If a person is experiencing a medical emergency, the monitoring system provided by brickhousealert.com makes it possible for help to become available immediately and easily with its Medical Alert products.

Medical Alert systems include certain fundamental features, including 2-way communication between the device wearer and the emergency response center that is available 24 hours a day. Typically, medical alert systems operate using wireless technology so that communication can be established anywhere emergencies happen.

The company offers a mobile GPS Tracking Bracelet with 2-way speakerphone to be used like a cell phone when calling for help. Another device, the Tele-Assist, works by detecting body positions, such as is if a person has fallen and became incapacitated, so they do not need to press a panic button. Up to 3 pre-programmed speed dial numbers can be added for automatic notification in case of an emergency.

On BrickHousealert.com you can find more information about these important products.

A current example of this is GPS vehicle tracking aids. Below this article, please watch the YouTube video and see for yourself how a GPS tracking device is providing major information in the murder case of a young girl. A death that otherwise, might have been ruled an accident. The GPS vehicle tracking device is small and easily concealable, which is how a suspicious wife, who only thought she might catch her husband cheating, may have provided the clues to solve a murder.

How? The device was able to track her husband’s whereabouts, which was in direct contrast to what he had told to police officials. You can check out this article for more information on that news story.

The GPS’ magnet, sold by LandAirSea Systems, is strong and can be placed under the car it is being attached to. It’s also water resistant, provides a 2.5 meter proximity accuracy, is compatible with Google Earth, and surprisingly inexpensive.

GPS Systems

Okay, some people will like this. To me, however, it sounds like volunteering to be stalked, and not just Facebook stalked.

Garmin has aligned itself with the location-specialists in the app world – ULocate, integrating Where.com’s software with Buddy Beacon to be compatible with some of Garmin’s products. If you’re not familiar with this software, it shares your current location with those you have dubbed as friends, and viceversa. Of course, this can be integrated with the Facebook app, as well.

What makes Where’s Buddy Beacon software unique, is its ability to operate over multiple networks, allowing users to enjoy the service with friends, whether they use the same carrier or not.

The models that Garmin intends to have supported with Buddy Beacon, as well as the launch time, have not yet been released.

It will be interesting to see if there is a real demand for this, as location-based networking, both online and device based, have somewhat flopped in the past. Personally, I think I’d feel just a little bit too much like dog embedded with a microchip, and doubt many people are comfortable with anyone apart from immediate family having access to their whereabouts at all times. However, as always, the market will decide the success or demise of this one.

It’s been almost one year to the day since I posted my article on TechConsumer about why “Web 2.0″ wasn’t enough, and how “geocontent” might just well be the next big thing.

I’ve yet to change my opinion.

During the past year I have seen many strides taken by many companies in the effort to link content to location. Google is interested; Yahoo is interested. We all know the latest iPhone will have GPS. It is no longer a question of if it will happen, but rather, the question is when will it happen. And who will be the big winner?

I’ve noticed that there are several companies trying to get their foot in the geocontent arena by hopping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. Take Loopt, for example, or ByNotes. Loopt says they are connecting people and places. ByNotes looks to be a Twitter/blog/GPS mashup. But these companies are working on “Geo 2.0″ before “Geo 1.0″ has been built.

Look at how the Internet came to be. First there was nothing. Then there was a little bit of content. Then there was a boat load of content. Then there was so much content we couldn’t wade through it all. At that point, Web 2.0 suddenly made sense. We now have social networks, other humans, to help us sift through the billions of blogs to find the really good stuff (think reddit, Digg, etc.).

But the geocontent arena hasn’t hit this critical mass. We don’t have massive amounts of really good content yet. We don’t have a way for people to create interesting content around locations. Or even tie exisiting content to locations. Until this happens, geocontent 2.0 will likely take a back seat as a sparkly bobble. Something fun to look at, but not as important.

It is my prediction that someone, somewhere will come up with a very slick and easy way to tie content to a location. It will need to be easy to do with a phone or a desktop. It will need to be easy to access from a phone or a desktop. Once this happens, prepare to see an explosion of all sorts of wickedly cool apps.

Note: This article cross-posted at Chickens Don’t Have Armpits.

A revolution is easy to spot when looking backward, but they are much harder to see when they first happen. Microsoft, Apple, eBay, Amazon…all revolutions with ramifications that weren’t seen until much after they first released a product, or came online.

But I predict a revolution in an event that took place just a few days ago at the Worldwide Developers Conference, where Steve Jobs announced the latest version of the iPhone. I know, I know, you’re thinking that I missed the boat. The iPhone revolution already took place; this is old news.

But there is something in this iPhone that in my opinion will change things dramatically in the coming year: GPS.

GPS on the iPhone has the potential to allow users to link content to a specific location. For years, as I’ve talked with colleagues about this topic, the single biggest hurdle we’ve seen is the hardware problem. First there wasn’t a device that provided everything “all in one.” Then, as devices started to have the necessary features, few people actually owned them.

With the new iPhone we now have a device that provides access to the Internet, true GPS navigation, and the ability to record audio and take pictures. What does that give us?

Information is useful, but information given in context is even more so. That is why 100 years ago if you wanted to learn about barrel making, you didn’t go to the library, you became an apprentice. You learned the information at the location where it made the most sense.

Today, we have access to almost limitless amounts of information. Much of this information is about the physical world around us. A user can learn about species of plants and animals, virtually visit far away lands, or read about the history of places around the globe. Unfortunately, as soon as the user steps away from their computer and into the outside world, their access to this information is severed.

My family and I just went to Oceanside, California and enjoyed some time at a lovely beach. While there I wondered what the weather would be like tomorrow. I wondered if there were any tricks to body surfing, or if there was a place nearby that rented boogie boards.

Imagine if I could have turned on my iPhone and found articles and contents left by other users. The information would have been delivered to me not by searching for it, but based on my location. Users might have linked the location of the beach to Wikipedia articles on surfing, local weather, eateries, current tide conditions, news about recent shark attacks, etc. There may have even been information that I found useful that I wouldn’t have thought to search for.

Sure, there are times when I want to turn off technology and just get outside. But there are also times when I want to learn about the great outdoors, and I’d rather be doing it out in the sun, than stuck in front of a screen.

I predict that in the coming months and years, we will see the information age leave the basements and stuffy rooms of our houses, and break out into the great outdoors.

Note: This article cross-posted at Chickens Don’t Have Armpits.

Related Link: Apple iPhone 3G

                                                    
I would be remiss if I didn’t blog about this. The reason I have not mentioned it prior to this is because it’s so freaking cool I can’t quite wrap my brain around it. I’ve always loved geocaching. This is where you use a GPS to get a specific location, find a “treasure box,” and then log it on the site. It’s a great way to get kids outside, get a little exercise for yourself, and be part of a really cool online group.

If there is any downside to geocaching, its the fact that you’re pretty limited in what you can do. You go to one location, you find the object, and report. I’m not saying that’s bad, just limiting.

Well, now the good folks over at Groundspeak (the parent organization that brought you geocaching), has a new trick up their sleeve. It’s called Wherigo. And it’s freaking mind blowing. The software is still in beta, and the builder in alpha, but for the past month I have been salivating (in my spare time) over the possibilities of this software.

Wherigo gives you the options of zones, virtual objects, tasks, characters, and more. It’s easy to use, and I’ve already created a few simple examples such as a walking tour of the Washington D.C. monuments and memorials. But I’ve also created a little program that can be used while playing paintball. It keeps track of how many virtual “prisoners” you’ve rescued. There is much more you could do in that line of thinking. I’m also working on more of a puzzle/exploring type of experience for the American West Heritage Center.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking for years about the notion of tying content to location, and the Groundspeak guys come along and create a platform that allows you to do just that. In 2-3 years, when this is the next big thing, remember that you heard it here first.

Marion Jensen

                                                    
Being that I’m studying for my bachelor’s degree in information technology security, I often find myself experimenting with certain computer security measures and countermeasures. Currently I’m enrolled in a class that focuses on computer and data forensics. Because of this, I have access to trials of some interesting computer forensics programs such as Access Data: Forensic Tool Kit (FTK) and Technology Pathways ProDiscover. Both of these are used by top computer forensics agencies for recovery and analysis of computer hardware and accessories.

Naturally I’ve been experimenting with this software (specifically with ProDiscover) over the past couple of weeks and have found that it is quite good at doing what it does. What is that, you ask? Well, ProDiscover can be used to capture an image from a data source such as a hard drive, jump drive…or even a GPS navigation device. An image such as this contains all of the digital information contained on the device, sometimes even deleted information. That leads me to the topic of today’s article. If you sell your old (or maybe new) GPS navigation device and you have taken the precaution to reset it to factory settings, does it really delete all your old contacts and data?

The answer to this question came surprisingly just a few days ago as I was getting ready to ship my TomTom ONE 3rd Edition navigation system to a buyer from Amazon.com. I realized that before I could ship the system, it would be important for me to have it erase my favorites and added points of interest. While this may not always be of the utmost importance, you may not want your potential buyer to have access to data regarding your home address and the addresses and phone numbers of your 100 closest friends.

In order to erase this data, I simply found the option in the preferences menu to reset the device to factory settings and confirmed my selection twice. Upon doing so, the device reset and allowed me to enter all the initial configuration information just like it would have you do the very first time you turned it on. All is well, or so I thought.

Being the curious type that I sometimes am, I decided it might be fun to connect the TomTom to my computer and have ProDiscover capture an image of it. My objective in doing this was to find out if any of my personal information could still be recovered from the device, AFTER it had been reset. I waited about 30 minutes until the imaging process was complete and what I found was not really too surprising, though maybe at the least a bit alarming. Even after the device had been reset, I could still find instances of both my home address and my school address in deleted files on the TomTom device. Granted, I did have to search for them specifically, but they were still there.

What does this mean? Probably not a whole lot, unless you are ultra paranoid about your personal information. Nine chances out of ten, no one will spend the time or effort to find this information on a device that you have sold. I tried this mainly just to see what would happen, and I ended up learning something in the process. With that said, it may be relevant for TomTom (and other GPS manufacturers) to include some sort of encryption layer for user data on the device, in the future. This way you could have the peace of mind that once you do a factory reset, your data really is inaccessible.

*Update* In related news, TomTom announced the release of two new products for the end of April: the TomTom GO 930 and the TomTom GO 730. Both have some pretty nifty features.

                                                    
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) is quoting “people familiar with the matter” in stating that within two weeks Google will announce plans to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year. Apparently, Google’s goal is “[T]o make applications and services as accessible on cellphones as they are on the Internet.”

But resistance from wireless carriers is still mounting, and Google won’t win this battle without a fight. Right now, most consumers are locked into using whatever phones and services are provided by their cellphone provider (which is exactly where cellphone providers want their customers). Google is hoping to change that by releasing phones that are “open.”

Google-powered phones will come already configured with a bundle of the most popular Google services, such Google search, Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail. But that would just be the beginning. The idea would be to stimulate a community of independent software developers that have the necessary tools to build additional phone features.

As the article states, “Developers could, for instance, more easily create services that take advantage of users’ Global Positioning System location, contact lists and Web-browsing habits. They would also be able to interact with Google Maps and other Google applications. The idea is that a range of new social networking, mapping and other services would emerge, just as they have on the open, mostly unfettered Web.”

Of course, the concept of “open” phones has its downside too. Just like spam and phishing are rampant on the open web, their next prey may be open phone consumers. Regardless, I’m willing to take my chances. Here’s hoping Google can pull this off.

See our previous Gphone coverage here and here.

*Update* Even More Gphone News: Google in Advanced Talks with Verizon & Sprint

*Update 2* Google to Announce Phone Plans Monday

*Update 3* Gphone Plans Announced, What the “Gphone” Means for Consumers

Note: This article is cross-posted at BobCaswell.com.

Our cell phone company will support the gPhone when it arrives along with these prepaid cell phones on our cell phone plans.  Find a calling plan that’s right for you today!

                                                    
Check out more scenarios of how this technology works. Feel free to contact the team behind it if you have more questions.

It’s easy to spot revolutions or major events in the past. The shrinking of computer parts in the 70s, the PC revolution of the 80s that led to the Internet explosion of the 90s, etc. At the beginning of the new millennium, we had at our fingertips millions of pages of information. It wasn’t a question of ‘is it out there somewhere’, it was a question of ‘it’s out there, how do I find it?’

Enter Google. Google wasn’t the first search engine, nor was it the last, but it quickly became THE search engine because they did something different. Google created a search engine that took all of that information and made it useful and relevant. They did it not by teaching the machine to do it, but instead by teaching the machine to observe what we humans were linking to. By tapping into the social side of information, Google quickly became the best search engine for finding the information in the sea of content.

So the latest ‘big thing’ has been the socializing of the Internet. We now find sites like Digg, reddit, Del.icio.us, etc. that help us wade through all the rough to find the diamond. The buzz word surrounding all of this has been ‘Web 2.0′. This socializing has gone a long way to making sense of it all, but is there more? What is the next big thing?

Realtors have been giving us the answer for years, although they didn’t know it. The next big thing is…’location, location, location’.

Think of how we access all the information of the Internet. We do it at a desk where wires keep us attached to a specific location. Laptops help us branch out a bit, but even then we are tied to a wireless connection. Go too far and you no longer have access to information.

Mobile devices have begun to allow us to take this information with us, but we are still stuck in an old paradigm. If I am standing in the Madrid, Spain train station, there is a good chance I want to ride a train somewhere. But when I connect to the Internet on my mobile device, I’m stuck finding information the old way: through keywords. Somewhere out there is information that would help me, but all I have our my not-as-useful keywords.

The next big thing is to organize, tag, and link information to a specific location. Think of the last time you were at a national park. It’s a very good possibility that the only information you had about the park fit on a tri-fold paper that you picked up at the visitor’s station. In the information age, how is this acceptable?

Instead, imagine visiting the park where hundreds of visitors have linked information to specific locations. You have the architect of the visitor’s center who tells you the history of the building. As you move around the park you access information provided by geologists, geographers, botanists, biologists, environmental scientists, conservationists, hiking enthusiasts, bikers, etc. etc. etc. The information is useful because it’s relevant to the location. And it becomes manageable in the same way that the 10s of millions of pictures on flickr have become manageable, through tagging.

If I’m driving down a dirt road, I can access the Internet, enter in the keywords, “eat, roast beef sandwich’. The next time I pass within 5 miles of an Arby’s, my device let’s me know. Or if I have my mountain bike on the back of my car, I search for the keywords ‘mountain bike trails’. Every time I come within a few miles of a trail, my GPS device alerts me.

We’re beginning to see the first threads of this next big idea. Pictures and Wikipedia articles are now linked to Google Earth. You can access information about a location, but it’s still at your desk. The real revolution will come when this information can be accessed completely and easily from a mobile device, while you’re at that location.

Today we have access to an unfathomable amount of information. Web 2.0 has helped us begin to organize and make sense of that information. Tying information to a location is the next step and will literally open up a whole new world.

Here’s hoping the next iPhone has a built-in GPS.

marionjensen at gmail dot com

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