New GPS satellite launched by US Air Force, first in series to replace all existing GPS satellites

June 7, 2010 rockman Miscellaneous Comments Off on New GPS satellite launched by US Air Force, first in series to replace all existing GPS satellites
The Global Positioning System IIF satellite, developed and built by Boeing, is the next generation of GPS space vehicle. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

The Global Positioning System IIF satellite, developed and built by Boeing, is the next generation of GPS space vehicle. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

The new satellites are for military as well as civilian use and are meant to replace the aging system of satellites that are currently in service. They offer a number of improvements, including a stronger signal that means an increased accuracy. How does 3-ft sound instead of 20-ft? The next launch is scheduled for November, 2010. [Source: Google Earth Blog. Image: U.S. Air Force]

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Digital Mapping Duopoly

January 15, 2008 rockman Miscellaneous Comments Off on Digital Mapping Duopoly

By way of Geology.com, the Wall Street Journal reports on some interesting news related to GPS and even our beloved Google Maps / Google Earth. Apparently there are only two games in town when it comes to data providers for online and digital mapping products that are used by the aformentioned software as well as your GPS navigation system: Netherlands-based Tele Atlas NV, and Chicago-based Navteq Corp. (Photo by Websteria)

In October, Nokia bought Navteq for …wait for it… $8.1 billion. They plan to use the technology as the basis for a business model involving selling advertising tied to your phone’s location. A month later TomTom, a maker of GPS products, beat out rival Garmin and bought Tele Atlas for $4.2 billion. Were either of these companies really worth that much money? It doesn’t appear like it. Thus concern has been raised that the new owners of the technology might be in a position to hurt competitors by raising prices. We will have to see how things pan out. 

 

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Trimble Yuma ruggedized tablet PC
Available Resources

Trimble Yuma Field Tablet PC has Pricing Info

June 17, 2009 rockman Available Resources Comments Off on Trimble Yuma Field Tablet PC has Pricing Info

Trimble Yuma ruggedized tablet PC

I introduced this ruggedized field tablet PC by Trimble here back in March, but there wasn’t any pricing information available at that time. To refresh, it has a military grade ruggedized design to keep out dirt and water, 32GB solid state drive (no moving parts), built in GPS, Wi-Fi, bluetooth 2.0, 2 integrated digital cameras with geotagging functionality (why 2?), Windows Vista Business, and a 7″ sunlight readable screen all in a 2.6-lb package. Read on for the $$.

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