Article Promotion

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a technology that is used to track down people and things. When they are used in mobile phones it provides a service that can be highly effective in the event of an emergency. Some brands of mobile phones have integrated this technology in their products. Phones like the Nokia 6110 Navigator, several models of Blackberry and the Nokia N95 all have this technology on board their phones.

Currently, GPS functionality is only available in sophisticated and highly priced mobile handsets. But, because the demand for GP-integrated mobile phones keep increasing, more affordable, smarter and appealing GPS mobiles will be in the market soon. The majority of mobile phone manufacturers are investing heavy amounts to improve on GPS technology.

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.

The ultimate use of GPS technology seems to be a privacy violation, but the real objective is to make it safer for the public and improve on different services for their benefit. Each country has specific regulations to limit GPS utilisation and the restrictions include the inability to monitor anyone without their expressed 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.

In the future, GPS mobile phones will be connected with social networking sites, allowing the two parties to communicate in real-time. So, the sites can be updated as and when things happen in one place.

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.

While GPS technology is a relatively new and great way to keep track of children, elderly relatives, important commercial arrivals and departures etc, it may become quite an annoying applied science for the general public. This is because, if the technology is used by unscrupulous marketers, they can target location-specific advertisements to each GPS mobile phone user.

Filed under: Communications