GPS: Cool Devices That Know Where They Are

David LaGesse

Cellphones that can also track a caller's whereabouts once seemed at the leading edge of GPS. Now all sorts of devices can chart their travels as the chips that get location data continue to get smaller and cheaper. From still cameras to fitness watches, a new assortment of gadgets knows where they are, which can also translate into speed and distance readings.

Some combine global positioning receivers with other sensors, including altimeters and timers, that can give fitness buffs and thrill seekers a wealth of data on their progress. Others focus more on safety for kids, seniors, or hikers who like to wander off the beaten path. Here are five of our favorites:

 

GPS Ski goggles

Heads-up skiing

Ski eyewear is no longer just about protecting the eyes and looking good.

The Transcend Goggle from Zeal Optics will fill eyes with a wealth of action info using GPS and other sensors. The goggles offer data on speed, altitude, distance traveled vertically, stopwatch timing, temperature, and location.

Future versions might display maps, text, or caller ID info from a cellphone.

The Transcend uses technology from Recon Instruments that splashes the data on the inside of the antifog panes, similar to heads-up displays on planes and some cars. With a six-hour battery, the goggles enable skiers and snowboarders to go "bigger, faster, longer, and safer," a promotional video says.

All that, and they still look fetching.

The goggles will sell later this year at a list price of $350, or $450 for a pair with photochromatic lenses that change tint depending on light conditions.

[It's again possible to get an instant photo even while outdoors.]

 

Amber Alert GPS 2

Tracking kids

The Amber Alert GPS 2G Tracking System is an extra small tracker that kids can wear and that parents can actually use, says the maker.

The device can be carried in a pocket or attached with optional pouches or a band on the ankle or arm.

Besides GPS, the Amber Alert device relies on cellphone signals for sending and receiving location data. It sends an alert if the child holds down the SOS button.

Parents can send a text message from their cellphone to request location information, which comes back as a text message. Or they can track the wearer through a Web portal. Monthly fees depend on how many location requests they want. Unlimited plans that start at $30 a month are probably best for "bread-crumb" tracking, when the phone routinely pings its location to the website.

There are paging functions, and you can even monitor voices around the child. Thirty minutes of voice monitoring costing $10 a month. Prices for the devices start at $200; the cheapest plans cost $13 a month for monitoring 75 location requests.

 

Nu-M8 Kid-tracking GPS watch

Kid-tracking GPS watch

Another approach is to build the GPS tracking into a watch that kids can wear.

The Nu-M8 is from a U.K. company called Loc8u. It combines location data with a wireless link that can send the location data to a Web portal or as text messages. The watch also sends an alert if it's "forcibly removed." Parents can set up "fences" on a map and get an alert if the child wanders beyond the safe zone. The watch's battery lasts up to a week on standby mode.

Loc8u also is launching a similar device in a watch for adults. It could be used to monitor impaired seniors or wandering sports enthusiasts. The kids' version is available now; the adults' will come out this summer. Both go for about $180, plus plans starting at $10 a month for unlimited Web monitoring and $18 a month for unlimited Web and text tracking.

 

Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS watch

Workout-tracking GPS watch

Another watch with GPS comes from Timex and is aimed at fitness jocks.

The Ironman Global Trainer watch isn't the first GPS watch, but it is relatively sleek and better looking than a lot of its competitors. The watch can track speed, pace, and distance while also measuring location, altitude, and ascent and descent rates.

The data syncs later with computers and can include readings from other Timex sensors, such as heart monitors. It can also link to bike meters that can add power and cadence readings using ANT+ technology, a standard for low-energy wireless links.

Users can customize the watch's face to display up to four performance measures at a time.

The watch should last all day on one charge and can be recharged via a USB connection to a personal computer or with the included AC adapter. It has memory to store 100 location waypoints, 20 workouts, or 1,000 laps.

Timex says the Global Trainer will hit the market in the fall with list prices starting at $250.

 

Gobandit's GPSHD Camcorder

Thrill-tracking cam

While GPS chips are appearing more frequently in still cameras, the GPSHD from gobandit is one of the first video cameras that knows where it is.

The camcorder is aimed primarily at outdoor sports fanatics who want full bragging rights.

It records 720p video along with data on current and maximum speeds, altitude, and location. The waterproof camcorder, which is roughly 4 by 2.5 by 1.4 inches, attaches to helmets, bikes, or even the outside of a car, where it can be controlled with the optional remote.

Users upload the video and data to a PC and use gobandit software to add the tracking data, which appears as an overlay on the footage.

The camera can also grab 5 megapixel still images at intervals of several seconds. The video and stills are recorded to 2GB of internal memory, or to more memory added through a card slot.

Gobandit says the video cam will be available in the United States by early summer at a list price of about $400.

 

Available at Amazon.com:

Amber Alert GPS 2G Tracking System

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