News and New Products

Hot to spot: Personal GPS applications proliferate

By Matthew Miller, Special Projects Editor -- EDN, 10/26/2004

As the cost of GPS components falls, the technology is migrating to devices far less expensive than navigation systems in luxury cars. And with the arrival of GPS in products like cell phones, attempts are afoot to turn location technology into the wellspring of new revenue streams. For example, both Nextel and Wherify Wireless yesterday announced GPS-enabled applications with personal twists.

Nextel has teamed up with GPS specialist Trimble to launch Trimble Outdoors, a service that aims to help hikers, geocachers, and other adventurers plan, execute, and share their expeditions. Once outfitted with a GPS-enabled Nextel phone and a subscription to the Trimble Outdoors service, users can visit an Internet site to plan their next outing, then download details such as maps and route plans to their phone.

On the trail, the phone acts as a standalone GPS receiver—even if the user wanders out of the Nextel network. While a navigation page provides compass heading, altitude, speed, and bearing to specific waypoints, the phone also creates a digital "breadcrumb" trail. The setup can even overlay the user's position with topographic maps or aerial photos.

Meanwhile, the user can take notes on the experience and, if using a camera phone, snap photos that will be stamped with the GPS location and time. Upon returning to civilization, the user can wirelessly upload the digital record of his or her exploits to the Web for others to either enjoy or download to their Nextel phones for future travels of their own.

The service costs $4.99 or $9.99 a month on top of the user's regular Nextel plan (the cheaper option provides the basic navigation features, while the pricier one offers the advanced features like wireless downloads of topography maps and photo uploading). The service works with Motorola's i710, i730, i830, and camera-equipped i860.

Meanwhile, Wherify Wireless chose this week's CTIA show, taking place Monday through Wednesday in San Francisco, to unveil the Wherifone G550, a no-frills phone tied into the company's wireless location service.

Wherify's product and service offering resembles the popular OnStar system: A GPS receiver uses a wireless link to report the user's location to a service center, where an operator can provide assistance or dispatch emergency services. The company's existing products, such as a wrist-worn device for children, focus solely on security.

The G550 adds to that mix by acting as a "starter" phone for children under 13 or adults over 65, according to the company. Capable of both incoming and outgoing calls, the device features two programmable one-touch dialing buttons and a "911" button. The product will sell for less than $150 when production begins early next year, according to Wherify. Service plans start at $14.95 a month.