GPS Integrated Mobile Phones
Global Positioning System, much better known as GPS, is a technology meant to track anything and everything. In mobile phones, GPS provides an invaluable service in case of emergencies. GPS is a special feature, integrated in some mobile phone brands and models, such as Nokia 6110 Navigator, Blackberry Curve 8310, HTC TyTN II, Blackberry 8800, HTC Touch Cruise and Nokia N95 (8GB version).
Right now, GPS functionality is reserved for the more expensive and high-end mobile handsets. As the demand for GPS-enabled mobile phones continue to rise, cheaper, smarter and sleeker GPS mobile phones are just around the corner. More mobile manufacturers are looking into investing in the GPS technology's evolvement.
Currently, navigation is the main use of GPS, but that's not what's interesting the investors. While people who refuse to use paper-based maps rely on GPS for accurately pinpointing locations, the ultimate use of GPS technology will be using it to deliver location-specific services. The software used with the GPS satellite links will be able to show a particular person's exact location, allowing emergency services, businesses and other individuals to track down the person, whenever needed.
While the ultimate GPS usage may seem to be a privacy violation, the idea is to safeguard the public and enhance business services through the technology. Government regulations in each country specifies the limitations of GPS utilisation and they restrict anyone from using the technology to gather intelligence on anyone without their explicit permission.
GPS tracking systems are still rather primitive, because towering buildings and constructional areas can be obstacles to the tracking. This is something the evolved version will take care of. The existing technology is capable of locating landmarks, important places and major roads, depending on the user's location at the time. GPS-enabled mobile phones also provide relevant information according to the specific location.
Network integration is another future possibility with mobile phone GPS technology. Social networking sites and mobile phone networks will be able to exchange real-time information via GPS-integrated mobile phones.
MySpace and Facebook have already taken measures to integrate the technology, by introducing the mobile version of their sites. The primary aim in this integration is to allow user generated content to be uploaded efficiently and conveniently from where the user is.
GPS is a great and modern way to keep track of elderly relatives, children, important shipping activity etc, but the technology has the potential to become an annoyance to everyday life. This is mainly due to one factor - unethical marketing practices, such as targeted location-specific advertisements, can be used on GPS mobile phone users.
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