It's been a relatively short amount of time since personal GPS devices were introduced to the market, but they've since become a veritable phenomenon.
The ability to enter in your directions and be guided via satellite to your destination was a concept reserved for science fiction before a decade or two ago - and now, the future is here.
Of course, the future isn't here yet; we live in the present, which means there are still a lot of places GPS devices can go, a lot of unexplored territory to - forgive the pun - map out.
So what exactly is the future of the Global Positioning System and what does it mean for you, the wide-eyed, satisfied GPS consumer? In this article, we'll take a look at that exact question.
GPS, Meet Television
Just about anything with a screen these days is transferred into a television set somehow. We have computers, but we use them to watch DVDs, episodes of television shows on Hulu.com, or brief snippets on YouTube.com. But the GPS - which is placed in your car - is a place where television sets don't belong, right?
Not according to Mio GPS, a 7-inch screen GPS/TV that can play HD movies and receive wireless connectivity. This is very fresh news, but it's indicative of a greater trend that is happening in cars: the de-tabooing of televisions inside. With TV screens already occupying seat space, it may be no small wonder that a GPS/TV hybrid is coming out - in fact, th eonly question might be "what took them so long?"
The obvious question here is safety, so it will be interesting to see the kinds of solutions companies like Mio have to offer.
Crime-Fighting
Privacy is one of the big issues here, but if you own a smart phone, you probably already know how easy it is to track you down if need be. Many cell phones have GPS systems built right in - some people even broadcast their exact coordinates on planet Earth on the Internet! This, of course, has obvious applications to the world of fighting crime.
The issue is whether or not any government has the right to know where we are at all times. Some argue that while an increase in the ability to track someone down might benefit law enforcement officials, that's no excuse to keep tabs on every citizen with a smart phone. It's also enough to make some people question their use of technology.
More Thorough Navigation
I know, I know: the navigation features of GPS are already about as thorough as it gets, right? Think again: ten years ago today, the features available on Google Maps would have stunned just about anyone. On Google Maps, you not only can view a map of the world, but you can check out satellite pictures and even up-close pictures of the many of the roads in question. Imagine your GPS device not only showing you the route to travel, but also illustrating what each exit actually looks like. Your chances of getting lost will probably decrease.
Back in the Age of Discovery, it was a revolution to be able to travel the globe, as Ferdinand Magellan's expedition so famously did. Today, we can accomplish the same feat in a day or two, navigate just about anywhere, and carry detailed maps of the majority of the globe in our pocket. If anything, we should expect the future of GPS to be just as exciting a revolution in personal technology.
If nothing else, at least you might be able to have a few new, cooler gadgets to tinker around with.