|
US
Street Maps (May be animated)
Provided
software includes digital street maps of the
United States. This map view may be animated
allowing the user to replay all or portions
of a trip. See the traveled path along with
speed, latitude and longitude in a car
instrument panel type view. |
 |
Tracking micro GPS
tracking unit provides wealth of driving
data
I was recently lucky
enough to conduct an extended hands-on
review of the
Tracking micro GPS tracking unit and was
very impressed with the amount of
information recorded by such a small device.
The
Tracking, provided by
Spy Chest,
is designed to be hidden on a vehicle to
record such information as speed, stop time,
addresses of stops, direction, etc. This
information is presented in three valuable
formats by included Past Track software. You
can generate a text based report that
includes the addresses of each stopping
point as well as maximum speed and times
traveled with surprising accuracy. Clicking
on these address links opens Google Maps via
your Internet connection.
In addition there is an
included map mode that displays an animated
icon moving across a map of the United
States indicating time, speed, direction
traveled, altitude, elapsed trip time as
well as an altimeter. This data is displayed
on meters as the route is plotted over the
map. You may zoom in on the included map as
much as necessary to see the detail you
need. Additionally, the software interfaces
with Google Earth to provide street level
detail representation of the data gathered.
The
Tracking comes in a package not much
bigger than the two AA batteries that power
it. The attached magnet is powerful enough
to hold the device in place inside a speaker
mount or under the dash. My testing also
indicated that the GPS reception was
exceptional. Like all GPS devices, the
Tracking works best with a clear view of
the sky, however; I found that was able to
lock on to the satellites from under a
plastic bumper, inside the glove box, inside
the rear tire mount as well as inside a back
console speaker. It also worked great on top
of my truck when it was braced by the
luggage rack. There are numerous metal
surfaces on or in an 18 wheeler cabin where
the device could be attached. The
Tracking is water resistant with rubber
O rings and rubber flaps covering any
openings.
I was happily surprised
to find that the batteries that came with
the unit powered it for several weeks of
continuous use. This is partially
facilitated by the power saving sleep mode
the
Tracking enters when it detects that it
has been stopped for a period of time.
Optionally, a permanent power source is
available that uses the mini USB port that
is normally used to download the data to
your computer.
The data is transferred
to your computer via a USB connection so
there are no monthly fees for using the
device. Many uses for the
Tracking leap to mind such as tracking a
business fleet of vehicles for speed and
stop time, or monitoring a teenager’s
driving habits without them knowing. It
could also be used to track your own vehicle
travel for expense reporting. I am sure you
get the idea.
The feature-rich
Tracking is available from
Spy Chest
for a reasonable $269.99. I believe the
peace of mind the
Tracking affords is well worth the
price.
Kevin Rook Ph.D. |
|
Activity Report (Generated report in HTML
format)
Easy to read
reports summarize daily driving activities
that include time of departure, time in
route, arrival address (if available), stop
times and miles traveled. Addresses are
displayed as hyper links that may be clicked
to display the physical location on Google
Maps. |
 |
