CAUGHT IN A TRAFFIC JAM? CELLPHONE APP AT HAND

The next time you get caught in a traffic snarl or witness an accident requiring immediate intervention, a cellphone app could help you out. Launched last week by a tech start-up, Traffline enables motorists to report traffic-related information and look up for best possible routes to drive. A later version of the app will incorporate the facility to report violations against auto- rickshaw drivers or cabbies who refuse to ply. The app's web-based version appears as a link on the Mumbai traffic police's website and provides real-time details on road congestion.

Source:Internet

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Mobile maps offer untapped resources for parks

Ever since GPS technology has been integrated into mobile phones, most people have become accustomed to reaching in their pockets for directions or to look at a map of their surroundings. And while most mobile map services require cellular service, more options are surfacing that feature embedded content that allows map access in remote areas like state and national parks.

The Pocket Ranger application, developed by New York City-based Parks by Nature Network, functions as a mobile, self-service tour package, said CEO Richard Dubi. By partnering with state parks departments, the Pocket Ranger app has access to in-depth maps of parks, trails, amenities and activities.
After downloading the free app, users can search by geographic location or category and any map or information they choose becomes cached to the phone — the benefit of the cache being that the content is then accessed without a cell signal. The app also has an alert feature for emergencies, Dubi explained, where the user sends out a distress signal that triangulates their location through satellite. Although the alert system does require a cell signal, Dubi said it offers those in a dire situation a chance to get help.
The application offers peace of mind to park-goers, Dubi said, as well as a tremendous marketing opportunity for businesses looking to expand their brand presence.

Source:Internet

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Turn Your Smartphone Camera into a Pocketable Photographic Memory

Several apps exist to help you remember the many things you'd otherwise forget, but perhaps none are quite as useful and efficient as your camera. Typing takes time. Snapping a photo only takes a moment, and there are so many ways you can remind yourself better with nothing but a picture.
It doesn't really matter if a picture is worth 1,000 words. If it's only worth 10 it's still a good value proposition when you think about the time and effort of taking a picture compared to that of typing a short sentence on a mobile device. Not only is photography easier and more efficient, it also provides additional details to help you remember important information that words can't capture. When you start sorting your photos into specific albums, you've suddenly got a great set of categorized reminders that only took a few taps to create. In this post, we're going to look at several ways you can use your camera to remember things a lot better and faster.

Remember Who Borrowed That Book (or Whatever)

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The folks over at Apartment Therapy came up with a clever solution to the problem of remembering who borrowed your stuff: take a picture of them and the thing they borrowed, then save it to an album of borrowed items. When you wonder where it went and who took it, just consult that album and you'll find out in an instant. Presuming you lend things to people you know well enough to recognize, this is much easier than jotting down all the details and setting a reminder in your calendar for some abstract date.

Keep Track of Emergency Information

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Whether you're taking pictures of insurance cards or prescription medicine, an emergency photo album can be useful in two important ways. First, if you need any of that information when you go to the doctor or pharmacy, it's right in your phone for easy access. Second, if you're in an emergency and need to provide information quickly, you can tell people that your information is in your phone. (In circumstances where you can't tell them, just write that information on a card in your wallet so they know where to look.) Hopefully you won't have to consult your emergency album too often, but it's always good to know it's there to help keep you safe—or at least remember a few ID numbers.

Build a Wish List

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We all want a lot of things we can't have, and so we stick them on wish lists for a day when the money's available and our desire to buy is ever-present. When you're on the go and want to remember something to purchase, just snap a photo and save it in a "wish list" album. When you've got a little extra pocket change and want to get yourself something nice, just browse and decide what you want. You can use this same trick when looking for gifts for others, too. On top of the obvious benefits, it's also a good way to deter irresponsible spending. We've previously discussed how instituting a 24-hour policy on your purchases can help you curb excessive spending. Taking a photo can make it a little easier to walk away from the product you want because you know you have a reference to it in your pocket. Bonus: This also works great for creating a shopping list at IKEA, as you can just photograph that tags and reference the pictures later when you're picking up the items in the self-help area.

Photograph Restaurants (and Other Places) You Want to Visit

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When you want to remember a restaurant, or any other place you want to visit, just snap a photo. Not only do you have a visual reference to it, but because most smartphones retain GPS location data you'll know where you took that photo, too. This way you don't need to save an address, the name, or any other details that would take awhile to type in and save. A picture can really save you a lot of time here.

Take Notes

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If you need to copy down some text, snapping a photo is much faster than typing it into you phone. On top of that, you can send the photo to an app like Evernote and make that text searchable thanks to the magic of optical character recognition (OCR).

Take Screenshots of Anything on Your Phone You Want to Remember

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Although not really a photograph, exactly, screenshots end up in the same place when you take them. Sometimes when you're on your phone, you want to remember an app to buy on a later date, save a map for offline use, save a copy of a movie ticket that came into your email, or remember a specific alert. Save those as screenshots, sort them into the relevant reminder albums, and you won't forget.

Secure Your Photos

Perhaps you don't want important photographic information easily accessible on your phone. One way to secure your photos is to use a password to lock your entire phone. If you just want to hide your photos, however, there are apps that can help you out. Ben the Bodyguard ($5, iPhone) and Hide It Pro (Free, Android) both get the job done.

Source:Internet

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World's largest taxi booking SmartPhone app launches in US

Image via depelotis.es

myTaxi, the world's largest taxi booking smartphone application, today launched in Washington, D.C., its first introduction into the U.S. marketplace. The announcement was made during a live-streaming press conference given directly in a moving taxi.
myTaxi is a pioneer and was first launched in Germany in June 2009. It currently connects 2.3 million users to more than 18,000 taxis worldwide. Today marked the first time consumers in the U.S. will have access to the app. myTaxi's innovative services offer consumers a personal, transparent and convenient way to travel with features such as:
• Peer-to-peer connection between driver and passenger, including driver photos, information and phone numbers
• A ratings system for selecting and reviewing your taxi driver and a favorites list to save your favorite drivers for future pickups
• Live tracking of taxi approach on display including arrival time, fare calculator, distance and automatic positioning via GPS
• View of every myTaxi in the area on the taxi radar
• myTaxi Payment – a direct billing process in the taxi via smartphone
"Americans took more than 10 billion trips on public transportation last year," said Niclaus Mewes, co-founder and CEO, myTaxi. "Smartphones can have an immense impact on urban mobility. At myTaxi we want to rethink and reshape how taxi trips are taken. Passengers and drivers want something convenient, transparent and tailored to their needs. We want to deliver on that."
myTaxi brings a demand for quality to the taxi service for the first time. Every driver using myTaxi has the ability to become a contractor and build their own client base by consistently providing passengers with good service and earning high customer ratings. myTaxi offers a driver-side version of its app allowing taxi drivers to efficiently monitor the locations of customers and receive basic information on each customer once an order is placed.

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What Is the Best Free GPS App for Android OS Phones?

Google Maps Navigation (GMN)
If you've ever handled an Android device, you've probably used Google Maps. Maybe you've even used this service to get directions via GPS. Did you know, though, that Google Maps now comes with a full fledged GPS navigation app? The unimaginatively named Google Maps Navigation (GMN) adds lots of features that the regular Google Maps doesn't offer: a 3D view, voice directions, and automatic route recalculation, for instance.
As with so many things from Google, Google Maps Navigation is still officially in beta, meaning that you use it without any guarantee that it will work quite right. Yet Google is equally famous for betas which work just as well as the final releases of apps from other companies.
GMN is no exception. If has the feel of a fairly well polished nav app, one which is simple but effective. The real strength of GMN can be found in the ability to use Google's large database of maps in addition to satellite and street-view imagery. Instead of simply telling you that your destination is 400 yards away, GMN will actually give you a street view of where your destination is located as you approach. That way, you can recognize the surroundings.
Also, while GMN is still dependent on online data, it handles caching carefully so that if you lose your data connection, you can continue navigating and even re-route if necessary. Working with GMN offline isn't as robust and reliable as if you had full maps residing on your device. Yet Google makes a nice attempt here at avoiding the major flaw of online navigation.
Telenav GPS Navigator
Telenav is almost as ubiquitous as Google Maps. Many smartphones come with Telenav preinstalled -- although as often as not, the app is hiding under another name, such as AT&T Navigator or Sprint Navigation.
Telenav offers a few more features than Google Maps Navigation, such as multiple route options. However, many of the most advanced capabilities require you to pay extra.
Telenav Premium gives you real time traffic incident reports, as well as warnings for speed limits and traffic cameras, and voice control, but at a cost of $3 a month or $21 a year.
So in the end, the free version ends up looking distinctly lackluster in comparison to the more feature-rich and better performing Google Maps Navigation.
Recently, Telenav has started introducing a new app called "Scout" which is designed to extend the Telenav brand. Scout includes cloud integration for plotting your route on a PC, along with direct integration with some car audio and video equipment. Currently Scout is only available for iPhone, but Telenav plans to release an edition for Android by the end of this year. So stay tuned on that.
GPS Essentials
You could be forgiven for thinking of GPS Essentials as "Google Maps Deluxe" at first, as GPS Essentials relies on Google's mapping data and APIs.
Then, though, it adds a whole new layer of complexity, allowing you to track not just route and speed but also altitude, time, distance, sunrise and moonrise, battery temperature, and target altitude.
While GPS Essentials offers functions which could be useful to anyone, it's clear that some of the app's features are expressly targeted at pilots of small aircraft. There's even a mode to use the phone's camera and accelerometers to create a kind of "heads up display."
When you add all that to basic functions like mapping, navigation, route-finding, and GPS satellite status, you get a package that's not just very powerful, but incredibly flexible in how you want to apply it.
Most people don't really need all the kinds of tools that GPS Essentials provides, but if you're a slightly more advanced user -- maybe a hiker, pilot, or astronomer -- this app might be exactly what you want.
Loopt
Once you can sort through the marketing hype on Loopt's Web site and elsewhere, you find that Loopt isn't purely a mapping app. Instead, I'd call it more of a "geotagging/social networking hybrid."
This app lets you tag your current location via GPS and make it available to your friends. You can also send short messages to them -- such as an invitation to dinner -- which are complete with GPS coordinates.
You can see which friends are located where, and you can even get alerts if a friend checks in nearby.
In other words, Loopt is more like a more precise and more directly sociable version of Google Latitude or Foursquare.
Yet unfortunately, for an app which is all about interacting with people, Loopt seems steadfastly determined to make sure as few people as possible are actually using the service.
While boasting about supporting "select phones" on every major carrier, Loopt refuses to support most of the popular available Android smartphones, including recent major releases like the Galaxy Nexus and Droid RAZR MAXX.
If you try to email them about these compatibility issues, you will be ignored.
Waze Social GPS & Live Traffic
Waze represents an attempt to fuse GPS navigation and user-created content. The lovechild of Google Maps and Pintrest, this app tracks the location of its users. It then uses that information to develop a very accurate live picture of how traffic is flowing.
Users can also report things like accidents, speed traps, road maintenance, traffic jams, and even inaccuracies in the map. Other users will then be alerted as they approach these problem spots. Waze also features auto-rerouting, so that if a traffic jam or accident plays out ahead of you, you'll automatically be alerted and diverted to a better alternate route.
But wait, you wonder. Back up! Did I just hear "tracks the location of its users"? Yes. While many apps are capable of gathering some location data, Waze is one of the few that literally depends on you to broadcast your location continuously while using it -- not just to the software company but also to alert other users so they can see where you are.
For obvious reasons, then, Waze can pose some fairly serious privacy issues. It's true that you can choose to remain anonymous on the Waze map by not registering for an account. Yet that's hardly much of a comfort since you'll still show up on the map. There, anyone can watch your little blip to see where it starts and stops, in which direction you're heading, and how fast. Also, the app permissions give Waze and its developers access to pretty much anything on your device.
Given that Waze has racked up more than 1 million downloads from Google, clearly a lot of people don't care about these privacy concerns. Yet some people probably do.

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RunKeeper’s smartphone app gets smarter with sensors

Smartphones are packing more sensors these days, and application developers continue to find new ways to gain additional value from them. Popular exercise application RunKeeper, for example, updated its software on Monday with two new ways to take advantage of the GPS and Bluetooth radios in either a Google Android handset or Apple iPhone.
The free RunKeeper application already leverages these radios; using a GPS sensor, the software tracks the speed, distance and route elevation while running, walking or cycling, for example. During the exercise, the application can provide audio feedback on pace and distance. When the activity is completed, a route map is saved in a Google Maps format, complete with details on the effort. But the new version takes RunKeeper a step further.
An auto-pause function is now built in to RunKeeper, which temporarily pauses the GPS tracking when arriving at a red light or stopping to take a picture of the scenery. I know from experience that the automatic pause feature will prove handy. I run daily using the app, and it can be a chore to unlock the phone and manually pause it when needed. It’s actually difficult to do so in the winter when running with gloves; I’ve actually used my nose to pause the application during cold weather months, which looks ridiculous to cars passing by.

The other new function takes advantage of wireless heart rate monitors. RunKeeper already supported these monitors by tracking heart rate data during exercise and providing an average heart rate upon activity completion. Now the data becomes more useful in the new software update. RunKeeper shows visual heart rate data in real time and supports targeted heart zone training. Users can set up heart rate target zones, which generally measure exercise effort, and RunKeeper will provide audio cues when the heart rate is above or below the targeted zone.
RunKeeper’s software updates also include a handy workout countdown timer, allowing you to stash your phone in a pouch or pocket before taking off, and some GPS updates to improve exercise tracking. These are welcome, of course, but the more important features are those that continue to find new ways to gain value from the sensors in our smartphones. Think about it: If the auto-pause feature could be combined with accelerometer data, your smartphone could determine that you’ve been hit by a car while running or cycling. Imagine if it could call for help in that scenario, thanks to the sensor data.

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Life-Saving Smartphone Apps (no need to get caught in a severe storm)

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Concert-Goers: Sitting Ducks. In light of the tragic turn of events at the Indiana State Fair Saturday evening (straight-line winds estimated at 70 mph), the result of a "gust front", a sudden surge of rain/hail-cooled air out in advance of the heavy rain and hail. A severe storm watch was posted; anecdotal evidence that a local radio station provided a 4-5 minute warning (still researching whether the local NWS had a warning for this event - I can't believe there wasn't sufficient warning). But the truth: if you're at a fair, or concert, any outdoor venue, there is heightened risk when severe storms roll thru. You don't have to be surprised - there are some really good apps for smartphones available (a few are free) that can give you the weather intelligence you need to protect your family and yourself. I know I look like a weather geek (enthusiast!) when I'm checking my iPhone - but at least I won't get caught in a severe storm. In addition to "pull" features (being able to see the radar and which counties around you are under warnings) a few of these apps (like "My-Cast") have push alert capabilities - the app will send you an SMS message if/when a warning is issued for a favorite location - or - your current GPS location. That's powerful protection and peace of mind. Consider downloading a few apps for your phone - you'll be glad you did. (photo above courtesy of the L.A. Times, which has an update on the disaster at the Indiana State Fair here).

1). Take a portable NOAA Weather Radio. The First Alert portable NOAA Weather Radio above costs a whopping $31, and it could save your life .With a little digging you can find portable, hand-held NOAA Weather Radios that should work in rural areas, even the North Woods. Here's a good list of other portable options, thanks to Google. It's true that signal reception can be a problem, but I always camp with a portable NOAA Weather Radio. I may be a weather geek, but I want to live to tell my grandkids about my camping adventures!

2). Situational Awareness. Any good camper or outdoor enthusiast can read the sky and (on some level) know if a severe storm is brewing. High humidity, a southeast breeze, building clouds are all tip-offs that storms may be brewing. Wherever you are, hiking, camping, enjoying the outdoors, always have an "escape route" in the back of your mind. Where could you seek shelter if skies turn threatening? Under a rocky overhang, a nearby store or lodge? Any kind of building will offer some level of safety - much better than being caught outdoors. With a little planning and a Boy Scout "be prepared" mindset you can lower the risk of disaster by thinking and planning ahead.

3). Smartphone apps. This is where the real revolution is taking place in warning technology. There are some terrific apps out there for getting the time-sensitive information you need to stay ahead of the storm. They cost a few bucks, but think of it as another form of life insurance. My company, WeatherNation, offers warning solutions for major corporations, but there are some great options (that aren't in any way related to my business) that can be personalized for the locations you care about, even your real-time GPS location. They're worth every penny:

a). RadarScope. Price: $9.99 (and worth every penny). You'll agree the first time it saves your butt. In my humble opinion this is still the best pure-play radar app. It works anywhere in the USA (you can get a data signal - which can be problematic for parts of the western USA away from cell towers). Click on any NWS Doppler site and see high resolution Doppler radar, an animated loop, hail detection, velocity fields (to see if a storm is rotating and capable of generating a tornado), even storm rainfall estimates - great for determining the risk of flash flooding, which can be VERY important if you've just pitched a tent next to a babbling brook, which might be tranformed into a raging, muddy torrent if 6" of rain falls 20 miles up the road. More details from RadarScope:

"RadarScope is a specialized display utility for weather enthusiasts and meteorologists that allows you view NEXRAD Level 3 radar data along with our most requested new feature, Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, and Flash Flood Warnings issued by the National Weather Service. It can display the latest reflectivity, velocity, and other products from any NEXRAD radar site in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico. These aren't smoothed PNG or GIF images, this is real Level 3 radar data rendered in its original radial format for a high level of detail.

This version *now includes* support for Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam!

Whether you are scanning reflectivity for a mesocyclone's tell-tale hook echo, trying to pinpoint the landfall of a hurricane's eye wall, or looking for small features like velocity couplets in the storm relative radial velocity product, only RadarScope gives you the power to view true radial NEXRAD weather radar on your iPhone or iPod touch.

When there are any Tornado Warnings (outlined in RED), Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (YELLOW polygons), or Flash Flood Warnings (GREEN polygons) in effect throughout the US, tap the warning button in the top right corner to browse the list of current warnings, view the details, and even zoom to the selected warning on the map".

b). My-Cast. Price: $2.99 (no, I don't get a commission). My last company (Digital Cyclone) was sold to Garmin, and they have what I still consider to be the best warning app on the planet. I'm a little biased, yes, but I've tested scores of weather apps and I still think My-Cast Weather Radar, created by Digital Cyclone, is the best overall app for getting storm warnings. You can even set it up to give you "lightning alerts" (if lightning strikes within 20 miles of your location you get an SMS alert, telling you precisely how far away it was, and what direction the strike was). More details:

"The award-winning My-Cast app delivers comprehensive yet intuitive weather information specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Un-cluttered base maps display animated radar, clouds and StormWatch severe weather alerts allowing effortless interpretation of how the weather affects your day. As you check out the current weather, you may see drifting clouds or falling rain as My-Cast's distinctive weather themes come to life. Whether you are interested in weather for today, tomorrow or next week, My-Cast has you covered. When severe weather strikes, My-Cast transmits the latest alerts direct from the National Weather Service.

• Real-time, animated radar
• Weather Map with conditions, temperatures, dew points, wind direction and wind speed overlays
• Animated Visible and Infrared Clouds
• Interactive StormWatch map with National Weather Service alerts
• Complete severe weather warnings, watches, and advisory alert text
• 7-day forecast with high/low temperatures and chance of precipitation
• Hourly forecast with temps, wind speed/direction and chance of precipitation
• Forecast graph including past, present and forecast wind, dew point, temperature, and sky conditions
• Save your favorite and recently viewed locations for anywhere in the U.S.
• Shake for live data refresh
• One-button push for GPS positioning
• No ads!"

c). Weather Radio. Price: $1. This is another app that sends out real-time warnings, only this one follows the SMS warning with a real-time stream from the local NWS office, so you can hear the latest warnings in audio form, providing another welcome level of detail. More details on Weather Radio:

"Listen to over 170 scanner radio stations providing access to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) broadcasts. NWR is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Weather Radio comes with Twitter & Facebook support: tell your friends what station you're listening to, "live", without stopping your audio to invoke an external Twitter or Facebook client! Weather Radio allows users to select from NWR audio streams by State-City, or add your favorite stream."

* all 3 apps are available on iTunes. Some of these may be available for Android and Blackberry as well. It's well worth your time to look into this and download these onto your phone, set up your favorite locations (home, work, cabin, beach, etc) and see how they can give you the information you need to make smarter decisions, and keep your family out of storm-related trouble.

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Android app turns smartphone into wireless viewfinder for Contour+ camcorder

If you are the sort that is into some sort of action sport where you like to record yourself doing things like skateboarding, biking, or racing cars you may have one of the little camcorders that you can wear or mount in weird places. One of these camcorders is called the Contour+. This little camcorder can be mounted just about anywhere thanks to the small size.


The catch with such a little camcorder is that there is no LCD screen so you really can’t tell what the camera is recording. An app for the Contour+ camcorder has landed for the Android platform called Contour Connect. The app turns your smartphone into a wireless viewfinder. That means you can use the screen of your smartphone to line up your shot.
The app will also show you the remaining battery life in your camcorder and allows you to change the camera settings. The settings that can be adjusted using the app include video mode, video quality, mic, GPS, and lighting. The app is free and is on the Android Market right now.

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Device turns smartphones into satellite communicators

All the myriad benefits of today’s smartphones amount to no more than the proverbial hill of beans if no cellphone signal is available. We’ve already seen a few solutions for off-grid connectivity — Range Networks’ open source phone service, for example — but nothing quite like SPOT Connect.
Launched just last week by Globalstar’s California-based Spot subsidiary, SPOT Connect is a satellite communicator capable of sending messages over the Globalstar satellite network from a smartphone operating system. Smartphone users begin by downloading the SPOT Connect app. Then, when they’re out of range, they pair their phone with the SPOT Connect device using Bluetooth. SPOT is currently compatible with smartphone operating systems including Android; others will be incorporated later this year. In any case, once it’s connected, the SPOT device links the smartphone to communication satellites, enabling users to send text messages, short emails and SOS messages including GPS coordinates, as well as to perform tasks like updating Facebook and Twitter. Users can create contact groups and store up to 10 predefined messages for quick reference and sending, and an on-device SOS button provides standalone emergency operation.
Winner of this year’s CES Innovations Award in Design and Engineering in the Personal Electronics category, the waterproof, 3.7-ounce system is scheduled to begin shipping this month. Pricing is USD 169.99 plus an annual subscription service starting at USD 99.99 per year. Retailers specializing in GPS, outdoor recreation and personal electronics: this one’s for you!

Website: www.findmespot.com
Contact: customerservice@findmespot.com

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GPS (GNSS) Telecom Time Now and Future

Image via WikipediaGPS (GNSS) Telecom Time Now and Future pdf

Topics:

•GNSS Systems
•GPS Status and Future
•Other GNSS
•GNSS Failure Modes
•Conclusions & References

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GSM over Satellite

GSM over Satellite pdf

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