Real-time tracking

As noted in another thread, I recently moved from South Carolina to Arizona. I'm looking at doing a lot of traveling over the next few months as well, so I thought it'd be fun to put together a real-time tracking system on my blog based on the google maps api.

I was able to do so, and tried it out during out cross-country move. It worked great and we had a good time with everyone who followed us during out trip. We'd occasionally have people call and ask if the restaurant were currently at was nice, etc...

However, the biggest pain in the butt for the whole setup was that I had to have the laptop on and plugged into the GPS and my Treo. This became a pain, because the Treo would occasionally lose its connection and then I'd have to redial. Plus someone was always sitting with the laptop on their lap, since there wasn't room to put it anywhere else. Then there was the spaghetti-like nest of power cords and the three-way power splitter, etc. Something would inevitably jiggle loose and the laptop battery would run dry. Anyway...it was a real hassle trying to keep it up and running.

I'd like to continue using it on future trips, but I thought I'd pick you guy's brains on an alternative device that can handle all three functions:

1. Mobile phone that is internet capable (preferably 3G and will support a tethered or bluetooth laptop connection)

2. Has built-in GPS

3. PocketPC or Windows Mobile that can run GPSGate client.

I found a couple of apps for the black berry 8830 that do real time tracking and integrate with google maps. I'm not sure if they just plot your course onto the map after the fact or if they do it as you go. The 8830 has gps, evdo, and works as a modem over bluetooth or usb.

It looks like there is a client for black berry.

http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=98

Probably not what you want though

Even with your #3 option you might want to look into the Nokia N95. If work wasn't paying for my phone on a CDMA network I would already have one. Then for #3 I would get the new HP Ipaq 210 or 211.

I have an 8830 and it's an abomination. It's my first Blackberry, though, after years as a Palm guy. I can't for the life of me understand how this company has been successful.

I have mine from work and it does everything it's supposed to for me anyway. I haven't found any current cell phones/ mp3 players that don't suck in some way. I would guess they are successful because they were the first to have push email.

I have a PPC6800 (Sprint Mogul), and with custom firmware does everything you want, except the internet is EVDO rather than 3G.

Another thought is to get bluetooth GPS rather than internal. Every cell provider has something that would work along those lines.

Just wanted to update that Sprint released a new firmware today that does enable the onboard GPS in the Mogul, so you wouldn't have to worry about any problems that may arise from a package someone else put together.

I saw a program that does something like this, lojack style, for the iphone the other day... lemme see if i can find the article...

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/21/tuaw-responds-iphone-lojack/

haha... not super accurate and not really what you want, but fun none the less.

Or howabout this:
http://www.itzcomm.com/SPOT/SatelliteTrackers.html