.

Joshua Penman is a Consultant, Author, SEO Expert and site manager for http://www.TheOtherNewsSource.com

How to Add RSS to Your Website – Simply

By Colin Maddocks

 I am primarily a web-based travel agent, making my living from selling travel arrangements from leads generated from my specialist travel websites. Over a period of time I have built many websites and when creating the last few sites I have added an RSS news feed to generate up-to-date news about that particular travel niche.

In doing so I have added another valuable resource for my potential clients and site visitors but at the same time I have added a source of continually changing content that helps my sites with regard to their search engine optimisation.

However, initially I found the great mass of articles, ebooks and software really confusing. All I wanted to know was how to be able to set up an RSS feed and then add it to my site.

After many, many hours of researching RSS feeds and buying quite a few, reasonably expensive RSS feed creation programs, I finally came across this solution, which for me, is easy to use, straightforward to set up and, more importantly, is free.

To set up, say, a “Cruise News” feed, I would find a suitable feed from sources such as www.icerocket.com, www.2rss.com or visit Yahoo’s news feeds at http://news.yahoo.com/rss .

For example, to create a feed in Yahoo I would enter my subject in the “search” box, which would result in a new page of news, relevant to cruises and cruising. I would then click on the orange RSS feed icon that will be shown on the page and the copy the resulting feed URL, (e.g., http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/rss?p=cruise&ei=UTF-8) that would appear in the IE address bar.

Next I would visit “FeedJ2s”, at http://jade.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/feed/index.php?s=build and enter that Cruise News feed URL. Then, by pressing the “Generate Feed” button I would be able to generate the relevant “Cruise News” RSS code that I could then enter in the relevant place on my new website.

Now I am not suggesting that this is the best way you could create a useable RSS feed for your website. There are plenty of other ways and other programs out there and you can visit my dedicated website http://www.rss-feeds-4u.com) which will tell you all about RSS feeds and products.

However, if you don’t’ want to spend a lot of time or any money on setting up RSS feeds for your website, this must be the easiest way by far.

Colin Maddocks is a web-based travel agent and marketer who operates several successful websites including http://www.rss-feeds-4u.com . You are free to use and distribute this article with the proviso that you add the above author details and web address.

Types of GPS (Global Positioning System) Radio Signals and types of GPS Receivers

by admin on January 29th, 2011

By Jim Haynes

 GPS satellites transmit two types of radio signals which are C/A-code and P-code. Coarse Acquisition (C/A code) is the type of signal which is used in consumer units and is known as SPS (Standard Positioning Service). C/A-code is not as accurate as P-code (which is mentioned later on) and is easier for U.S. military forces to jam and spoof, i.e. broadcast false signals to trick the receiver into thinking it is somewhere else when it really is not. The advantage of C/A-code however is that it acquires the satellite signal faster and hence obtaining an initial fix on your position takes less time. Due to this, there is an option for receivers which use P-code to track onto the C/A-code signal first then switch over to the P-code.

P-code on the other hand provides highly precise location information and it is difficult to jam or spoof. The U.S. military is the primary user of P-code transmissions and uses an encrypted form of the data so that only special receivers can access the signal. P-code broadcasts are known as the Precise Positioning System (PPS).

Now let us switch focus to that of GPS receivers. Some of this information can become pretty technical but hopefully both the novice and more advanced readers can learn and sift through the information to help them.

GPS units receive two different types of data which are Almanac and Ephemeris. Almanac data contains the approximate positions of the satellites; the data are continuously being transmitted and are stored in the memory of the GPS receiver. Ephemeris data broadcasts the precise positions of the satellites. To obtain an accurate location fix, the receiver has to know how far away a satellite is. Hence, the GPS receiver calculates the distance to the satellite by of course using signals from the orbiting satellite.

A GPS receiver needs data from multiple satellites to obtain or triangulate a position as to where the user of the GPS is located. First there is the issue of location which requires a minimum of three satellite signals. Second is that of position, which needs four satellite signals to determine your position in three dimensions: latitude, longitude and elevation. GPS receivers can generally be separated into five categories which are consumer models, U.S. military/government models, mapping/resource models, survey models and commercial transportation models. With respect to the consumer and commercial transportation models, the site SecureWithGPS provides GPS devices more catered to the consumer and commercial markets. If you think that such devices might suit your needs for fleet management of your vehicles, keeping track of the security of your car when it might be parked or even looking out for your teenage drivers, please visit the site for useful and related information.

Finally, we will take a quick look at the accuracy of GPS receivers. One can typically expect a GPS receiver to be accurate within 49 feet or 15 meters. Accuracy depends on receiver location, obstructions that block satellite signals and information received from ground-based beacons to name a few. So rest assured that after spending money to start using this widely used technology the data obtained from the GPS receivers will definitely be accurate enough to provide the user with reliable information.

For a reliable GPS (Global Positioning System) for personal or business use, please check out http://www.securewithgps.com . At http://www.securewithgps.com they provide the latest in GPS tracking, fleet management and near real time location updates.