gps

The US Air Force (USAF) has signed a deal to develop a new platform that could solve the problem of unreliable global positioning system (GPS) tracking in densely populated urban areas. It could also help drivers, but through cars rather than mobile ... devices. While a sophisticated technology, the principle of how GPS works is remarkably simple. A fleet of satellites orbit the Earth at a consistent speed, meaning their precise location at any particular moment is known. Each satellite is constantly beaming signals to the ground, with each signal bearing a timestamp. As soon as a device on the ... (view more)

Security researchers at the University of Texas have reportedly used global positioning system (GPS) technology to remotely take control of a ship. Shockingly, they pulled off the scheme without being detected by the ship's crew. Fortunately, the ... attack was part of a controlled experiment carried out with the permission of the ship's owners. The researchers were able to use bogus GPS data to control the ship's navigation. It's the first time researchers have been able to successfully alter GPS data rather than simply blocking or "jamming" a signal. The researchers say they were able to change ... (view more)

A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled that police and other law enforcement officials have the right to use Global Positioning System (GPS) data from a suspect's cellphone without a warrant. The judges decided a technicality in existing law means ... such actions do not violate the Fourth Amendment, which forbids unreasonable search and seizure by the federal government. The Appeals Court ruling came in the case of convicted drug dealer Melvin Skinner, who was tracked down by GPS after an investigation. The investigation involved acquiring a cellphone number used by Skinner. Drug enforcement ... (view more)

Police stations in Massachusetts have turned to modern technology to crack down on known stalkers. Those convicted as dangerous individuals are now being attached to satellite monitoring devices that electronically notify the authorities when a ... stalker is too close to their victim. The messages are sent automatically, meaning that the police could potentially stop an attack before the opportunity presents itself. (Source: topix.com ) For many people, it's their worst nightmare come to life: knowing the name, face (and sometimes) location of someone hoping to cause you physical harm. Realizing ... (view more)

Google is introducing an innovative service to customers, this time targeting web mobile users. The 'My Location' feature in Google Maps Mobile 2.0 is currently undergoing beta testing and will attempt to provide mapping services via user cell ... phones. The concept of mapping technology in mobile devices is not particularly ground-breaking, as several smart-phones currently on the market have Global Positioning System (GPS) technology embedded into them. However, the advantage of this new service will be to provide access to mapping services to web mobile users whose devices do not have ... (view more)

Once upon a time, all those who designed and manufactured sporting equipment gathered around to share a common complaint: the technological movement was becoming a direct threat to their industry! The rationale made sense. These companies, who were ... once selling high volumes of equipment and merchandise, were now set to lose big business because their consumers would rather stay inside and surf the web. That was 1999. Today, the same companies who once regarded the age of technology as a sign of the physical education apocalypse are now doubling and tripling their annual income with the help ... (view more)

It seems just about every week our lovable Bill Lindner discovers a new "Big Brother" plan in the tech universe. Most of the time, it has something to do with Microsoft or Windows Vista, but in this case the culprit is rather unexpected. Global ... Positioning Systems, or GPS, have been devised to help people, not hurt them. Right? Not according to New York City's abundant taxi driver population. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), comprising some 10,000 cabbies, alleges that GPS allows management to spy on drivers. They're threatening to strike unless GPS technology is removed forever ... (view more)