Connecting via GPS
One of the things that keeps me going with MMM is exploring with others how technology can be used to connect with one another. Yesterday, I saw a simple example of tech used to connect, and the fruits are both visible and not-yet-in-full-bloom.
Yesterday, I accompanied a friend of mine who has moved recently to Charlotte on a trip. The goal of the trip was to do pop-up visits to people who had visited our church once or twice, but we had not seen them in a while. We would take some homemade cookies, and just look to be relational with them. We did this not so much to get them to come back to our fledgling church, but to live with people so that they can meet "the Christ outside the four walls."
So he and I got together when I got off work in the evening and just took the list and our phones into his car and started on our way. He used the LG enV with Verizon Wireless's VZ Navigator service, and I used the Nokia N95 (via AT&T) and its built-in GPS as backup to go from place to place.
From a technical standpoint, things went very well. Both devices were clear and quick to show us where we needed to go. In my case, I had to key in the locations as we went along. He had mapped the points earlier and was able to access the points and then be voice-navigated to them. With the exception of a little long to get an inital signal lock with the N95, and some cases of late directions with VZ Nav, things worked really well.
To those that were home when we visited though the connection was much more apparent and clear. One person recognized me from when he visited, and spoke favorably of his visit and wanted to come back. The other woman spoke of how she found the church more for her daughter, yet ended up liking it herself. Both cases saw the ability to connect the body, with tech playing as a tool in between.
I write this account to say that (1) this is the first time I had done this with my church here and so I'll be signing up again for it. And (2) that this is a simple way that one can use mobile tech to live out the Gospel with one another.
Notes:
The LG enV and VZ Navigator service are exclusive to Verizon Wireless. The VZ Navigator service is an additional plan component that is paid monthly. The GPS used is called Assisted GPS (A-GPS) because it uses triangulation with cell towers in order to get a fix on your location and then give you directions/maps.
The Nokia N95 can be had through several carriers in Europe and Asia, and can be purchased independent of a contract worldwide. The GPS is a literal hardware GPS antenna that communicates with GPS satellites. The N95 also uses A-GPS to get a quicker signal lock and to assist the GPS in low signal areas. The GPS is free, however a data plan is needed and additional paid features via Nokia's Smart2Go maps service can be purchased.
Similar Previous Article
- Get Your Church on the Map With Earthcomber
- UPDATE: Proporta announced a keychain-sized GPS device today that would be another alternative to GPS in a device or a service such as VZ nav
Yesterday, I accompanied a friend of mine who has moved recently to Charlotte on a trip. The goal of the trip was to do pop-up visits to people who had visited our church once or twice, but we had not seen them in a while. We would take some homemade cookies, and just look to be relational with them. We did this not so much to get them to come back to our fledgling church, but to live with people so that they can meet "the Christ outside the four walls."
So he and I got together when I got off work in the evening and just took the list and our phones into his car and started on our way. He used the LG enV with Verizon Wireless's VZ Navigator service, and I used the Nokia N95 (via AT&T) and its built-in GPS as backup to go from place to place.
From a technical standpoint, things went very well. Both devices were clear and quick to show us where we needed to go. In my case, I had to key in the locations as we went along. He had mapped the points earlier and was able to access the points and then be voice-navigated to them. With the exception of a little long to get an inital signal lock with the N95, and some cases of late directions with VZ Nav, things worked really well.
To those that were home when we visited though the connection was much more apparent and clear. One person recognized me from when he visited, and spoke favorably of his visit and wanted to come back. The other woman spoke of how she found the church more for her daughter, yet ended up liking it herself. Both cases saw the ability to connect the body, with tech playing as a tool in between.
I write this account to say that (1) this is the first time I had done this with my church here and so I'll be signing up again for it. And (2) that this is a simple way that one can use mobile tech to live out the Gospel with one another.
Notes:
The LG enV and VZ Navigator service are exclusive to Verizon Wireless. The VZ Navigator service is an additional plan component that is paid monthly. The GPS used is called Assisted GPS (A-GPS) because it uses triangulation with cell towers in order to get a fix on your location and then give you directions/maps.
The Nokia N95 can be had through several carriers in Europe and Asia, and can be purchased independent of a contract worldwide. The GPS is a literal hardware GPS antenna that communicates with GPS satellites. The N95 also uses A-GPS to get a quicker signal lock and to assist the GPS in low signal areas. The GPS is free, however a data plan is needed and additional paid features via Nokia's Smart2Go maps service can be purchased.
Similar Previous Article
- Get Your Church on the Map With Earthcomber
- UPDATE: Proporta announced a keychain-sized GPS device today that would be another alternative to GPS in a device or a service such as VZ nav
posted by Antoine @ 9/19/2007 11:31:00 AM
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