Oct 23 2010

6 different GPS devices tracking my car at once — A new record for me…

Category: HARDWARE TYPES,mobile mapping,New Features — rdonat @ 6:51 pm

I usually have 2 or 3 devices tracking my car at once (to test new ones, etc.).

Yesterday I managed to get 6 at once.

We have >> FOUR << new devices coming to GPS Insight soon and I had 3 of them in my car along with 3 others.

Here’s what it looked like on my iPhone when I tracked my vehicle at my boys’ school “Fall Festival” where I had parked on the street:

Tracking my car using 6 different devices

Tracking my car using 6 different devices

The new devices are:

  • Battery powered Freight Tracker (which can be hidden inside of shipments and still track even though it is inside of a trailer)
  • Battery Powered Satellite Trailer Tracker (Next Generation TT-3000 in our Trailer Tracking series)
  • Personal Safety tracker with worldwide satellite coverage (used for remote workers with a panic button to alert others and summon help)
  • Dual-mode device (both Cellular and Satellite coverage when in remote areas)

Here is a picture of the 15 minute reporting while I was there of the device buried next to my spare tire in my trunk.  It doesn’t need GPS to know where it’s at, and lasts for months on a single charge (depending on reporting frequency & battery size):

GPS Insight FT-1000 freight tracker accuracy in my trunk

GPS Insight FT-1000 freight tracker accuracy in my trunk

So I spent 4 hours with the kids at the fall festival, and GPS Insight sponsored the best ride, according to my son Ryan (pictured on it below):

My son on the Orbitron, sponsored by GPS Insight

My son on the Orbitron, sponsored by GPS Insight

We had a fun time, and I could test out some upcoming products at the same time.  We look forward to bringing you these devices for purchase this month.

Rob.

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Nov 09 2009

Jack’s first Camelback climb, GPS Tracking to document it

Category: Arizona,EZ-1000,Google Earth,GPS Insight Employees,People Tracking,Running — rdonat @ 10:00 am

I decided to take my 9 year old, Jack, to Camelback mountain yesterday. I was curious how much longer it would take than the last time I went.

I brought an EZ-1000 & here is a picture of our hike, which was 1:30 up, & :56 down:

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Here is a picture of Jack at the bottom:

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Here was our location, courtesy of the iPhone (blue dot) and the EZ-1000 which had reported just a few seconds earlier:

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

And 1:20 later, at the top:

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

With sweaty Dad:

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

And one of Jack’s shady cave — he found a few of them on the way up & down to rest in:

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

Camelback Hike with a GPS Insight EZ-1000 Tracking device

It took a little longer this time (last time 1 1/2 hours, this time 2 1/2 hours). But my heart didn’t feel like exploding as much as when I was in a hurry. Plus I had some company. Much better this way.

Rob.

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Oct 30 2009

Panic in Disneyland!

Category: Alerts,California,EZ-1000,New Features,Safety — rdonat @ 8:59 am

We added 10 second panic capabilities to our EZ-1000 devices yesterday. They have a “panic button” which can be pressed to send a message.

My boys have EZ-1000′s here in Disneyland so I thought I would configure an alert straight to my cell phone if they ever pressed the button (not that they ever were somewhere without us).

Within 20-30 seconds on average, it would “page” me that either “Mickey” or “Chip” (the 2 devices) had pressed the panic button.

This is NOT something we sell to people for their kids — but security firms do use them for their foot and bike/Segway mounted security guards.

Here is the alert:

Panic alert on a GPS Insight EZ-1000 GPS Tracking device

Panic alert on a GPS Insight EZ-1000 GPS Tracking device

And here was the SMS text message I got when “Chip” pressed the panic button:

Panic alert on a GPS Insight EZ-1000 GPS Tracking device

Panic alert on a GPS Insight EZ-1000 GPS Tracking device

Then a map shows you their location and using the iPhone, I can walk to them using the “blue” dot which is me (well, if you look at the time, I had actually done this earlier to figure out where they were at beforehand…):

GPS Tracking my kids on Tom Sawyer's Island

GPS Tracking my kids on Tom Sawyer's Island

This is what might happen to a kid at Disneyland if they get lost on Tom Sawyer’s Island without a Panic Alarm capable EZ-1000:

Jack in Tom Sawyer's jail at Disneyland

Jack in Tom Sawyer's jail at Disneyland

Rob.

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