Comedian Ellen DeGeneres in her early days as a standup comedian told the joke, “My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is.” Funny joke, but for many people this is no laughing matter.
Fortunately the same technology that can allow athletes to know how where and how far they’ve run can be used to keep track of family members with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Swiss-based u-blox has created Watchie, a GPS-based device that can be worn by patients as a watch and provide real time GPS tracking for caregivers.
Advanced features can include “safe zones” that can be set to alert caretakers should the patient leave a designated zone, as well as a G-Senor that detects sudden movement should the wearer fall down. Best of all the Watchie’s battery will run for weeks, so even those active grandmother’s will likely tire out before the GPS gives out.
While consumer GPS units have long been “rugged” some specialized field devices have lagged behind. But recently Trimble introduced its next generation of GNSS devices for GIS field applications, including the Trimble Juno 3B and 3D handhelds. These specially computers offer positioning, imaging and communications in a single package.
Rugged cameras are the thing this season and Pentax Ricoh Imaging has unveiled its new line-up, which includes the Pentax Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS digital compact cameras. Both models are waterproof to 40 feet, and of course are dust-proof, shock resistant to a drop of five feet and are freeze-proof to 14° F.
What camera company isn’t releasing a rugged digital camera? This week Canon announced its upcoming PowerShot D20, which is much more than just an update of the D10 – in fact in a way it is more because it is less. While the D10 was a large and bulky point and shoot, the D20 is a sleeker model, but still features a robust and sporty design.
Today’s smartphones pack built-in GPS capabilities that have all but demolished the need for a standalone GPS unit. But what if there was an app for outdoors enthusiasts that turned your smartphone into the digital equivalent of Bear Grylls? That’s essentially what you can expect from ViewRanger, a powerful outdoor GPS app that’s been available internationally, but is just now launching in the U.S.
Suunto has long been on the cutting edge with unique watches, and at this week’s Outdoor Retailer Show the company offered the Ambit. While not exactly cheap – at $600 it isn’t quite in the Rolex space for expensive timepieces – and frankly we’d like to see a Rolex that could do as much as this one. It features built-in GPS, and an accelerometer so you can know where you’re going and how high you’ve climbed.
At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas we saw a lot of waterproof devices, and accessories to protect from a few spills – liquid or otherwise. But then there was Liquid Image that introduced products that were anything but all wet. And while not designed for the water, these sports tech products did make us take notice.
Getting there is said to be half the fun, but whoever said that probably never got lost – or didn’t go very far. For the rest of us the RoadMate RV9145 from Magellan, which was introduced at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will make sure we find our way.
This week at the Consumer Electronics Show Garmin has wanting to get outside and take in 18 holes instead of walking the show floor. The company is showing off its new Approach G6 GPS unit, designed for those heading out to the golf course. The device is slim and sleek, and perfect for hitting the links.
It is almost Christmas and if you are a typical male you might be aimlessly wandering through the stores trying to cross names off of your shopping list. The outdoor industry has no shortage of products that make outrageous claims and when the pressure is on to make a decision, you are left with recommendations from the sales staff or what is printed on the side of the box. If one of those names on your list likes to spend their free time hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, boating, snowmobiling or any other activity in the great outdoors or on the high seas miles from civilization, the line of SPOT messaging devices might be for them. 
Combo units are the new name of the game when it comes to getting back to nature. Why fill up that ultra light pack with more stuff than is needed, when a multi-purpose device will serve so much better. One of these is the tw700 from German-based Tak Wak, which includes functionality traditionally seen in a multitude of handheld gizmos including GPS, walkie talkie, camera and tracking system.