GPS2SMS

Nowadays you'll find a whole bunch of dedicated devices capable of send SMS text messages containing GPS coordinates (we call that GPS2SMS). Reasons to use those devices could be enhanced safety, like in the case of vehicle or vessel theft, or when you enter an unsafe area. Some people like the idea of creating a digital track of bread crumbs by sending their GPS position by SMS text message.

What is GPS2SMS?

GPS2SMS is a way of sending GPS coordinates by means of SMS text messages. The receiver, for instance the POI66 server, stores those coordinates and generates a Google map showing that GPS location.

POI66 supports:

SendGPS on J2ME (Nokia, BlackBerry, PocketPC etc.) (WebTracker)
LocateMe (Applied PDA Software)
GMAX 1201 (TrakGPS)
BlackBerry (R.I.M.)
GPS2SMS (h4rd3st (hardest))
Reperion 05 BASIC (Reperion)
PhoneTracker (PDA) (Schmidt)
PicoTrack (Telic)
GT700 (Compass Systems)
LocateMe (Frank Dahlslett)
Lommy (FlexTrack)
GPS-911 (Gopass)
GT-30 (Redview GPS)
T22 (Tramigo)
One XL (TomTom)
GPS Tracker on Pocket PC (PocketKAI)
Fleetec II+ GPS/GSM-Blackbox (datafactory)
Thuraya/Hughes Satellite Phone 7101 (Thuraya/Hughes)
BlueSky GPS (for Symbian mobiles)
TrimTrac (GPSLT)
PathAway Windows Mobile or Palm application
AF Track on Symbian phones (A Fischer)
Ricoh Caplio GPS camera (Alta4)
YPL-GP1000 (YanPengLu)
TR-101 (Globalsat)
E-ten Glofiish Location SMS (Expansys)
ActiveTrace (VITO)
My Bodyguard (My Bodyguard)
Navideo on PDA (Navideo)
TraceMe (KCS Trade, Dordrecht, Netherlands)
SANAV Trackstar GSM+GPS (Waypoint, Notter, the Netherlands)
GPS Melody on hp 6515 Pocket PC (Win CE) (GPS Melody)
GPS.pi software / hp 6515 Pocket PC (Win CE) (JGUI professional)
Manually typed text messages

Tested devices

LocateMe (Applied PDA Software), 7/10

Introduction

LocateMe (not the Frank Dahlslett application!) is a tiny program to send text messages, emails and creates notes with coordinates.

Conclusion

A nice app, but not too fancy.

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GMAX 1201 (TrakGPS), 8/10

Introduction

The GMAX HandHeld Tracker is a handheld terminal with GSM and GPS connectivity, which is able to get device coordinates and transfer them via GSM network. No installation is required. This device is suitable for applications where location acquirement of remote objects is needed and suites for securing company's assets. Small size, long lifetime, mobility and universal configuration of the device ensures wide spectrum of its application: from people (trip) tracking, track control to special or secret tasks. GeoFence function allows to set restricted goegraphic areas and device will send warning messages whenever the object crosses the zone (in or out). Device can be also used as USB GSM modem. High GPS receiver sensitivity makes device easy to integrate in any environment where ordinary GPS receivers can not fix their position. The whole of the mentioned advantages makes this solution very attractive for companies which success depends on quality of transportation, logistics and movable object monitoring.

Conclusion

The unit looks robust and gives a good impression. The various functions like phone, logging, geofencing etc. makes it a highly versatile unit.

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BlackBerry (R.I.M.), 9/10

Introduction

The well-known BlackBerry has a GPS nowadays. The built-in Map application is able to send position messages through email and Text Message (SMS).

Conclusion

Very good. Any stupid user can use this.

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GPS2SMS (h4rd3st (hardest)), 6/10

Introduction

We found this app by accident and decided to give it a try.

Conclusion

Small application that does the POI66 trick. Best recommendation: it works.

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Reperion 05 BASIC (Reperion), 7/10

Introduction

Reperion offers location based solutions. They have a range of PDA applications for Personal Tracking. We tested the Windows Mobile BASIC version.

Conclusion

We would not recommend this as there are many other options.

The idea of keeping waypoints queued on disk is very good though.

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LocateMe (Frank Dahlslett), 9/10

Introduction

LocateMe is a PDA application for GPS2SMS. It supports Google Maps messages by email, POI66 messages by SMS and HTTP, GPRMC logging, and a Google Map display.

The program does literally everything you could imaging and appears to be the superset of all competitors.

Conclusion

The application is brilliant in almost all aspects. Some remars left, but it's stable, runs smootly in a small footprint, does everything you'd like to have.

We hope for an update soon and we can't wait to give this beauty a 10 when final.

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T22 (Tramigo), 8/10

Introduction

The Tramigo was tested during a trip in South Africa as a GPS2SMS device. Press the button - position logged. It has more funstions like movement sensor, trip tracking, phone functions and so on, but we did not test those.

Conclusion

The Tramigo T22 is a solid solution for hikers that go away for weeks. Good point is battery life - the device will fall asleep while you sleep. The car/boat integration is well designed too.

The wealth of accesories will make this a versatile unit.

Enough power for many weeks of reporting as the device gains a fast fix and can therefore be switched on and off manually.

Very strong point is the independence of the device. It sends readable text to anyone and does not need any Tramigo subscription. POI66 will work and is for free.

Remark: no LED or audio feedback on manual reporting.

Remark: POIs reported may be 10000 km away, which is a bit unhandy. We understand every POI map can be configured but still it's not useful to report remote POIs.

Remark: Some text messages are just way too long. Dropping the date and time would help,. Tramigo considers a preference setting to force text messages to be max 160 tokens, which will be 1 message (cheaper). They also consider a good M2M interface such as the NMEA standard. T22 messages vary in format so POI66 had some difficulties processing them.

Suggestions: add GPS track logger, add USB mass storage for easy GPX reading on the PC.

Nevertheless a very well-designed and robust device that will certainly find its way to travelers.

Please be aware that the score may easily be 9 or even 10 for other users than POI66 travelers! Also the upcoming beta version will already cover some of our remarks.

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GPS Tracker on Pocket PC (PocketKAI), 8/10

Introduction

With GPS Tracker you can send your position by SMS or by email to another person. This is one of the first programs that send emails a with Google Maps link.

The receiver receives an SMS or an email with the location and a map link.

The program's user interface will work in English and German language.

Conclusion

If the application would support automatic logging based on time, or distance, and also supports HTTP waypoint logging, this would absolutely be one of the best GPS2SMS or GPSWEB programs!

We hope Kai will read our recommendations and sell many copies of this application.

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Ricoh Caplio GPS camera (Alta4), 9/10

Introduction

Being GPS-ready, with a resolution of 8 mega pixels and a 28mm wide-angle zoom lens the Caplio 500SE is a solid digital camera, which is fully capable of the requirements for all purposes of recreational or business geotagging of photos, even under water (1 m)!

The GPS accessory can be attached to this rugged camera to create geotagged pictures when you press the shutter. The GPS interface is done using Bluetooth. You can use any Bluetooth device, even your PocketPC with built-in GPS (you may need extra software for this, such as Franson GPSGate).

These images can be sent by FTP or email directly from the camera using the on-baord WLAN (Wifi) interface.

Sending the pictures to POI66 (after download to PC and upload to the web) will result in automatic waypoint creation with the date, time and GPS location of the picture. You just send the JPG file and that's it. Thus you will be able to point and shoot, uploading your images at the end of your day or trip. The same second you have a solid Google Map showing your track, illustrated by your images. We're busy on thinking of supporting FTP and email transfer to make life easier.

The internal 26 MB memory card can be supplemented with an external memory card to enhance the performance and to enlarge the memory space for your photos. A 1 GB card is usually sufficient for standard documenation purposes.

Conclusion

This GPS camera is every GPS lover's wet dream. If you believe (like we do) that geotagging makes geocaching, trips, sharing waypoints in Google Earth better, this camera is a must. The first geocameras chasing the Caplio are the ocket-PC builts-in, but don''t expect too much from their quality yet.

The camera is good enough to replace your current, unless you have a high-end camera with better lenses.

If you believe this camera is still a bit expensive, try to think of time-sharing and buy one with a group of GPS friends.

The rugged design is ideal fo Scout groups, geocaching groups, schools, engineers and real estate people.

Being waterproof makes this essentially the only camera that you can bring aboard your boat.

Sell other the other cameras you may have. Buy before you die!

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Navideo on PDA (Navideo), 8/10

Introduction

Navideo is een softwarepakket voor de PocketPC/PDA onder Windows CE.

Met Navideo kunt u een SMS met uw huidige coordinaat versturen.

Het pakket werkt tevens samen met een TomTom-applicatie en kan ook GPS2SMS ontvangen en email sturen. Dit gedeelte is niet getest.

Conclusion

Navideo werkt goed, installatie is gemakkelijk. De enige minpuntjes zijn dat het niet echt lekker werkt op 240x240 (hp6515 en 6900 serie), en het werkt iets aan de trage kant.

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TraceMe (KCS Trade, Dordrecht, Netherlands), 7/10

Introduction

De KCS TraceMe is een 12V kastje dat je in een voertuig of boot kunt plaatsen.

Het is mogelijk de unit aan een te vervoeren object te verbinden, zoals container of lading.

Er zitten extra ingangen en uitgangen op om apparatuur aan boord uit te lezen of aan te sturen, zoals accuspanning, deuren, licht, contact, claxon.

Er is software in de unit om bepaalde gebieden te bewaken (geofencing) waardoor je het binnengaan of verlaten van een bepaald gebied op de kaart kunt registreren.

Conclusion

De unit gaat nog een keer in praktijktest voordat de score definitief is.

De unit werkt betrouwbaar, maar de GPS is eigenlijk net voldoende van kwaliteit.

De unit is zeer goed configureerbaar, eigenlijk zou je je niet voor kunnen stellen wat het apparaat NIET kan.

Hij heeft zeer veel mogelijkheden, voor een boot of vrachtwagen zou dit een uitstekende oplossing zijn om de accu's te monitoren, is meteen inbraakalarm, locatieverklikker.

Voor POI66 tracking zou je een knopje kunnen maken dat ervoor zorgt dat er een contact wordt gesloten om een SMS te zenden. Wellicht kan dan ook een LED of lampje worden aangesloten.

De GPRS-werking, camera en contacten zijn niet meegnomen in de test.

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SANAV Trackstar GSM+GPS (Waypoint, Notter, the Netherlands), 7/10

Introduction

De Trackstar is een van de eerste trackers. Hij is beschikbaar gesteld door de Waypoint GPS-shop van www.gps.nl te Notter.

We testen alleen de bruikbaarheid van het apparaat m.b.t. het verzdenden van GPS2SMS berichten d.m.v. de SOS knop.

Conclusion

De Trackstar werkt na blinde installatie prima. Het is een klein handig apparaatje als het eenmaal is ingesteld.

Je kunt hem elke trip meenemen zonder in te stellen. Aanzetten, wachten op fix (snel) en GSM (iets langzamer), knop drukken, wachten tot groen lampje niet meer knippert, klaar.

Configuratie is wat moeizaam. Dat hoeft maar eenmalig. Bediening kan beter, maar dit is dan ook een beveiligingsapparaat. Ook dan valt er nog wat te verbeteren.

De prijs is eigenlijk te hoog, hij is duurder dan een telefoon+GPS.

Conclusie: het werkt, en als je hem eenmaal kent zul je er goed mee kunnen werken. Een softwareupdate zou wel lekker zijn, waarbij de bovenstaande punten worden opgelost.

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GPS Melody on hp 6515 Pocket PC (Win CE) (GPS Melody), 7/10

Introduction

GPS Melody is een applicatie die draait op een Pocket PC of Windows Mobile 2005 telefoon/PDA. Wij testten alleen de SMS functie.

Conclusion

Het programma voldoet maar komt een beetje rommelig over.

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GPS.pi software / hp 6515 Pocket PC (Win CE) (JGUI professional), 8/10

Introduction

Deze applicatie draait op verschillende telefoons/PDA/smartphones. Het is in staat een positie per SMS door te seinen naar een andere telefoon. Dat kan een andere GPS.pi gebruiker zijn, zodat je elkaar kunt zien op de kaart. Wij testten het met de POI66 server.

Conclusion

Goede oplossing als je al een Pocket PC of PDA/smartphone hebt. Jammer dat de GPS-positie wat verspringt bij slechte fix. Bediening kan beter.

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Manually typed text messages , 7/10

Introduction

De goedkoopste GPS2SMS oplossing is natuurlijk je GPS uitlezen met de hand en zelf je SMS intypen. Dat gaat redelijk, want de eerste letters van een bericht is GP en dat kun je gemakkelijk doen op een telefoon.

Conclusion

Het is goed mogelijk zelf de coordinaten van je GPS over te typen in een SMS. Zeker als je een PDA of vergelijkbare smartphone hebt.

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Other devices

Benefon

The Benefon Esc! is a phone that is able to send GPS info by SMS. It can send to other phones in order to show your position.

WorldTracker SMS

This device looks similar to the Trackstar, but it has some additions, like a bigger battery and a maget to attach it to a vehicle.

Neve

The Neve StepLogger uses GPS to provide accurate location, an SD card to store data and cellular communications to transmit data and events to a predetermined response centre. Ideal for security guards, hikers, family members, survey studies, and many more applications.

DSH

The Tracy device sends an SMS with geocode info.

Laipac

The S-911 is another device capable of sending GPS info by SMS. Another button to reach POI66.com!

GuardianLion

GuardianLion offers a copy of the S-911.

HissUSA

Homeland Integrated Security Systems unique product, the Cyber Tracker, is basically a computer with tracking abilities. As a smart box computer, the Cyber Tracker can collect, analyze, and transmit the information it receives through the utilization of sensors. In addition, the Cyber Tracker is able to make real time decisions based on that data.

Sazo

The Sazo GPS is another device that allows you to press an SOS knob. This triggers sending an SMS text message with the GPS coordinates to the server.

Stars Navigation

Starsnav creates the PT-33 personal tracker, also capable of GPS2SMS.

Secure.Info

The Personal securer is the next device in the list.

Vitaphone

The Vitaphone 1300 and 2300 are cell phones with GPS from the medical sector.

My-BodyGuard

The Dutch Company My-Bodyguard has several products for Personal Tracking. MySOS is the best known device.

Cheng Holin

iTrac is a vehicle tracking device desigened using a combination of GPS, GSM and GPRS technologies. The parameters of iTrac can be updated via SMS or direct connection with a USB data cable. Data output of iTrac is controlled by sending to it a command code via SMS or GPRS. Compact size and easy installation with a user-friendly firmware deigns are the characters of iTrac. It's indeed an ideal tracking system no matter for car security or truck management purposes.