Before you complain about Big Brother tracking your every move with the new breed of GPS-enabled cell phones, consider the safety benefits. According to a story reported on the ABC-affiliate in Phoenix, a lost couple’s cell phone may have saved their lives after they got lost in the Sedona desert. The hikers made a call to 911 before activating the GPS in their phone. Rescuers were lead within 200 feet of their position — getting them out of the desert quickly. So, you might want to keep your cell phone with you on your next hike — as long as you are going to be within cell coverage.
From: ABC15.com

Do you want the good news first, or the bad news.  The bad news is that thunderstorms can disrupt GPS communication.  The good news is that this appears to only be a problem if you live near the equator (Amazon, Pacific Ocean, Congo River Valley, Taiwan).  So, according to Taiwanese researchers at National Cheng Kung University, if you live in the United States, it looks like you can expect your GPS to keep on ticking even during a thunderstorm!
Via  GPS Tracklog.

Here is a new technology to watch — Geotate from the new GE camera division. GeoTagging allows your camera to capture the GPS location at the same time you take a photo. The problem that has kept GPS out of cameras in the past is that putting a full GPS in a camera takes lots of battery power and increases the cost of the camera significantly. GE has figured out a way to capture the GPS signal, but not implement the hardware to process it. When you upload the photos to your computer, the Geotate software will calculate the location and tag the photos. This is definitely, something to keep an eye on.
Via Engadget

Have you ever wanted to take everyone with you on the adventure? Now you can capture it all on video and bring it back to your living room TV. This rugged, waterproof, helmet camera doesn’t even have any cables. The entire trip is captured on an SD card at 640×480 resolution.

See OregonScientific.com for more information.

If you aren’t convinced that strapping a brace to you leg is a good way to charge your gadgets in the outdoors (See Part I) does an electricity generating fabric sound better? Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a piezoelectric fabric that generates electricity when bent. So, put on your charging pants and plug in the GPS — we are going to the wilds.
Via Wired Blog

For those of us that can’t wait for the next Garmin device, the NuviPhone has us all ears. Although the details are sketchy, the device is rumored to have a 3.5″ screen and no buttons on the front. In addition to traditional GPS mapping, the device is a phone and internet browser as well with broadband (HSDPA) data download speeds. Alas, there is no talk of a rugged, waterproof device. Expect to see this device in Q3 2008.
Via Engadget

Have you ever wondered if all the sweating you do while hiking could be put to better use? Well, the University of British Columbia has developed a leg brace that will charge your gadgets while you hike! Simply strap to your knee, plug in to your rechargeable device, and you will get up to 5 watts with, “Little additional physical effort”. I am not sure about the physical effort, but it sure would be great to have a way to charge up electronic devices in the field.
Via cnet

One of the areas recently improved on Toposhare.org was the detail map interface. Check out Mt. Ralston Peak from yorkie. When you click on the map at the left of the frame, you get a detailed map viewer.  This viewer now is easier to use and has better access to weather maps and aerial photos.  Let is know what you think of the new interface.

Are you worried that your cell phone won’t make it through your next outdoor trip? Well, there are slew of new waterproof (IP67) cell phones that are getting announced. Unfortunately, this phone hasn’t been announced in the US, but we can hope. So what can you get in a phone that you can drop in a stream? You get a five megapixel camera, 8x digital zoom, auto-focus, 2.7″ QVGA screen, and 350 minutes of talk time.
Via TechOnline

If you haven’t noticed the blue stars that now appear on our maps, click on one to see a photo. Where does this photo come from, you might ask? Well, these photos are delivered courtisy of Panoramio.com. This website takes photos uploaded by its users and places them in the appropriate location on the globe. So, if you are interested in getting some photos of your recent trip loaded next to the track, head to Panoramio. It may take a while for the photos to appear and in the meantime, you can check out photos other have left. Let us know if you would like to see more photo capabilities on the site — we certainly have thought about it.