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RogerS's Avatar
Posts: 772 | Thanked: 183 times | Joined on Jul 2005 @ Montclair, NJ (NYC suburbs)
#1
The New York Times has a GPS focus in its Circuits section today -- ten articles about GPS devices, free-standing and built-in, from accessories (solar panel charger) to innovative use (pet locator) to data-tracker (think: where did I take this photo?).

Hundreds of column inches. Not a word on the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, by the way.

One article describes one family's use of GPS in cellphones to help monitor their children's whereabouts. It mostly describes Sprint's $10 monthly Family Locator service (Verizon has something similar).
When Mr. Gray uses the service, he turns to his computer and clicks on the Sprint Web site to locate either child. "Within about a minute, an icon appears on a map showing where the phone is," he said.
The story goes on to quote Charles S. Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. The location services complement "one of the main motivations adults have in giving their children cellphones -- to get in touch with them in an emergency." And GPS ties into this because, he notes, "it's a comfort to have a bit more information."

Parents may find an N810 a better present, if only because it combines location and internet calling with a full range of computing. And it seems to me that cam calls are bound to be more frequent and more reassuring on an internet tablet than using the costly telecom alternative.
Read the full article.
 
Posts: 477 | Thanked: 118 times | Joined on Dec 2005 @ Munich, Germany
#2
Dare I say that children deserve some amount of privacy too?
 
lavo's Avatar
Posts: 68 | Thanked: 6 times | Joined on Jan 2007 @ Perth, Australia
#3
I would disagree that the N810 would be a better device. A child is not going to have a relatively bulky tablet in their pocket at a party, but more likely the ubiquitous cell phone that he/she and all their friends will have. Furthermore, the internet calling option is only good if you are in range of an open wifi access point. Great in a dense city, but out in the burbs or the countryside a wifi point might be harder to come by.

How does Sprint's service work? When on the Family Locator plan, does the GPS in the phone always poll a satellite, or is there a message sent to the phone via the cell network, which then activates the GPS and returns the coordinates? Answering that question would be the key to whether a N810 would be suitable or not.
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Mara's Avatar
Posts: 1,310 | Thanked: 820 times | Joined on Mar 2006 @ Irving, TX
#4
...and that only works when not inside buildings...
 
Reggie's Avatar
Posts: 1,436 | Thanked: 3,144 times | Joined on Jul 2005
#5
FYI, Google maps on the N95 shows your location even without connecting to the satellites.
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Hedgecore's Avatar
Posts: 1,361 | Thanked: 115 times | Joined on Oct 2005 @ Toronto, Ontario, Canada
#6
Apparently by the time the N810 gets a lock on a signal the kid will be home. So I hear.
 
deeteroderdas's Avatar
Posts: 274 | Thanked: 62 times | Joined on Jul 2007 @ Helotes, TX
#7
More precisely, this service will only show you where the GPS device is...a bit pedantic, I know. But if, for example, a child is abducted (heaven forbid!) the first thing an abductor would do is remove the cell phone from the kid and ditch it.

Same with the kid who wants to go somewhere he/she is not supposed to: Leave the phone at a friend's house.

I'm not trying to be negative, but until the GPS is embedded in the child's skin, it's just a neat idea.
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N800|2x 16GB SDHC|PDAir case|i737 BT GPS

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anidel's Avatar
Posts: 1,743 | Thanked: 1,231 times | Joined on Jul 2006 @ Twickenham, UK
#8
I think Sprint does not use GPS for the Family Locator service. I am sure they use the cell id for determine (more or less) where are you.

It's same thing that Google Maps mobile does now on several cellphone with latest J2ME.
 
promethh's Avatar
Posts: 211 | Thanked: 61 times | Joined on Aug 2007 @ Washington, DC
#9
Oh, look at that, it's ten o'clock and my kids are at:
39 01'17" N
77 22'43" W

Performing lat/long lookups by cell ID only gives you the FCC Registration of the lat/long coordinates of that tower. Danger had the same cell tower ID and coordinates available in their Hiptop SDK for the T-Mobile Sidekick before they removed it from the API for privacy concerns.

I'm *much* happier with my N810. I can usually keep a 5-satellite lock on a bus or near a building window. I can usually keep a 7-satellite lock when driving my Xterra or Forester. Acquisition times when warm/hot (near/at last location) have been 30sec-2min, and 2-6min when "cold" (unknown location)
 
Posts: 190 | Thanked: 21 times | Joined on Sep 2006
#10
Originally Posted by deeteroderdas View Post
More precisely, this service will only show you where the GPS device is...a bit pedantic, I know. But if, for example, a child is abducted (heaven forbid!) the first thing an abductor would do is remove the cell phone from the kid and ditch it.

Same with the kid who wants to go somewhere he/she is not supposed to: Leave the phone at a friend's house.

I'm not trying to be negative, but until the GPS is embedded in the child's skin, it's just a neat idea.
Chances that a child is abducted are marginal - chances that it lends its phone/device to a friend, has it stolen, or places it at a inconspicuous place while going on a romp are high indeed.

That is, short of GPS implants (which is just one step off brain surgery to make children more docile, IMHO - welcome to our brave new world) nothing will enable you to eavesdrop on even marginally smart children, and with the gap in technology competence between teenage children and their parents you should better start to worry when your kids will plant a GPS bug on you rather than vice versa...
 
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