AMBIT, the new Suunto range comes in two colors, black or silver, with or without a heart rate belt. It will be available in March 2012 in selected outdoor stores and the price is estimated to be between 400-500 Euro.

Learn Your System
One of the first mistakes people make when using a GPS system is taking it out of the box as they begin their journey. If you do this, you may find that there is a learning curve to most GPS systems. They each work in slightly different ways. While new technology often excites us to the point that we just want to go, it is important to slow down and read the manual. At least give it a quick flip through so that you understand the functions of the system. After you understand the basic functions of the system, you will want to explore how it actually works. Take a road trip as a passenger. Set up a route that you travel routinely and pay attention to how the system actually functions in real life.

Experiment with setting benchmarks, orientating yourself and what happens if you need to re-route. If you plan on using the GPS for walking around cities or exploring nature areas, place yourself in those situations on a small scale. Walk around your home town with the device. Take a small hike. Actually using the GPS in a real situation will prevent stress when in an unfamiliar place. You will know exactly how to read and use your device when you need it the most.

Prepare your GPS
Download the maps for your travel with plenty of time to review them and ensure that they give you the necessary information for the area you are exploring. Compare the generated routes to physical maps to ensure that they are routing properly. Take a test run at finding specific addresses, locations and POI’s.

Remember the Power
Power can be a problem when traversing rural areas by GPS. Be prepared by making sure that you have more power than necessary – in case you become lost or change your travel plans. Make sure you have extra battery power, universal adapters, solar chargers or other power systems. If you are relying on a GPS, you don’t want to have it run out of power just when you need it most.

Considerations for GPS Travel
Be smart when traveling with a GPS. Avoid leaving the device exposed in your vehicle. It could easily be stolen, taking your route with you. Carry a physical map with you, just in case. While it may not be as detailed or updated as your GPS maps, it could help you navigate in an emergency. Keep in mind that wondering around a city while blatantly using a GPS can target you immediately as a tourist or lost. Many GPS devices allow you to use ear buds to listen to directions, allowing you to keep the device in your pocket. This can also free up your hands.
Taking the time to understand your GPS and prepare the device helps prevent the stress that often comes from travel situations, leaving you able to enjoy every minute of your adventure.
Source: MemNav.com

Bill Johnston, who is 83 years old, had wandered away toward a main highway. Joan Johnston recalled, “I looked over — was looking all around the parking lots and the shopping center, across the street from McDonald’s I saw him. … He couldn’t remember when I would be back. When I wasn’t there the he said — ‘Well where is she? I’ll just walk home.”‘ She picked him up and brought him home.

Bill Johnston is one of an estimated 5.3 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and wandering is one of the most common symptoms. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, many will wander at least once during the progression of the disease, and many, three or more times which, Quijano noted, can make shoes loaded with GPS technology a literal life-saver, and ease the burden often placed on primary care-takers.

Andrew Carle, executive in residence of senior housing at George Mason University, saw a need to curb wandering and reached out to a California company that makes shoes with GPS systems. They partnered on a model for the elderly. “(Primary caretakers are) afraid to even turn their back on their loved ones for two or three minutes or even to go to the bathroom for a few minutes, because they’re afraid when they come out, they may be gone,” Carle said. “And this technology can really help them and gives them a chance of locating them.”

Seeking ways to control Bill Johnston’s wandering, Joan Johnston and son Alan Johnston were led to George Mason University and Carle, who offered them a pair of shoes to test. “We discussed it and we decided to try these shoes out on him,” Alan Johnston said. “And (we) thought this would be a good match and kind of went from there.” A computer programmer, Alan Johnston takes care of the technological side of things for his parents.

“The shoes give you more control,” Alan Johnston said. “My mom can call me immediately and I can give her immediate feedback on his location.” Carle said, “We’re trying to maximize the odds that they’re going to have this technology on them and the best location is to put it in shoes.”

Joan and Bill Johnston hope it will make their lives easier. The philosophy Joan lives by? “You take it day-by-day and moment-by-moment and try not to plan too far ahead,” she said. “I don’t plan more than a day ahead of time. And you take it, today.”
Carle also worked closely with a company in New Jersey Aetrex, on the shoe.

December issue has links to GPS maps for Garmin, Navitel and CityGuide, Maps to all countries in the Middle East and ….More information

Kish Island GPS Map

There are different types of maps; the traditional paper map, an internet generated map and a GPS map. Amongst all these, a GPS map is perhaps the most versatile and updated one. A GPS device is as good as the mapping information it holds. Thus GPS navigators come with basemaps and several points of interests that indicate the locations of gas stations or hotels. A GPS receiver comes preloaded with the detailed and most updated map information of a specific region or country. In case you need any additional data, you can always download it to your device. A few advantages a GPS map has over the others is stated below :

Advantage I: Most Up-to-Date

Unlike the traditional paper maps or an internet generated one, the GPS map is the most up-to-date one. This is because although, the device comes with preloaded maps of certain region, you can definitely download the latest version of the maps directly into your unit from the mapping website. Also the sat nav manufacturers ensure to have the most recent versions of maps on their site, wherein you get the detailed mapping data absolutely free of cost.

Advantage II: It provides the facility to personalise the map
Paper map and internet generated maps can also be customized to suit your needs. However you will need a marker to mark the locations of gas stations or trace your best hiking route. Once you use a marker or highlighter on the map, it is permanent and next time you want to mark something, you either need a new map or a different colour marker. Eventually you might have either spent a great deal on buying a new map everytime you visit a new place or there would be so many markings on your map that it would appear shabby and unreadable.

This is where GPS maps are useful. All you need to do is create a separate folder and save the data in the specific folder after every trip. You can later even make alterations or changes to it, as per your convenience and choice. The maps are in no way rendered unreadable. Saves you loads or time and money as well.

Advantage III: Easy to Trace Back
With a GPS map you can easily trace back your steps. This is because the device has the capability to track your progress, thus by just selecting the right buttons, you can easily get a complete history of the route taken, makes it simple to re-trace your steps. Although, this can also be done by using the paper maps, it is a little tedious and cumbersome procedure.

The above stated points are some of the reasons why users might prefer a GPS map from a traditional paper map. If you too need to reap the benefits of GPS maps, then just go and grab a satellite navigational unit that has the latest and updated GPS maps and plan your travel to unknown and unfamiliar cities.

It was earlier used for military purpose and in 1993 it was available for civilian use. These systems were degraded and thus affected its accuracy. Other factors affecting the accuracy of GPS in boat navigation depends on the speed of the boat, strength of the signals and environmental factors like geomagnetic and gravitational forces.

Signal strength depends on the distance of the satellite to the receiver, at the beginning the GPS system evaluates all the signals and selects the best 5 nearest satellite signals for navigation.
Advanced satellite navigation system called as Chart plotter can be used in boat navigation for determining your boats progress. It uses electronic chart display and an information system to display your accurate location in a chart, map or a specified area.

It will also give the distance to the nearest land or shore. To find the best and easiest route to a specific destination one can connect this GPS system to the boat radar. This will give you the track line or the way point to your destination.

The Iran GPS Map in Farsi includes:
* Complete detailed maps of Ahvaz, Arak, Ardabil, Bam, Babol, Babolsar, Bandar-Abbas, Chalos, Dizin ski resort, Esfahan (Isfahan), Fereydoon kenar, Ghom (Qom), Hamedan, Kashan, Karaj, Kerman, Kish Island, Nour, Noshahr, Mashhad, Qeshm Island, Rasht, Sabzevar, Sari, Semnan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Uromiyeh (Urima), Yazd, Zanjan and …..

* Iran roads complete map
* Turn-by-turn voice directions in Farsi (Persian),
* Mapping/route guide in Farsi (Persian),
* Monthly & Yearly update and
* With more than 83.000 POI

It can be purchased at following web sites:
- MapShop.me Online Shop
- Iran GPS map for Mobiles

More information

Design changes for Android 4.0 include:
– Replacing physical buttons on devices with equivalent on-screen icons.
– New lock screen features – the ability to access camera and notifications.
– Ability to group apps and shortcuts by dragging icons onto each other.
– Redesigned multi-tasking screen. Applications are represented by scrollable tiles.

Other software changes include:
– Face recognition unlocking. Rather than entering a pattern code as in previous versions, users can opt to look into their camera.
– Enhanced email capability – support for nested subfolders
– Android Beam – users can swap web content or links to apps by touching their phones together.
– Enhanced voice input featuring a continuously open microphone – meaning phones listen out for instructions.

According to figures published by Canalsys in August, Android handsets accounted for 48% of smartphones shipped to retailers, compared to 19% for Apple devices. However, many more Android models are available, from manufacturers such as HTC, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.

The Motorola MOTOACTV size is 46mm x 46mm x 9.6 mm and it weights 35g with a battery for 5 hours outdoor and 10 hours of training indoor. The device connects with Android smartphones, tablets and desktop computers where training statistics can be analyzed. Price tag for MOTOACTV will be $249 for 8GB and $299 for 16GB and will be available in Europe in Q1 2012.