Handheld GPS Devices – Navigation Technology in the Palm of Your Hand

GPS stands for the Global Positioning System. This is a navigational system that is made up of satellites that are able to locate a receiver anywhere on earth. This system is the only fully functional satellite navigation system and work by radio signals that are sent electronically between the receivers and the satellites. It is able to work both day and night, regardless of the weather and is available to anyone who has a working GPS device.

As GPS technology has become more compact and portable, there are more and more people enjoying the benefits of gps units. The technology has improved to the point where you can have powerful gps units that can held in the palm of your hand. These devices are typically designed for outdoor use and are a great safety measure. These lightweight and portables devices will make provisions of local information and topographic details alongside other information that is important.

The handheld GPS systems are quite affordable and there are now many different brands on the market. The only set back with a handheld device is that the memory can be limited. But there are more expensive types that can have up to 16MB of memory. These types are very powerful and have more features than standard models.

Handheld GPS devices are in demand from the likes of bikers, travelers, hikers and skiers. The performance of the models can vary, depending on what database and software is installed. Most of the devices are easy to use, as the display screen has all the basic instructions regarding the use of the device. A variety of the handheld GPS devices are voice enabled.

There are many handheld GPS devices on the market. The Armin StreetPilot 7500 GPS Portable is one that has an easy to read screen at 7 inches and a wireless remote. It also has an MP3 player, map of the US and Canadas major metropolitan areas, built in antennae and a gps receiver that is WASS enabled.

The Garmin eTrex Handheld GPS Unit fits into your palm, with all buttons being positioned on the same side to make sure that the device can be operated using one hand. It is especially designed for hikers, bikers, hunters and climbers. It is free to have the software updated for this gadget. Another GPS units is the Garmin GPS III plus that has excellent reception in densely wooded and remote areas, ideal for hiking and camping.

The Magellan Road Mate 2000 GPS unit is portable, powerful and affordable. It reads quite easily and has on screen instructions, a long life battery and an ultra bright and anti-glare screen.

The handheld GPS devices are easily purchased. You can buy them online or at various gadget shops, but be careful to buy the genuine articles. There are some people who put up old handheld GPS devices that pass for new ones. But if you do your home work and choose reputable dealer, you will be able to buy a good quality GPS device and enjoy its many benefits.

Viral Marketing On Facebook Using Widgets

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites on the planet, as well as one of the most popular social websites full stop. This makes it ideal for Viral Marketing using a number of different techniques, for example using  a widget on Facebook to aide the spread of your brand or product.  

Due to the hundreds of millions of users of social sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Myspace, Flickr to name a few, it is very easy to get content spread very quickly to a wide audience.  A widget on Facebook is a unique and effective method of getting your brand out there quickly using viral marketing.

Viral Marketing comes about when your website uses a unique piece of content be it interactive , like a  game or test, or passive, like a video or picture, cartoon, or in this case a widget on Facebook, which can generate a lot of hits to your site, often in a short space of time.

A widget on Facebook can come in many forms. It can be games, quizzes, tests, popularity contests, etc. Applications such as games are a perfect means for viral marketing without appearing like an advertisement and for hooking people in.  A popular example of a game widget on Facebook is Mafia Wars or Farm Ville.

People love interactivity, especially when the entire reason they are using a Facebook, specifically a widget on Facebook, is to get some interaction. This is where viral marketing on Facebook is so ingenious, spread the interactive application to one person, and they will share it with all of their friends, each of those friends will share with all of their friends and there you have it, viral marketing at its peak!

Another type of widget on Facebook you can utilize with ease is to add a fan box widget.  Users to your page can click on the “become a fan” widget and this will be displayed within their personal page and their news feed for all of their friends to see. You are getting straight into the heads of your target audience without doing any work!

Your status updates can also be a good form of viral marketing on Facebook , just don’t make the updates look too much like your are trying to sell, but guide your audience to want to know more about what you are up to, and direct them to your site to find out. Directing people to a facebook url is much easier than an external link – so set up a Facebook fanpage.

Some companies go to the length of getting programmers to write new games for a widget on Facebook or Facebook application with the intention of sucking people in to playing and requiring their email address to register, which the company can then market to in a very cost-effective manner.

There are many possibilities for a clever, cost-effective marketing strategy using a widget on Facebook and the power of Viral Marketing! Let Facebook do the work for you. There are opportunities for those of us with cash and those without – you just need to be creative! A small investment can save you a lot of time and make you a lot of money.

Cellphone Unlocking Gone Bad

When I decided that I wanted a smart phone, I knew that I wanted to get it unlocked. I wanted to be able to take full advantage of my phones capabilities, and I did not want to deal with the cell phone provider’s unnecessary restrictions. After paying so much money for my phone, I did not want to pay too much money to get it unlocked. So, I just had the friend of a friend take care of it for me. That turned out to be a big mistake.

After I got my phone back, I thought that everything was fine. I was able to do what I wanted with my phone. Within a week though, my phone started acting really weird. It started dropping calls, and it would not install new software properly. Eventually, it would not even recognize my SIM card. At this point, I could not make any calls at all. My phone would not even charge properly. I found out later that the guy that I had paid to unlock my phone had switched my phone’s battery for a cheaper one.

Because I had gotten my phone unlocked I could not take it back to my cell phone provider for repair. Unlocking a phone invalidates your warranty. I was fine with that, and I was willing to take the risk. However, I did not know that my phone was going to start having problems immediately.

When my phone stopped working altogether, I had to purchase a new one. This time I had professionals unlock my phone. I was happy with the results, and my phone had no problems. Do not let someone try to unlock your phone unless you know for certain that they know what they are doing. I did that, and it turned out to be a huge mistake. An unlocked phone can be a valuable piece of equipment, but if someone unlocks your phone and it no longer works properly, it will basically be worthless. Do not make my same mistake. Leave the phone unlocking to the professionals.

Brave new world: Video games that teach you to relax

Sure, there were proto-video games developed as early as 1951, but video games didn’t reach the average computer user  — few as they were — until 1972 with Atari’s Pong.  Since then, video games have become part of life, transcending language and connecting cultures. They have provided a very powerful way for people to let off steam, cultivate and channel competitiveness, and entertain people cheaply and efficiently at home and in public spaces. Video Gaming is a  US$42B global market which rivals the size of the music market.

Now, technology and the pace of life have given video gaming a whole new charter: Make people’s lives better and healthier.

If it seems foolish to suggest that video gaming can provide a path to zen acceptance, stress reduction, and awesome mental performance, then you are stuck in a past stereotype of amped-up teens overworking their joysticks and shouting at the console.

Enter the Wii

The Nintendo Wii is now a household word as well as, for 50 million people, a household reality. It broke through the screen and got people up off their couches and chairs by introducing a new, body movement-based interactivity.

The sweat on the brows of avid gamers used to sitting hunched over a game morphed into all-body sweat of all-age family members using the Wii as a workout tool, indoor fun with a physical dimension. People use the Wii to play golf and tennis, do aerobics or ski, or even play carnival games that require tossing, throwing, hammering and other lower-impact physical gestures — losing weight and becoming more fit.

That is a significant, game-changing (pun intended) transformation for gaming, but it’s just the beginning.

Gaming with a dedicated health purpose

Since 2005, the Games for Health Conference has brought together researchers, medical professionals, and game developers to share information about the impact games and game technologies can have on health and health care.  They’re a pretty wonky group, with a focus on health care policy, but a big part of their mission is to organize and accelerate the adoption of computer games for a variety of challenges facing the world today.

They’re not alone! Companies like Wild Divine and Somatic Vision have been pioneering fun and engaging video games that focus on stress reduction as a primary health objective in today’s world.

Wild Divine has partnered with prominent natural health and stress-busting gurus Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra to provide a platform for guided meditation and stress reduction that uses physiological measurements — heart rate coherence and skin-sweat — collected by finger sensors and delivered into the video game environment to enable users to control the gameplay with their own minds.

And Somatic Vision has on its team a leading expert in biofeedback who has worked with global clients creating programs and approaches that reduce stress but also enhance mental clarity under pressure. Having worked with the French Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Defense Department, Yuval Oded has helped shape software that is effective in making audio-visual games and workshops complete with a virtual coach — that are specifically targeted to high-pressure executives, veterans, harried working parents and children facing change and uncertainty.

Somatic Vision’s newest offering, Alive, includes Oded’s 8-Week Program of on- and offscreen techniques for stress control that extend the gaming benefits beyond the computer — another wave of the future in gaming.

Purposeless vs. purposeful gaming

With video gaming being a familiar and cherished part of life for so many, it makes sense that the cutting edge in the space is to replace purposeless gaming with gaming that helps us easily address issues and problems in our lives. Widespread obesity, stress, sleep disruption, and a growing reliance on pharmaceuticals, as well as increasing expectations of effective multi-tasking, have made it “a natural” for gaming to embrace purposefulness and give people ways to improve their health and ability to face complex mental challenges. Watch gaming move into brave a brave new world of physiology-based health and performance enhancement!

No Place to Hide With PDA GPS

GPS (Global Positioning System) use is increasing world-wide. It is an excellent tool for determining your position just about anywhere on Earth. When combined with software it is possible to pinpoint your position on a map via a computer or PDA.

With the correct kind of software you can enter an address and the software will calculate a route complete with turn by turn voice directions. Actually, newer and upcoming versions will also include traffic reports, local speed restrictions such as school speed limits and so on. Most of the current versions also included fixed speed and red light cameras.

For years, people have been using their PDA to get through their life. A PDA is a wonderful tool that is not only beneficial for homemakers but also top executives. If you have never owned a PDA, you would be amazed at how much time and effort this little device can save. A PDA is a multifaceted tool that can keep track of schedules, phone numbers and addresses, stock prices, and birthdays. It can also help keep you on track during meetings as a tool for saving notes or “to do” action items. A PDA will help you stay organized, which ultimately saves you money and a huge headache.

A combined PDA GPS unit allows you to have all of the many benefits of a PDA, including daily appointments, e-mail, and document storage, while enjoying the data of a GPS. You can even get voice commands guiding you to your destination.

Now you can purchase a PDA with GPS, taking the PDA to an entirely new level. For instance, the PocketPC and WinCE products are two on the market today that are used for navigation. When you start researching the right option for you, you might also hear the PocketPC referred to as “PPC”.

By using the various accessories, you can take your PDA with you wherever you go just as you normally would but in this case, you can now enjoy the benefits of the GPS. Just imagine sitting in a meeting where something is going on that you have nothing to do with and you need to schedule a flight to another meeting for the following day. By using your PDA, you can set the time aside and then check out flight plans for your trip.

Using PDA GPS can be very helpful especially if you find yourself lost. It is very easy to lose your way in many places and instead of losing time, trying to find the way back to the hotel, simply turn on the GPS and you would be set.

There are a lot of ways to control the power of a PDA GPS unit. Everything we used to carry in our briefcases can now be held in the palm of our hand. Combine that with a compass, maps, nautical charts, an altimeter, and a global clock, and you also have the power of a GPS.

The options for PDA GPS systems are great. People are finding its many benefits. It is no wonder that manufacturers are creating new options for additional features and portability. With this new option, you do not have to stress about carrying some larger piece of equipment with you since you can use something small but very effective and accurate.