" I regularly drive, and walk, several of the intersections where these cameras are installed. I take issue with the cynical view that this is all about revenue. If these cameras make even a small percent of otherwise self-indulgent drivers become respectful of the traffic coordination system, they have my full support. Way too many drivers think only of themselves and their precious schedules when going through intersections, and my life has been in jeopardy too many times as I've tried to cross legally. I have no objections to the gadgets that tell drivers when a camera is ahead -- if it makes them obey the traffic signals. I'd like to see a gadget, though, that makes the driver envision his or her dead spouse, child, or friend who tried to cross the intersection legally but was killed by their impatience -- taken less seriously than their ever-so-important schedule. "

" Let's face it, we've become a gadget society. We love the gadgets that help us stay in touch, entertain us and make our jobs easier. A new gadget has entered the mix that may just save us not only money, but our collective sanity. Just ask Nokia who is buying into this space. One of the newest must-have auto tech gadgets to hit the market warns of upcoming speed cameras and radar traps. In cities where these cameras are used, having an advanced radar detector can save drivers lots of speeding tickets. The problem is, most detectors on the market don't alert drivers to all fixed camera devices. That problem has been solved with Phantomplate's new Phantom Alert- A GPS based Speed Camera and Red Light Camera Alert System that provides protection from all photo radar and red light cameras throughout the United States. From the company that brought us Photoblocker Spray, this new gadget has been called the biggest breakthrough since radar detectors. The small form GPS detector stores around 150,000 positions (camera locations) in its database, all current cameras in North America are included. the power of this device goes beyond its advanced detection; the key data can be configured so that speed camera locations can be divided into different data sets, in order to distinguish between positions such as fixed speed cameras, possible mobile camera positions, red light cameras, speed traps, schools, and high collision areas. Their GPS speed camera detectors can also subdivide some of these groups by speed limit and allocate a voice alert to warn as you approach the location.The tiny unit has an LED display on the front of the unit, which provides information in addition to to the voice announcements. While driving normally it will display the current speed. When a warning is triggered, a chime is heard followed by an announcement such as "camera ahead limit 60" . The speed limit at the camera site will flash before going back to displaying the vehicles speed. This will typically happen at 500 meters (1640 feet) from the camera position, . A second chime is heard at 200 yards from the camera site. If the vehicle is still over the speed limit, a continuous warning is heard "reduce speed" plus a warning sound until the vehicle speed drops to the speed limit. Or the camera site is passed at which time an all clear chime is heard. With just a few clicks of installation on your PC, your PhantomAlert stays up to date as camera locations are added and locations change- all online via Phantomplate's website. Simply log onto the website, and plug the unit into the PC via the USB cable (supplied). Then update the database button by following a few simple instructions. www.phantomplate.com "

" Read between the lines, these cameras are about generating more revenue for the city. Soon the speeding cameras like the one's in Europe will show up as well. It's the ideal combination for the city government, imposing control and extracting revenue. "