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TeleNav's GPS Vehicle Tracker comes to AT&T's enterprise services

by Darren Murph posted Dec 10th 2008 @ 4:59AM

Vehicle tracking is an old trick at this point, but that's not to say there's no demand out there in the enterprise space. Announced today, the TeleNav Vehicle Tracker has been added to the carrier's portfolio of enterprise mobility services. Said GPS-enabled device can be hard-wired or embedded onto a vehicle to provide "companies of all sizes with a hassle-free method for monitoring and managing fleet operations." Specifically, it can log and report via email or SMS (on AT&T's network, obviously) when an employee violates an established policy (speed, stop time, mileage, etc.) and provide "detailed information about vehicle activity, including whether the engine is turned on or doors are open." The tracker will run customers a whopping $399, with a monthly service fee of around $34 (yes, for each device). In other words, you better be really suspicious before diving into this.

[Via RCRWireless]

Nokia viNe goes live: share your mobile adventures online

by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 @ 5:35PM

Not that anyone really needs to see what photos you take, where you take them and what videos are captured during your daily walk through the game of life, but if you feel inclined to share, Nokia's making it exceptionally easy. The viNe service, which is compatible with a slew of E and N Series handsets, taps into your built-in GPS receiver and uploads your media to the viNe website in order for others to keep track. Think real-time social networking, driven by your cellphone. Yeah, it's a touch too voyeuristic for our tastes, but you know you want to give it a go. Hit the read link to explore.

[Via Symbian-Guru]

IMMI tracks ad exposure / effectiveness via cellphone, trips privacy alarms everywhere

by Darren Murph posted Oct 15th 2008 @ 10:59PM

Hunker down and find that tin foil cap, pronto! Privacy advocates, we've a new target for you to bang on: Integrated Media Measurement. The 4,900-person media research company is looking to take advertising measurement to a whole new level (or new low, as it were) by embedding tracking modules within cellphones. In short, the module picks up audio from ads and records information about the exposure; in the future, if you were to purchase whatever product you heard about (like seeing a movie that was plugged), it would register a hit and deem you a sucker. As of now, the only testers with these freaky phones are individuals who signed up for this stuff, but you better believe major marketing firms (and TV / movie studios in particular) are perking their ears up and begging to know more.

[Image courtesy of Corbis, thanks ugotamesij]

South Korean police aiming to equip all new handsets with GPS?

by Darren Murph posted Mar 29th 2008 @ 12:40PM

Presumably taking a note from Japan, it's being reported that South Korean police are backing a highly controversial plan that would equip each new mobile sold in the nation with a GPS chip. Reportedly, Song Kang-ho, chief of the investigation bureau of the National Police Agency, has stated that the government has "already submitted a related bill to the National Assembly," and the general idea here is to crack down on the rise of kidnapping and various other crimes against children and women (not much different than we Americans having such a chip for E911, really). Granted, there's not a lot of supporting evidence that this is actually set to go down, so until we see it inked in stone, our skeptic hats are remaining in place.

[Via textually, image courtesy of The New York Times]

Google unveils GPS-less handset locator technology

by Darren Murph posted Nov 29th 2007 @ 12:13AM

If your smartphone came with a built-in GPS receiver, you can choose to just overlook Google's latest technology, but if your mobile is among the 85-percent (or so) out there lacking an integrated GPS module, listen up. The search giant has revealed new software (dubbed My Location) that enables non-GPS-equipped phones to be pinpointed within three miles of their actual location. Google is claiming that it can provide "neighborhood-level" data, and that pressing "0" while in the app will enable users to skip the task of entering in a starting address when looking up directions. Notably, the system is not set up to collect phone numbers or any other personal details, and for those still paranoid, it can indeed be switched off. Currently, the tracking database still has a few gaps to be filled -- namely locales in Europe and all of China / Japan -- but Google could very well use the location data to eventually provide targeted ads to those who use it.

[Image courtesy of TracyAndMatt, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Japan could keep tabs on defense officials via GPS phones

by Darren Murph posted Nov 1st 2007 @ 8:44AM

It's not like the Japanese government hasn't dabbled in GPS (and RFID, too) tracking before, but the nation's latest idea involving Big Brother is (unsurprisingly) catching a fair amount of criticism. Reportedly, Japan wants to equip senior defense officials with GPS-enabled mobiles, and it's making no bones about the reasoning behind it. Quite frankly, it's looking for ways to keep a more watchful eye on officials' whereabouts after a higher-up was recently "treated to hundreds of expensive rounds of golf by a defense contractor." Reportedly, the handsets would only be given out to senior staff "required to report for duty in the case of a security emergency," but a number of anonymous individuals have already expressed disdain for the plan through local news outlets. Nothing to hide, nothing to fear, right?

NTT DoCoMo's forward-looking video overlooks the present

by Darren Murph posted May 30th 2007 @ 6:46PM

We've seen prophets get their agendas past the marketing department a time or two before, but NTT DoCoMo's latest peek into the "future" seemingly forgets to look at what's actually available right now. The lengthy spot showcases how mobile phones will "one day" be even more tightly integrated into our everyday lives, and while the ideas of using mobile-based keychains and passwords, geo-locators, and video telephony are certainly novel, deeming them events of the future seems a bit ignorant. Additionally, it demonstrates the phone's ability to assist with grocery shopping, take care of hailing a cab, act as a tutor, and prevent children from straying too far away -- all of which have either already been implemented or are quite a ways along the development pipeline. Of course, the pen-sized handset with retractable holographic display certainly hasn't hit mainstream channels just yet, but otherwise it seems we're all way ahead of our time. The pseudo-futuristic video awaits you in the read link.

[Via PSFK]

Britain's CSR developing uber-sensitive Bluetooth / GPS hybrid chip

by Darren Murph posted Jan 16th 2007 @ 3:31AM

Considering how governments are suddenly feeling that tracking your every move, or at least providing the means for someone else to, is such a brilliant idea, it's no surprise to see the Bluetooth masters at Cambridge-based CSR buy up NordNav and Cambridge Positioning Systems. The new mishmash of companies now has consolidation on the brain, as it's developing an all-in-one microchip that will sport both Bluetooth and GPS functionality on a single module. Additionally, the chip would reportedly "drain less power and be cheaper for handset makers than having two separate chips in their devices," as both technologies would have one processor doing the work, resulting in a more efficient process. The company's CEO claimed that its combo chips would cost manufacturers "an extra dollar per chip as opposed to around $5 to $10 for putting in a current standalone GPS chip," and moreover, these devices are designed to be ultra-sensitive, giving it connection abilities indoors and in "deep urban areas" where current units fall short. Already being hit up by a few anonymous mobile producers, CSR plans to get these things shipping "during the first half of this year," and hopes to start turning a profit on them by 2008.