Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category

Grand Take-off for a new worldwide GPS tracker.

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

1501378-1999733Now 30% smaller and much lighter than the original unit at 5.2 ounce, SPOT LLC introduced its Satellite GPS messenger and everyone rushed to get the handy device. Already, 120,000 units have been sold in March this year, just a few weeks after the SPOT gadget was launched.
The hand-held personal tracking and emergency device now comes with an additional custom messaging tagged with a GPS position. From any point in the globe, text messages can be sent through the SPOT Satellite GPS messenger through the Globalstar Comms satellite. This feature has proven great with its older version which has reportedly helped in over 250 rescues conducted after custom messages were trafficked from its user to the emergency services. The SOS button and calls to home are equally helpful and a great relief for over 10 million people worldwide, thanks to the gadget’s features.
SPOT’s new device have become even more attractive to outdoor enthusiasts for its practical, handy and advanced technological features. Hikers, climbers, boaters, pilots and even travelers and remote workers have employed the applications of SPOT Satellite GPS messenger during emergencies and need for assistance from remote places. More importantly, the same gadget can be used to call home just to give the family the peace of mind while a loved one is out climbing some peaks or braving the stormy seas.
With the release of Satellite GPS messenger, SPOT is seen to stay a leader for long in the personal satellite messaging and emergency communications. The state-of-the-art GPS chipset has the ability to provide enhanced reliability and excellent performance. The newer version also comes with GPS acquisition light, protective covers over vital buttons, dedicated GPS tracking button, among others.
The marketing arms of SPOT, LLC stated with pride that they merely responded to their followers’ suggestions to increase the features and utility of the second generation Satellite GPS Messenger. The added features, it was said, demonstrates their commitment to providing advancements in their products to further render roadside assistance for its customers.
To find out more, click here rin.org.uk

More information may also be found here Spot Press Room

India spear-head GPS expansion even in neighboring South East Asia

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

1221481795_gagan-global-positioning-satelliteThe people have a reason to rejoice. Pretty soon they can have their own satellite-based navigation system for air traffic management. The GPS-aided Geosynchronous Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) System will be providing mainly satellite-based navigation for civil aviation over Indian airspace and adjoining countries in South and East Asia.
Gagan, which incidentally means “sky” in Sanskrit, is augmentation systems for GPS and other operational navigation systems, and is expected to give differential corrections and integrity in the same format as the WAAS of the United States and the Japanese MSAS. The technology demonstration phase has been recently completed and it is projected that the whole system will be ready for operational phase in 2012.
To be jointly implemented by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the state-owned-and-controlled Airport Authority of India, GAGAN is deemed interoperable with the European EGNOS as well to provide seamless global navigation. The more advanced mechanisms of the GAGAN will now make it possible to provide coverage for oceanic areas in addition to its current operational terrestrial systems.
Influx of information related to the GAGAN has since leaked to interested industries since ISRO awarded the $82 million (£50 million or €58 million) contract to Raytheon to build the ground stations for the developed systems. Raytheon will build the ground stations while it will be the ISRO who will provide the space segment and augment the needed ground equipment for the GAGAN.
The Indian civil aviation ministry now holds a hopeful clasp of hands regarding the GAGAN to be India’s great pride; but more importantly, it will advance fully the satellite – based navigation systems for air traffic management of the country and nearby areas.
India’s G-Sat-4 technology demonstrator communications satellite has a navigation payload designed to support Gagan’s functions. It is reported to be launched by ISRO’s geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle in 2010, along with two more payloads for the duo of future geostationary satellites also in the works.
More informative details on the GAGAN and other pursuits of India in GPS can be found at Royal Institute of Navigation
and also at flightglobal.com

Joint Replacements method now uses SatNav Science

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

D91A86382A5AE6266533BC566BEF366B.0Satnavs aren’t limited alone to guiding motorists through roads and streets. The Orthopilot is a testament that makers of the devices are pursuing satnavs practicability in medicine and human health concerns, particularly to surgeons who perform knee replacements. In UK alone, close to 60,000 people need knee replacement each year.

The Orthopilot is a technological gadget now employed by doctors performing joint surgeries such as knees and hips replacement that employs GPS technology. Developed in the United Kingdom, the Orthopilot helps surgeons align artificial knee joints, making the traditional method close to being a thing of the past.

While regular knee operations are more of guess-work and requires extensive experience, the new technology guides the surgeons in crucial operations in surgery such as joints alignment. When a joint replacement is out of line even by the smallest millimeter, the surgery is bound to be a failure in the future years. This is because the miscalculation on the alignment will put a load on the artificial knee and the bone itself, subjecting the area and bones involved to heavy stress and wear.

Also, the low 80% success rate of regular knee replacement procedure is quite an alarming number, and the repeat operations are also high, which is even ringing more alarm bells.

But what used to be done with the naked eye, the surgeons can now do so more effectively with the Orthopilot. With over 95% reported success rates, surgeons are saved the taxing effort of perfecting every single operation the old way. With the help of computer guides, surgeons can now perform transplants and operations on joints with remarkable accuracy.

The Orthopilot works by providing from its software the maps of alignment and anatomy of the knee and other joints. The information is sent to the surgeon so that in performing the implant, exact orientations required are met. Hence, repeat operations are cut drastically and health risks are avoided.

More helpful information on satnavs for surgeries can be yours. Just click on Sky News
Sky
Details on the same can also be found at Yahoo News

New Head Marketing Slot opens at TomTom

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

batchelorThe Dutch company TomTom, one of the leading manufacturers of automotive navigation systems in the world, just lost itself a premier marketing arm in Alex Batchelor. After having managed TomTom’s international positioning aspect short of a year, Batchelor has reportedly left after a mutual decision between him and the company.
When Batchelor joined TomTom in July 2008, he was hired as the executive vice president of marketing. Batchelor’s service of 11 months included heavy responsibilities, including managing the sat-nav internationally, and positioning both the TomTom products and services as the ruling in-car navigation system.
TomTom, which is based in Amsterdam, was where Batchelor spent four of his days, and the rest of the week he flew back to the UK where he spent time with his family and home. On the other hand, Eight months after he joined TomTom, he was also elected chairman of the management board of the Marketing Society.
Batchelor has a twenty-year long, colorful working experience in the field of marketing and international brand management. He was the Orange company vice president for marketing global brand in 2002 until 2005. Interbrand hired him in 1996 and there he served as joint managing director for Interbrand for the period 1996 – 2002. Batchelor also servied as joint managing director for Saatchi and Saatchi four years prior, and served a seven year stint at Unilever which started in 1987 with the same position. Before he joined the TomTom company, he worked with Royal Mail Group in the United Kingdom as the marketing director.
The UK-based publication Marketing Week broke the news, but contacted by the GPS Business News after the story broke out, TomTom declined to give any comment. The company, however, revealed it is speaking to a short-listed candidates who will take over Batchelor’s marketing head position with TomTom.

For more details on this story, click on Marketing Magazine You may also learn more at this link. GPS Business news

Ticket 2 Drive, gives Tomtom customers enjoyment and more value.

Friday, July 31st, 2009

b181564Now that summer’s officially here, TomTom customers are in for even greater news in planning week-end getaways, those sports and leisure activities, and even in choosing their hotels and spas.
Advanced booking discounts are now offered by the Dutch company to those who purchased or subscribed from among their specified products and services. For those who sign up for a 12-month subscription to Ticket 2 Drive, it is now much easier as it is live! The service choices include “two For One”, the “Kids Go Free” and other hot deals. This promo lasts until the end of September 2010 and includes over 1,500 attractions all over the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The launching of the Ticket 2 Drive program for the very first time is aimed at giving TomTom customers additional forms of enjoyment and value for the coming summer and months after that. With the program, TomTom purchasers can get a good summer discovering and relaxing landmarks and vacation spots in UK and the Republic of Ireland. Not only is the promotion wise for rewarding customers with cheaper means to achieve a good summer experience, it also helps in the advancement of the two countries’ tourism industry. More importantly, TomTom delivers practical and accessible summer deals as their list of hotels, spas, sports facilities and leisure providers are easy to drive to.
Participating organizations in the Ticket 2 Drive include the Royal Horticultural Society, Formula 1 Karting, Camelot Theme Park and Canterbury Cathedrals, all must-see spots for UK and Ireland residents. Other points of interests participating are Pleasure Beach Blackpool, RSPB, Classic British Hotels,City Sightseeing Tours, InTech Science Center and Planetarium, the Belfry Golf Clyb, Diggerland, the Museum of London Docklands and Bigdland Hall Equistrienne Centre, among many more others.
The offer is open to all TomTom customers and is available at the company websites. Customers will simply redeem the offers by typing in the serial number of their TomTom devices.
To learn more and take part in this wonderful promotion from TomTom, click Computer Active Or you may visit pocket-lint.com

TomTom gets 96% take-up for rights issue

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

increase-chartDutch company TomTom, a world leader in navigation device manufacturing, reportedly got a 96% take-up for its 5-for-8- rights offer at 4.21 euros recently. This after it has announced that it placed a remaining offering at 5.70 euros per share.
Reports said that TomTom’s 3.4 million shares via private placements, and institutional and professional investors jumped on the rump offering. While many see this as a decline on the company’s financial standing, many more consider this a regular challenge for TomTom.
The Amsterdam-based navigation device company revealed that its shares were up 2.7 at 5.85 euros as of 1034 GMT (6:34 am EDT). This mark solidified their outperformance of a 0.5 percent rise in the Amsterdam blue chip index. Market updates revealed that TomTom is struggling with 1.16 billion euros of debt after it purchased another Dutch entity, Teleatlas. The buying of the digital map maker outfit for 2.9 billion euros in 2008 seemed to have been more of a disadvantage for TomTom.
The Dutch company continues its pursuits to raise around 430 million euros from the rights issues and a private placing to reduce its debt and cope with the economic slump. The four founders of TomTom is reportedly going to hold 47.2 percent of the company shares once the rights issues will be closed. On the other hand, Janivo Holding and Cyrte Investments will hold an approximated 8.4 percent share of TomTom, as revealed by the company itself.
TomTom has been greatly known to make different types of portable navigation devices for cars, and is speeding up additional features for their products already out in the market. It has also made a concrete performance in production of handheld computers. Among other manufacturers of portable navigation gadgets and handheld computers, US-based Garmin Ltd. is TomTom’s strongest competitor.
Additional information on TomTom products and updates may be read on Reuters Also click on newsticker

Laptop, desktop and GPS merger foreseen, It may be sooner than you think.

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

map-googleFor people who are using mobile devices and their laptops to browse the web wherever they are, Geolocation is a usual word. Whether they’re at home, on the road or in their work place, people just want to stay online. The new main features of Firefox 3.5 and also in Chrome and other browsers with the Google Gears add-on installed, it is now supported by Google Maps on the desktop as well! This should be great news for those who want to stay online all the time!
Just click on Google Maps with a supported web browser, and there you will see a new My Location button on the top left corner of the map. Once you click the button to the center of the map, you will get your approximate location. With where you are determined accurately, you will be shown a blue circle just like on the Google Maps for mobile. You may also click the button the second time to remove the blue circle or re-center the map after you have moved it somewhere.
Compared with having it on your mobile devices, Geolocation on your desktop or laptops is not as accurate. But no fret as the fault is with the basic technology and hardware because most computers still don’t have GPS capacities incorporated yet. Still, many people take matters into their hands and buy a GPS for their computers, but there are some who are crossing their fingers that manufacturers will add this helpful feature soon. The browsers that support Geolocation will have to depend on WiFi information as they don’t have a GPS device, or others can simply get back to the IP. Today, only Firefox 3.5 has this advantageous technology by default.
For many, Geolocation is not that accurate, but with WiFi hotsports mapped out with, it should be helpful for those who do not want to get lost in a new place.
To learn more about geolocation on Google Maps, click Siftpedia News