Turning Your Laptop Into A Fully-Functional Navigation System, A Laptop GPS You Can Use
By: Edwardo Mascasas -
Where am I? Where am I going? Where have I been? These were some
of the few questions involved in our day-to-day activities
especially if you are involved in an activity where you are
required to travel or go to secluded places.
Today with our advancing technology, navigation and positioning has
never been this easy. If you feel lost then GPS technology can
shine some light on your location. With the use of satellites and
ground stations the ability to track aircrafts, cars, cell phones,
boats, and even individuals has become a reality.
GPS technology comes in many forms for various needs and
industries. With miniaturized GPS units and fewer integrated
circuits this makes GPS technology economical and accessible almost
to everyone. GPS technology is a navigational system that has
changed the way we work and play .
A Global Positioning System or GPS is a satellite navigation system
that works by continually transmitting high-frequency radio signals
containing the time and location of the satellite in relation to
earth. This information is obtained by a GPS receiver on the
planets surface from three of more satellites and the GPS receiver
has calculated the users position on the planet.
The receiver pinpoints, between 3 and 15 meters, where the device
and thus the user is located. With multiple measurements, the
receiver can also calculate speed, trip time, distance to
destination, altitude, sunrise and sunset, and more. On average,
eight satellites are always within sight of wherever you are on
Earth. The more satellites your GPS receiver can contact, the more
accurate your readings will be.
If you are thinking about getting a GPS for mobile use, make sure
you have a laptop, probably the one you already use, a GPS receiver
and software. Installation is the same for almost all GPS
models.
To install GPS on a Windows XP-Based laptop, you just need to start
your Windows XP-based laptop, install the software, and plug the
GPS receiver into the laptops USB port. With Windows XP and Plug
and Play hardware, you really cant go wrong. Most GPS systems come
with extensive mapping software and the installation is as simple
as inserting the CD into the appropriate drive.
After you configure a GPS, install software, and fully charge the
laptops battery, its time to take off on an adventure, right? Well,
almost. You need to configure the laptop for optimal settings
before you go.
To configure battery alarms:
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and
Maintenance, and then click Power Options.
2. On the Alarms tab, under Low battery alarm and Critical battery
alarm, specify the settings you want by dragging the slider.
3. Click Alarm Action to select the type of alarm notification and
power level you want.
To configure a power scheme:
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and
Maintenance, and then click Power Options.
2. On the Power Schemes tab, in the Turn off monitor, Turn off hard
disks, System standby and System hibernates lists, configure the
time settings you want. (See the list below of how to configure
them.)
3. Click Save As, and in the Save Scheme dialog box, type
Travel.
4. Click OK twice.
Running your laptop on batteries, configure the settings as
follows:
Turn off monitor: After 2 minutes
Turn off hard disks: After 8 minutes
System standby: After 3 minutes
System Hibernates: After 10 minutes
So thats it, youre ready to go. With your powerful laptop-enabled
GPS and your road experience will never be the same again.
Learn how to eliminate speeding tickets. Feel free to reproduce this article as long as there is an active hyperlink accompanied with it.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com