GPS At Your Fingertips

Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment maker Trimble Navigation announced today that it had developed the Copernicus GPS receiver, a surface-mount, low power GPS module the size of a thumb-nail. The firm developed the receiver for use in Bluetooth devices, sport accessories, personal navigators or cameras, computer and communication peripherals. Trimble says the module could also be used in vehicle tracking, navigation, and security products.

The firm says the Copernicus GPS receiver can acquire satellite signals and generate position fixes with high accuracy in difficult environments and under poor signal conditions. The receiver is expected to be available in the third quarter of this year.

If you're wondering why the big push for smaller and smaller GPS devices, well Reuters explains that part of the demand is being driven the government. A current article details how U.S. law requires all mobile phones to have an electronic signal, giving the owner's location. To comply, U.S. mobile phone operators now sell mobile phones that contain a GPS chip.

The article goes on to explain how the law has opened up a new market for web services firms like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft.

See also:
GPS Use To Take Off: Majority Of Cellphones GPS Enabled By 2011
MapBiz: GPS Boom Yields Record Earnings For Trimble
Cell Phone Maker Takes Stake In GPS Firm
GPS Receiver The Size Of Baby's Fingernail Developed