Garmin Map Updates

As well as being the company behind the superb GTU Tracker which is a GPS tracking device for children, pets, and cars, Garmin are most known for their automotive GPS products.  The Garmin Nuvi is their top of the range in-car product and is used all over the World for millions of car journeys each day. 

 

Update Your Garmin Nuvi Maps

 

Owners of a Garmin Nuvi will be familiar with the screen that appears on the display usually after 12 months of first using the GPS, which tells them that it might be time to get Garmin map updates.  Download a new map install or even free Garmin map updates is very simple, but if you have owned the Nuvi for longer than 12 months you will have to pay a small upgrade fee.

 

The Cost of Garmin Map Updates

 

Luckily Garmin map updates are cheap and extremely cost-effective given that a one-off Garmin Nuvi map refresh will keep your GPS current with the latest routes and streets.  The cheapest Garmin map install is the nuMaps Onetime offer, but if you want to continually refresh your GPS mapping throughout the year then the nuMaps Lifetime option is best – you can download Garmin map four times a year if you go down that route.

 

Why Can’t I Download Free Garmin Map Updates?

 

You can only download free Garmin map updates if you have been using your Nuvi GPS for less than 90 days, so the free maps are aimed at new customers to ensure they have the most current and latest mapping data available.  If you want to check to see if this does apply for you then make sure you register your Nuvi GPS with them and create an online myGarmin account – doing this ensures you can check what map updates are available for your Nuvi and serial number.

 

What Other Downloads are Available?

 

As well as updating your maps you can also get other downloads to customize your Garmin Nuvi GPS.  These include travel guides, points of interest (POIs), new vehicle icons, and new voices.  In fact it’s even possible for you to add your very own voice using the Garmin Voice Studio software – which is a free download available from their website.

 

Creating your own directions on your Nuvi GPS is actually easier than downloading Garmin map updates as all you have to do is have a microphone attached to your PC as you speak your own versions of all the Garmin route commands.

 

All of these Garmin updates are great assets to an owner of a GPS so make sure you keep your product up to date with all the latest downloads so you can continue to drive happy to your destination safe and on time.

Why I use Amber Alert GPS Armor for my children

Being a parent of three children, I was constantly trying to keep up with their whereabouts. It seems that an extremely large part of my daily energy was spent on simply keeping track of them. Very few times a day did I actually say that I knew where all of them were and nor could I be 100% positive that there was no chance they would move from their respective locations.
It could be hair-raising when more often than once I would arrive at the end of the school day or after an activity such as soccer or band practice, only to find that they were no longer there.  Frantic mobile phone calls would eventually locate them only to find that they had simply gone with a friend to the mall for an ice-cream, or had got a lift home with one of their friends’ mothers.  Needless to say, as a mother, you don’t want this happening.  Sure, they might be safe with a friend.  HOWEVER, they may not.  It’s stressful, scary, and it’s way too much risk to take in a world like the one we live in today, where everyone knows that anything can happen.

In fact, when we were together around the dinner table or when we were all present in the living room watching a movie – they were about the only times I felt thoroughly sure of their safety from them potentially getting lost, or even kidnapped.  You may think it can’t happen to your child – but, children get lost or get abducted all the time.  I figured it was better to be “safe” than “sorry”.  I purchased a plan with Amber Alert GPS Armor because I wanted to choose the “safe” option – I’m sure you would too.

And I have to say, now with the AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR child locating system my mind is much more at ease. My kids all have an Amber Alert unit and they carry it with them at all times – I have them carry it on their shoes, which are less likely to become separated from the child than if they kept the unit in their backpacks.  Other parents have the child carry the Amber Alert GPS unit discreetly on a lanyard around their neck under their sweater or jacket, where it is hidden and secure.  Amber Alert GPS Armor can also be customized in many ways to make it just right for your child.  (The company delivers really great service too.)

So… how does it work?  Well, the actual protection service which is offered by AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR is a high technological alert system that is designed to offer an extremely good, if not the best, integral protection for your child.
AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR consists of a small, cost effective transmitter that contains an exceptionally powerful GPS tracking device. It is small enough to easily put in your child’s pocket or even for your child to wear around his wrist or ankle. It comes with user friendly software that allows you to track your child through your mobile phone or computer. It can give you your child’s location, in real-time, within an area of about 45 feet.

As you are probably aware, Amber Alert, a government initiative, is named after a 9-year-old girl from Texas who went missing in 1996 and was subsequently found – tragically, she was no longer alive.  Every mother’s worst, worst nightmare. Amber Alert’s goal is to prevent more children like Amber suffering the same tragic fate, by sending a Nation Wide alert as soon as possible after a child has gone missing.  Amber Alert will send alerts that will show up on electronic highway signs, LED billboards found outside of newer stores, on electronic weather condition signs and any other remotely programmable billboard or sign. 

The emergency alert includes the child’s name, physical description, age and where he or she was last seen. It will also give any other information that will assist in the recovery of the child like information on the abductors appearance and also can include the make of his car and license plate number.  AMBER ALERT also contacts television and radio stations to get the widest coverage of the nation to help in the rapid recovery of the child to safety.
With an AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR, your child’s risk of being lost or hurt or stolen away from your loving care is lowered by far, and knowing your child carries the unit will give you peace of mind at all times.  Amber Alert GPS Armor assists your child directly, too, by providing a “HELP ME” button that alerts the parent immediately and gives driving directions to where the child is located. It also has a microphone that permits the parent to hear any conversation that might be occurring at the time.
The goal of AMBER ALERT and AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR is to recover and return the child safely to his family as fast as possible and to catch the perpetrator. It is a known statistical fact that the majority of children that are kidnapped and then murdered die within the first 3 hours of being abducted. 

The current statistics show that close to 800,000 children 17 years old or younger go missing each year due to being kidnapped by strangers, by family members or because they ran away. According to the U.S Justice department and the FBI, for every 10,000 of these missing children reports an average of one child was killed.

I’ve got an AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR unit for each of my children – to keep my kids as safe as possible from the dangers of today’s modern world.  I know I can trust AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR to locate my child in time, if he or she ever gets lost or abducted.

You can order AMBER ALERT GPS ARMOR online. It is an affordable and comprehensive package and offers many different plans and pricing structures to suit every family and individual. It also offers a large array of accessories for your child’s new device as well as a car charger and extended battery.

Guest post by:
Karly Westlake, OR
Devoted Mom of 3

Why you need a child tracking device

GPS tracking for your children is now an affordable reality, thanks to advances in technology that until fairly recently would have been reserved for law enforcement and military applications.

With a GPS tracking system, such as that on offer from Amber Alert you can have peace of mind and security wherever you go. At the touch of a button you will be advised of where your child is, and whether or not they are safe.

So how does this work? You will already be familiar with GPS navigation devices (most people now have these in their cars), and a child tracking device is only and extension of this system, plus a local cell phone network. The tracking device uses the GPS system to calculate its own exact position, then uses the cell phone network to transmit this location to you. It may be via your own cell phone (especially useful if you have a smart-phone like a BlackBerry that can display maps) or to your computer, whichever is more appropriate. You can choose to track your subject in real time on a constant basis in high risk situations, or just check when you feel like it. Alternatively, you can set parameters outside of which you will be alerted – things like your child being detected outside of a set geographic area, or moving faster than a set speed.

A good example of where this would be indispensable is the situation where separated parents share custody of a child. It often happens that one party will “snatch” the child, failing to return him or her at the arranged time, and often even crossing state borders to avoid apprehension and prosecution. In such a case it can take a long time to mobilise police to locate and return the child. Having a GPS tracker system would alert you that your child was being transported outside of the immediate area, and of course provide invaluable information to the exact location.

If you have children, and don’t want to be left helpless when they disappear – whether by brief accident or by nefarious intent – a compact GPS tracking device can potentially save your child’s life.