I have a pocketpc / smartphone with windows mobile and inbuilt GPS chip.

Is there any application that will track my position and give me an audible
alarm when my current location is less than a given distance from a previously
selected position?

The reason is that I tend to fall asleep in the train and want to be woken up
when I am approaching the station where I want to get off the train.

I could use the standard alarm function and have an alarm sound shortly before
the planned arrival but trains can run late, or even early but that's very
unusual.

Using the location I would not even need to research the planned arrival time
- just set it to rouse me 500 or 1000 metres from my destination.

On 17 Dec 2010 18:27:11 GMT, Philip Green <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>
>I have a pocketpc / smartphone with windows mobile and inbuilt GPS chip.
>
>Is there any application that will track my position and give me an audible
>alarm when my current location is less than a given distance from a previously
>selected position?
>
>The reason is that I tend to fall asleep in the train and want to be woken up
>when I am approaching the station where I want to get off the train.
>
>I could use the standard alarm function and have an alarm sound shortly before
>the planned arrival but trains can run late, or even early but that's very
>unusual.
>
>Using the location I would not even need to research the planned arrival time
>- just set it to rouse me 500 or 1000 metres from my destination.

You'd have to leave your phone open on the seat next to you so that it
could track the GPS satellites during the journey. Last time I fell
asleep on a train I woke up to find someone had stolen my phone.

Chris

On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:48:05 +0000, Chris Blunt wrote:

> On 17 Dec 2010 18:27:11 GMT, Philip Green <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>I have a pocketpc / smartphone with windows mobile and inbuilt GPS chip.
>>
>>Is there any application that will track my position and give me an audible
>>alarm when my current location is less than a given distance from a previously
>>selected position?
>>
>>The reason is that I tend to fall asleep in the train and want to be woken up
>>when I am approaching the station where I want to get off the train.
>>
>>I could use the standard alarm function and have an alarm sound shortly before
>>the planned arrival but trains can run late, or even early but that's very
>>unusual.
>>
>>Using the location I would not even need to research the planned arrival time
>>- just set it to rouse me 500 or 1000 metres from my destination.
>
> You'd have to leave your phone open on the seat next to you so that it
> could track the GPS satellites during the journey. Last time I fell
> asleep on a train I woke up to find someone had stolen my phone.
>
> Chris

Ouch!

But my cellphone doesn't fold, so I can leave it in its holster when
walking with a GPS Tracker. Safer, obviously.

Inside a train might (probably *will*) be a different issue, however.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Gene E. Bloch wrote
> Chris Blunt wrote
>> Philip Green <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote

>>> I have a pocketpc / smartphone with windows mobile and inbuilt GPS chip.

>>> Is there any application that will track my position and give
>>> me an audible alarm when my current location is less than
>>> a given distance from a previously selected position?

>>> The reason is that I tend to fall asleep in the train and want to be woken
>>> up when I am approaching the station where I want to get off the train.

>>> I could use the standard alarm function and have an alarm sound
>>> shortly before the planned arrival but trains can run late, or even
>>> early but that's very unusual.

>>> Using the location I would not even need to research the planned arrival
>>> time - just set it to rouse me 500 or 1000 metres from my destination.

>> You'd have to leave your phone open on the seat next to you so
>> that it could track the GPS satellites during the journey. Last time I
>> fell asleep on a train I woke up to find someone had stolen my phone.

> Ouch!

> But my cellphone doesn't fold, so I can leave it in its holster when
> walking with a GPS Tracker. Safer, obviously.

> Inside a train might (probably *will*) be a different issue, however.

Yep, you are unlikely to get a good enough GPS signal inside the train.

Easy for him to check if he does or not tho.

Might work up against the window tho.

Rod Speed wrote:
> Gene E. Bloch wrote
>> Chris Blunt wrote
>>> Philip Green <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
>
>>>> I have a pocketpc / smartphone with windows mobile and inbuilt GPS chip.
>
>>>> Is there any application that will track my position and give
>>>> me an audible alarm when my current location is less than
>>>> a given distance from a previously selected position?
>
<snip>
>
>> Inside a train might (probably *will*) be a different issue, however.
>
> Yep, you are unlikely to get a good enough GPS signal inside the train.
>
> Easy for him to check if he does or not tho.
>
> Might work up against the window tho.
>
>

I do have experience of getting a good enough signal in the train with my
phone in the zipped up pouch of my rucksack and therefore invisible to
passersby.
I have a bluetooth headset for listening to music/audiobooks/alarms.

There is a program "POIBeep" that appears to do what I would like, but it's
for Windows mobile 5. My current phone runs Windows mobile 6.
http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/GP...ep-36362.shtml

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> "Rod Speed"
<(E-Mail Removed)> was claimed to have wrote:

>Gene E. Bloch wrote
>> Inside a train might (probably *will*) be a different issue, however.
>
>Yep, you are unlikely to get a good enough GPS signal inside the train.
>
>Easy for him to check if he does or not tho.
>
>Might work up against the window tho.

Why wouldn't you? I used to get a nice accurate/stable signal on my old
Q-Star Bluetooth GPS some 5+ years ago with the GPS receiver itself
either in my backpack or occasionally jacket pocket (and the software
running on a device in my hand)

GPS receivers have gotten better over the years, not worse.

It wouldn't be entirely accurate when running through the downtown core,
but still certainly within 1000 meters. Outside of an urban canyon
(nearing my stop out in the residential part of the city) it was
accurate enough to know which end of the station was closer. That's
probably sufficient to use the signal to trip an alarm half way between
the previous-to-destination stop and the destination stop.

Now if you're talking about a subway (and my apologies if I missed this
detail somewhere) then obviously you'll have a different situation.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> Philip
Green <(E-Mail Removed)> was claimed to have wrote:

>There is a program "POIBeep" that appears to do what I would like, but it's
>for Windows mobile 5. My current phone runs Windows mobile 6.
>http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/GP...ep-36362.shtml

It's worth noting that most (although certainly not all) software for
WM5 works on WM6 too.

DevilsPGD wrote:
> In message <(E-Mail Removed)> Philip
> Green <(E-Mail Removed)> was claimed to have wrote:
>
>>There is a program "POIBeep" that appears to do what I would like, but it's
>>for Windows mobile 5. My current phone runs Windows mobile 6.
>>http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/GP...ep-36362.shtml
>
> It's worth noting that most (although certainly not all) software for
> WM5 works on WM6 too.

Fair enough, I'll download it and see whether it works.
I'll post my findings in a couple of days.
Won't do much travelling the next few days as we're more or less snowbound in
Holland.
No farther than necessary to get the shopping in.

Thursday afternoon I will have to go to work (by train) and give it a proper
try.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> Philip
Green <(E-Mail Removed)> was claimed to have wrote:

>DevilsPGD wrote:
>> In message <(E-Mail Removed)> Philip
>> Green <(E-Mail Removed)> was claimed to have wrote:
>>
>>>There is a program "POIBeep" that appears to do what I would like, but it's
>>>for Windows mobile 5. My current phone runs Windows mobile 6.
>>>http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/GP...ep-36362.shtml
>>
>> It's worth noting that most (although certainly not all) software for
>> WM5 works on WM6 too.
>
>Fair enough, I'll download it and see whether it works.
>I'll post my findings in a couple of days.
>Won't do much travelling the next few days as we're more or less snowbound in
>Holland.
>No farther than necessary to get the shopping in.
>
>Thursday afternoon I will have to go to work (by train) and give it a proper
>try.

You'll probably be able to tell whether it works or not at home, at
least in terms of whether or not the software can communicate with the
GPS and runs on your device.

Confirming whether or not you'll have sufficient service on the train
will of course need to wait.

DevilsPGD wrote
> Rod Speed <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
>> Gene E. Bloch wrote

>>> Inside a train might (probably *will*) be a different issue, however.

>> Yep, you are unlikely to get a good enough GPS signal inside the train.

>> Easy for him to check if he does or not tho.

>> Might work up against the window tho.

> Why wouldn't you?

I dont get an adequate GPS signal inside my house with a TomTom
720 which has a reputation for having one of the better GPS receivers.
I actually use it inside the house quite close to the big patio doors on
the side of the house where most of the satellites are too.

I put the yard sales into the tomtom every friday so notice that lack of gps signal there.

> I used to get a nice accurate/stable signal on my old Q-Star
> Bluetooth GPS some 5+ years ago with the GPS receiver
> itself either in my backpack or occasionally jacket pocket
> (and the software running on a device in my hand)

> GPS receivers have gotten better over the years, not worse.

Sure, but they still dont work that well inside a house.

> It wouldn't be entirely accurate when running through
> the downtown core, but still certainly within 1000 meters.

Thats not very satisfactory for city stations, and ours are underground anyway.

> Outside of an urban canyon (nearing my stop out in the residential part
> of the city) it was accurate enough to know which end of the station was
> closer. That's probably sufficient to use the signal to trip an alarm half
> way between the previous-to-destination stop and the destination stop.

> Now if you're talking about a subway (and my apologies if I missed
> this detail somewhere) then obviously you'll have a different situation.

Nar it wasnt mentioned till now.