by Mark » Mon May 16, 2005 7:36 pm
Hello, I am evaluating using the i730 in conjunction with Accutrack or a similiar service to track my father with early/mid-stage Alzheimers as he takes his frequent walks around the light residential environs of east Madison WI (1-2 story houses on medium-size lots). My mother is the primary caregiver but is not currently able to accompany him due to health reasons. He is usually out in the open on the sidewalk or in parks, but often also goes into the (small, few acre) wooded areas of his local parks. For comparison purposes, I purchased two Garmin RINO units with gps/waas and position polling to evaluate and they were able to mostly receive signals along most of his routes (I discarded the RINO option due to user interface and GMRS radio range limitations in the urban setting/with the receiving unit indoors, however).
We were consdering purchasing the i730 and trying it out with accutrack or similiar services, but then my brother -- located in a semi-rural area an hour north of Minneapolis (Buffalo MN) -- reported the following:
[quote]i've talked to my contractor buddies about the nextel phone. they say the gps on it is worthless most of the time, as it cannot be in a pocket, in a vehicle or indoors to work. even on a belt holster it's not too reliable, and likely not in a treed park either[/quote]
He told this to me in the specifc context of buying the i730 phone & using a web-based location service, but I'm not sure if that is what his "contractor buddies" are actually doing, or the phone they are acutally using (at one point he mentioned that they have an i530 ... that is a phone with GPS instead of A-GPS right, so it would be expected to perform that poorly if it is an i530?). And I am not sure if it even is the i730, whether they have applied the 8/04 A-GPS fix that I read about here. I am trying to verify the exact details with him and will post them hear when I get them.
In the meantime, I would ike to hear some feedback from others with personal experience with the i730 & accutrack/similair services, is this a fair assessment of the capabilities of this unit? What are your experiences using accutracking in a similiar environment (sometimes in woods, in a pocket or holster -- or in any case not carried by someone who will carry it in an optimal way).
Also, if anyone is familiar with the Wherify Wheriphone product (which I just found out has slipped in availability another month, to end of June -- Grr!) and could compare/contrast with the i730/accutrack combination, I would appreciate it. It sounds to me like the two use very similiar technology (A-GPS), the main difference is the user interface (the wherifone is a simplified phone with pre-programmed numbers designed for use by children & elderly). We are thinking about waiting for that, but I am uncertain how much advantage if any it gives as far as tracking capability (our main need -- the ease of use of the phone is secondary).
Thank you in advance for any help you can give me, it would go a long way towards enabling my father to have another year or two of semi-freedom before his disease takes it's inevitable toll.
Mark
Hello, I am evaluating using the i730 in conjunction with Accutrack or a similiar service to track my father with early/mid-stage Alzheimers as he takes his frequent walks around the light residential environs of east Madison WI (1-2 story houses on medium-size lots). My mother is the primary caregiver but is not currently able to accompany him due to health reasons. He is usually out in the open on the sidewalk or in parks, but often also goes into the (small, few acre) wooded areas of his local parks. For comparison purposes, I purchased two Garmin RINO units with gps/waas and position polling to evaluate and they were able to mostly receive signals along most of his routes (I discarded the RINO option due to user interface and GMRS radio range limitations in the urban setting/with the receiving unit indoors, however).
We were consdering purchasing the i730 and trying it out with accutrack or similiar services, but then my brother -- located in a semi-rural area an hour north of Minneapolis (Buffalo MN) -- reported the following:
[quote]i've talked to my contractor buddies about the nextel phone. they say the gps on it is worthless most of the time, as it cannot be in a pocket, in a vehicle or indoors to work. even on a belt holster it's not too reliable, and likely not in a treed park either[/quote]
He told this to me in the specifc context of buying the i730 phone & using a web-based location service, but I'm not sure if that is what his "contractor buddies" are actually doing, or the phone they are acutally using (at one point he mentioned that they have an i530 ... that is a phone with GPS instead of A-GPS right, so it would be expected to perform that poorly if it is an i530?). And I am not sure if it even is the i730, whether they have applied the 8/04 A-GPS fix that I read about here. I am trying to verify the exact details with him and will post them hear when I get them.
In the meantime, I would ike to hear some feedback from others with personal experience with the i730 & accutrack/similair services, is this a fair assessment of the capabilities of this unit? What are your experiences using accutracking in a similiar environment (sometimes in woods, in a pocket or holster -- or in any case not carried by someone who will carry it in an optimal way).
Also, if anyone is familiar with the Wherify Wheriphone product (which I just found out has slipped in availability another month, to end of June -- Grr!) and could compare/contrast with the i730/accutrack combination, I would appreciate it. It sounds to me like the two use very similiar technology (A-GPS), the main difference is the user interface (the wherifone is a simplified phone with pre-programmed numbers designed for use by children & elderly). We are thinking about waiting for that, but I am uncertain how much advantage if any it gives as far as tracking capability (our main need -- the ease of use of the phone is secondary).
Thank you in advance for any help you can give me, it would go a long way towards enabling my father to have another year or two of semi-freedom before his disease takes it's inevitable toll.
Mark