The next phase of GPS development will most definitely belong to the cell phone. Cell phones and GPS are a perfect fit for each other, but it wasnt until 2005 when a law required that cell phone providers make it possible for police and other emergency personnel to trace the origin of a call. This made perfect sense when you consider that in order to respond to some 911 calls the police and fire department need to have a way to find out where the call is coming from.

But once the technology became standard, the use of the GPS technology has exploded. We can now use the tracking and location capabilities for just about anything these days. Cell phones now have fully functional turn by turn directions that actually use text-to-speech, a feature that took standard GPS navigation devices many years to implement. Cell phones are also a lot better at being able to provide accurate location information since they can use both the Global Positioning System satellites that hover over the earth and the cell towers that dot the surface of the earth. This double action makes them particularly effective locators.

Interestingly enough, it also makes them extremely effect trackers as well. A-GPS (short for Assisted GPS) is is the latest and greatest technology in GPS tracking and do you know what it uses to improve its ability to trilaterate a position? Cell phone towers. The personal GPS device manufacturers took a play from the cell phone manufacturers book, essentially copying their success on the cell phone.

The immediate future looks bright for the cell phone as the dominant medium for all things GPS. Sure, there will always be the niche market for personal GPS tracking and vehicle or fleet tracking – but the main way that most people will interact with this technology is through their cell phones.

There are a lot of reasons for this:

Almost everyone already has a cell phone. Since you are already going to drop $100+ on a cell phone why would you then go and fork out another $250+ for a navigational GPS unit? You wont and that is why cell phones are going to win in the immediate future
In addition to that, cell phones are highly portable and extremely useful devices even if they dont have GPS capabilities. Add GPS and they become even more useful since you dont even have to be driving to get awesome directions to where ever it is you and your friends are going. Just take out your phone and get your app to tell you exactly where to go. It really is that simple
There is a massive amount of money being invested in cell phones right now. When was the last time you saw a Garmin, TomTom, or Magellan commercial on TV? Youll probably have to think about that one for a while but you might have seen one recently. Now, how often do you see a cell phone commercial on TV? The difference should be obvious and staggering.
If you arent hearing the Verizon guy asking, Can you hear me now? you are listen to Jim from NBCs The Office telling you about how cool Blackberry is or you have the CEO of Sprint telling you about their 3G network. These commercials are everywhere and the competition is only going to mean that you as a consumer are going to get a lot of options from these businesses as they fight for your service. Cell phones have way more incentive to steal customers away from traditional GPS navigation and tracking services because it will give them a massive competitive edge over their competitors
And finally, cell phone already dominate the way that the next generation communicates with each other. The speed at which a teenage girl texts is something awesome to behold and it signifies the stranglehold that cell phone and cell phone providers have over the lives of this next generation. How can Garmin compete with that?

They cant, and that is exactly why the future of GPS belongs to the cell phone.

different applications that now use GPS on a cell phone has exploded.

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pJoe writes for a target=_new href=http://www.gpsfortoday.com rel=nofollowGPS For Today/a a website about how GPS technology intersects with the daily life of the average person. The site pays special attention to the impact of GPS tracking on families and communities. He has written extensively about a target=_new href=http://www.gpsfortoday.com/gps-tracking-for-kids/ rel=nofollowGPS tracking for children/a and feels that given the right circumstances that this is an option that some parents should take to ensure the safety of their children./pbr
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You rent the car and get to spend the next day with your family, thanks to accurate directions provided by your palm GPS. The Garmin IQUE 3000 PDA/GPS is great for business travelers and for those who need an electronic day planner. With full mapping capabilities, you will be able to find the fastest and shortest directions quickly and easily. If you make a wrong turn, you will be redirected without incident. Finding your way in strange cities and towns has never been easier.

In addition to providing all the regular services of a PDA including address retrieval, note taking, and calendar options, this PDA can also give you six million points of interest that you will find convenient when looking for a hotel, gas station, ATM, or restaurant. You will be able to retrieve addresses from your address book or you can download maps from the CD that comes standard with the GPS system.

Complete with headphone jack, memory card, and rechargeable lithium battery, you will be able to travel all over the world and download directions that will be needed for safe travel.

If you are looking for a little more in your PDA/GPS navigational system, why not try the Garmin IQUE M3 Pocket PC. This device is perfect for the home office or when driving. You will be able to find driving directions for most of the highways in North America and you will also be able to download additional maps when necessary.

With Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, and Explorer, you will be able to use this GPS as a PC. Enjoy sending instant messages, listening to music, or writing notes with ease. There are many office functions that you can do from your car or while traveling.

When driving, you can use the turn-by-turn voice system that gives you accurate driving directions every time. This unit also has six million points of interest that will help you out if you need it or you can create your own list of interesting locations by using the POI loader software. This will make finding your favorite restaurant much easier. You will never have to write down directions or location names again.

So rather than being stranded in the airport or stuck in traffic during the holidays, you can use your PDA/GPS navigational system to tell family and friends you are on your way. Whether you are twenty minutes away or five hours, you not have to miss another holiday ever again due to inclimate weather, traffic, or poor directions./pbr
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No matter if you are traveling for business or pleasure, having access to a navigational device can make your trip much quicker and less stressful. The Tom Tom sat nav system will give you GPS ability to allow you to determine where you are and how to get to your intended location with very little effort from you. All you need to do is input where you want to go and your satellite navigation system will do the rest for you.

These navigational systems are simple and easy to use even if you always seem to have issues with other technological devices. The device does the work for you, as long as you have the address of where you want to go. Input that address and your Tom Tom sat nav system will figure out the directions for you and give you detailed directions while you drive.

No matter how you are traveling, by car, by motorcycle, or by bicycle, the Tom Tom sat nav will work for you. This can be the best tool possible for directions, especially when you consider the other method of pulling out a map and having to search for your location. Then, trying to drive or travel while you are looking at the map is both dangerous and difficult. The TomTom is a hands free way to get directions and it will give them to you step by step.

Whether you are directionally challenged or you are in an area that you are not familiar with, a Tom Tom sat nav system will be an essential tool for you. All you need to do is put in the address and allow the navigation system to do the work for you and help you to find your way. Consider a Tom Tom for your transportation today.

Buybits.com supply a complete range of Tom Tom Accessories including battery chargers, cases, dash mounts and battery replacements.

Preparing for his first long trip? A GPS unit can be worth its weight in gold! GPS stands for "global positioning system, and one on his car, one in your purse or walking around town with one, always know where in the world you are. A GPS uses the coordinates of the Air Force satellites to triangulate its location after the GPS receiver figures to what extent is each of each satellite, we can calculate its location within ten to twenty-four meters. With this powerful tool at your disposal, you never have to worry about bad directions and diversions of roads again! There are plenty of jokes about people who do not want to ask for directions or instructions given poor people, but getting assaulted while asking for directions is no laughing matter. Too often, drivers are assaulted to ask for directions or while they are distracted. When asking about the path of a stranger, is proving that the person you do not know where that is not familiar with the area, and are possibly disoriented. When we lose, we are confused and frustrated, and there's a good chance that our internal warning systems are not working, we may end up asking for directions from people who make internal alarm bell go off. Even if you ask for directions, fumbling with a map can be a gift of dead. How many times have you left your vehicle to spread the map out for better visibility? When you're distracted with your map, which are extremely vulnerable. Having a paper map in the dark and it makes you a target for thieves or would be dangerous individuals. There are also places where you do not want to miss. Several towns have bad neighborhoods that are easy to fall into the most difficult, but to leave, especially if you are driving in the dark. A GPS unit can make sure it gets to where you go without having to spend hours and stressful just trying to get out of a dangerous part of town. Even if you do a lot of city driving, there are still areas where you want to avoid getting lost. If you've ever driven across country, you know that some states like Texas and Oklahoma continue forever, without much in the way of reference points. You can lose hours of time and hundreds of miles before realizing you're lost and running out of gas in a desolate part of the road is very problematic. If you have young children in the car, this can be quite dangerous, especially children get dehydrated easily. If you are driving in an unfamiliar area with a GPS unit can be crucial to get to where we need to go. Do not forget, not because the road commissions are constantly building new roads and other closures for construction or repair of the maps you buy at the pump are always reliable. When you are driving in an unfamiliar area, there is a chance that you will be forced off the road and into a residential area confusing. When this happens, a GPS unit can help you get back on track and, indeed, might have been able to find a route not have had to leave first. Just as cell phones have become part of our world, the GPS units is rapidly becoming an essential part of the trip. They are small, convenient, and that can make your driving experience safer. You can buy one for a teen not so sure about the geography of running their own people, or you can buy one for you if you are driving in a unfamiliar area. Both for individual travel and family vacation, a GPS can give you peace of mind. No matter how old you are, or if you are planning on driving, a GPS unit can ensure that arrive safely. When you buy a GPS unit for your car, you are ensuring that you never have to worry about getting lost or feel the anxiety of getting lost again!