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GPS Phone Tells Others Where You Are
posted by Satri
on Wednesday November 01, @10:27AM
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from the maybe-slashdotters-should-read-slashgeo? dept.
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Salshdot links and discuss a GPS-enabled phone which let's your friend know where you are. This isn't new technology. Their summary: ""According to CNet, a company called Benefon has launched a cell phone with a built in GPS receiver — nothing new there. However, this particular GPS cell phone, called the Twig, does something extra. It can send your GPS coordinates to another Twig owner and then that person can navigate directly to you using the preloaded navigation software. Sounds like this could save a lot of time and effort when trying to explain to the in-laws where your new apartment is." The article says that the phone will cost £330 in the UK, or about $625."
Related Stories
GPS Tracking and Privacy
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The Map Room links to a Guardian Unlimited article on GPS and Privacy. From the article: ""People are very willing to give up their privacy," he says. "You just have to give them a good reason to do so. If you can assist a person in their everyday life, they will be more than happy to divulge their current location." [...] Whether we're using our mobile phone, wandering around on social networking sites, or just going about our daily lives, we want to have agreed to any tracking that takes place."
Flood of GPS Devices and Walking Directions
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The Map Room links to a Wall Street Journal on the flood of new GPS devices, including devices which provide walking directions instead of driving directions. From the article: "The latest navigation devices, which some companies now call “personal companions” or “travel companions,” aim to change all that. In the hopes of encouraging people to carry them wherever they go, many companies are also adding functions including instant messaging, photo viewers, travel guides with information like restaurant reviews and MP3 players." And why not read how overrated GPS are according to Dvorak, an ABC News article (via APB).
An Open Linux GPS Phone
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Slashdot discuss an open Linux GPS phone. Their summary: "[...] the debut of the OpenMoko, a Linux phone with GPS that is open from top to bottom. The device is set to debut to developers this month for $350, according to the article, but there is no detail on how to get your hands on one, and no link to the manufacturer (FIC). From the article: "This is the first phone in a long time to get us really interested in what it is, what it isn't, and the philosophy behind it. The philosophy is the thing that makes Linux great... it is really open. It runs the latest kernel, 2.6.18 as of a few weeks ago, and you can get software from a repository with apt-get.""
New Phone Uses GPS To Locate Your Contacts
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Slashdot discuss a new phone which uses GPS to locate contacts. Their summary: "Palo Alto-based Loopt Inc. has announced an agreement with Sprint Nextel to immediately begin offering their cell phone mapping service to all 3.8 Million Sprint Boost subscribers (Sprint Boost is a service specifically targeting the under-25 market). This service will notify users when another subscriber in their contact list is within 25 miles, providing a real-time map displaying their contacts' locations. According to the article, the only apparent privacy safeguard is to provide users the option to 'temporarily cut out from being spotted by their friends.' Given a retailer's propensity to package together extra services, and the average user's lack of knowledge regarding their phone's capabilities, this new service seems ripe for abuse." This technology isn't new to Slashgeo readers, see related stories below.
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