Swedish Startup Offering Image-Based Search
location based services
The service from Polar Rose can identify whether a photo contains images of people, find other photos of the same people, and help with identifying the subjects of photos. By Antone Gonsalves InformationWeek Dec 20, 2006 07:14 PM
Swedish startup Polar Rose says it can search images on the Web to find pictures of people, delivering better results than today's text-based search engines.
Polar Rose, which has received $5.1 million in funding from Nordic Venture Partners, plans to make its technology available next year as a plug-in for Internet Explorer and Firefox Web browsers. The company also intends to offer online social networks, photo-sharing sites, and other large Web sites royalty-free application programming interfaces to embed the Polar Rose service.
Image search on the Web is largely dependent on looking for keywords within tags or text surrounding a photo. Polar Rose claims that its combination of technology and user intelligence enables it to find people within images without having to depend on text indicators.
When pointed to an image, the Polar Rose service converts the 2D photo into a 3D model that's used to create a facial "footprint" of the image in the company's index. The 3D conversion greatly improves the matching ability by helping to eliminate pose and light in order to build generic attributes of faces.
The human side of the equation is necessary to match the footprint with an actual person. To do that, users add tags to the photo. Once this is done, Polar Rose can find images of a person based on the footprint, and is not dependent on metadata attached to a photo.
Mikkel Thagaard, vice president of business development for Polar Rose, said Wednesday the company's recognition engine would be useful in large community sites, where thousands of photos of users and friends are stored. It also could be used on photo-sharing sites where people create larger online photo albums.
"Looking inside the photo can get better results," Thagaard said. As the company's index grows, it could also be helpful in finding pictures on the public Web.
The company hopes to make money through contextual advertising that would accompany search results, Thagaard said. Polar Rose plans to announce the first Internet company to embed its service by late January 2007, and release the browser plug-ins at the end of the first quarter.
A mobile search service is expected to launch in beta in the second quarter, and its advertising program is set to rollout in the summer. By the fall of next year, the company expects to have a completed index of online photos.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Opera Lands Samsung Licensing Deal
location based services
Oslo, Norway - December 21, 2006 - Opera Software today announced Samsung Electronics has signed an agreement with Opera Software to deliver Opera Mobile on Samsung mobile handsets. Opera Mobile is Opera Software's standards-compliant Web browser for advanced mobile phones. The browser uses Opera's Small Screen Rendering technology to reformat Web pages for viewing on a small screen and allows users to navigate Web pages with intuitive vertical scrolling. "Our strategies in working closely across the board with major handset manufacturers, operators and directly with end users have made Opera Mobile an attractive product," says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "We're proud that Opera Mobile is today's choice for Web browsing on the latest Samsung mobile handset because of its winning user experience and form factor adaptation." About Opera Software ASAOpera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera's cross- platform Web browser technology is renowned for its small size, performance and standards-compliance, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.
How Microsoft Botched Marketing The Ultra-Mobile PC -- And Why You Might Want To Buy One Anyway
location based services
How Microsoft Botched Marketing The Ultra-Mobile PC -- And Why You Might Want To Buy One Anyway
Microsoft's mobile product code-named Origami generated a lot of buzz when it was just a rumor, but consumers lost interest when it hit the streets as an Ultra Mobile PC. Here's why a UMPC in your holiday stocking is better than a lump of coal. By James Kendrick InformationWeek Dec 21, 2006 11:29 AM
Early this year, Microsoft and Intel conducted a viral marketing campaign promoting an entirely new class of mobile computer. A Page 2:
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Media Scares Will Not Hold Back Growth of Personal GPS
location based services
Wellingborough, UK (13th December 2006) – Much has been made in some quarters of the media about the dangers of “big brother” with little effort made to think about the potential benefits that much technology has to offer. Some are simply trying to drum up interest in a subject or technology whilst others are patrolling their personal security with a degree of over-zealousness. This usually stems from the combined effect of a dislike of change and a mis-trust of politicians’ motivation. This has been seen with the debates over CCTV, RFID and other solutions. A relatively new topic is the development of GPS, particularly its introduction to mobile phones. Much is being made about the ability it provides governments to track personal movements but this ignores the fact that it has been integrated into the cdma chipset for some time now as a result of the E911 mandate was passed. What these fears ignore is the benefits, be it lower costs, greater efficiency or increased convenience that technologies such as GPS can bring to the table. The ability for mobility and location-based services to aid users is proven in several markets and the efforts of operators to educate and promote these services, such as Verizon Wireless’ VZ Navigator, are being rewarded with a more open minded media and consumer. Analyst Patrick Connolly explained, “during our investigation of the market we examined the different approaches to [GPS] service launches. Those that received thoughtful, planned campaigns from the operator, highlighting the benefits to customers received a greater level of take-up and seemed to encounter much less media hostility.” IMS Research found that the benefits to consumers and operators was reflected in the projected level of growth for GPS-enabled handsets with sales of such phones set to nearly quadruple over the next four years. If you would like an interview with an expert in this area, please contact Alison Bogle, Marketing Manager, at Alison.Bogle@imsresearch-usa.com or +1 412-441-1888. About IMS ResearchIMS Research is a supplier of market research and consultancy services on a wide range of global electronics markets. The company is supported by headquarters in Wellingborough, UK and offices in Austin, Texas and Shanghai, China. IMS Research regularly publishes highly detailed research on the wireless markets, including a new dedicated report on technology/feature penetration in mobile phones and one on GPS in cellular markets, amongst others. www.imsresearch.com
location based services
Wellingborough, UK (13th December 2006) – Much has been made in some quarters of the media about the dangers of “big brother” with little effort made to think about the potential benefits that much technology has to offer. Some are simply trying to drum up interest in a subject or technology whilst others are patrolling their personal security with a degree of over-zealousness. This usually stems from the combined effect of a dislike of change and a mis-trust of politicians’ motivation. This has been seen with the debates over CCTV, RFID and other solutions. A relatively new topic is the development of GPS, particularly its introduction to mobile phones. Much is being made about the ability it provides governments to track personal movements but this ignores the fact that it has been integrated into the cdma chipset for some time now as a result of the E911 mandate was passed. What these fears ignore is the benefits, be it lower costs, greater efficiency or increased convenience that technologies such as GPS can bring to the table. The ability for mobility and location-based services to aid users is proven in several markets and the efforts of operators to educate and promote these services, such as Verizon Wireless’ VZ Navigator, are being rewarded with a more open minded media and consumer. Analyst Patrick Connolly explained, “during our investigation of the market we examined the different approaches to [GPS] service launches. Those that received thoughtful, planned campaigns from the operator, highlighting the benefits to customers received a greater level of take-up and seemed to encounter much less media hostility.” IMS Research found that the benefits to consumers and operators was reflected in the projected level of growth for GPS-enabled handsets with sales of such phones set to nearly quadruple over the next four years. If you would like an interview with an expert in this area, please contact Alison Bogle, Marketing Manager, at Alison.Bogle@imsresearch-usa.com or +1 412-441-1888. About IMS ResearchIMS Research is a supplier of market research and consultancy services on a wide range of global electronics markets. The company is supported by headquarters in Wellingborough, UK and offices in Austin, Texas and Shanghai, China. IMS Research regularly publishes highly detailed research on the wireless markets, including a new dedicated report on technology/feature penetration in mobile phones and one on GPS in cellular markets, amongst others. www.imsresearch.com
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Google has acquired Endoxon's Internet and Mobile businesses
location based services
Existing Internet And Mobile Clients:
Google will continue to service Endoxon’s current customers or make arrangements to meet their needs in other manners. Our support team is still available to help you.
Frequently asked questions
Press inquiries
Existing Data, Cartography And Direct Marketing Clients
The products and services of these divisions will still continue business as usual under a new company Mappuls AG. Visit the new website at http://www.mappuls.ch for more details or send your inquiries to info@mappuls.ch
FAQ
Why is Google acquiring Endoxon?Endoxon’s assets and its European network bolster engineering and technical resources for Google. This acquisition of Endoxon will enable us to leverage their analysis capabilities and will help us build out and improve the functionality of Google Earth and Google Maps across Europe.
Why did Google acquire only three of Endoxon’s six business units? Google acquired Endoxon’s internet, mapping and data processing business units. Unlike the others, these complement Google Earth and Google Maps technologies and services.
What kind of support will be available for Endoxon customers?Endoxon will continue to support its existing customers.
Can I still purchase Endoxon products/services for my business? No. Endoxon will discontinue selling Endoxon products and services.
If I have an existing contract with Endoxon, what will happen to that? Endoxon will fulfill all obligations and commitments under its existing contracts.
Do I still have the same contact persons within the Endoxon organization? Yes. Contact persons and their numbers are unchanged.
About EndoxonEndoxon is a developer of internet mapping solutions, mobile services, data processing, cartography, direct marketing and the Trinity software suite. Since 1988, Endoxon and its 75 employees have created ground-breaking solutions for a wide variety of geographic needs. Endoxon is a pioneer in AJAX mapping technologies. Endoxon technologies enable the integration and processing of geo-referenced data and high-resolution aerial and satellite images for dynamic internet and mobile services.
©
location based services
Existing Internet And Mobile Clients:
Google will continue to service Endoxon’s current customers or make arrangements to meet their needs in other manners. Our support team is still available to help you.
Frequently asked questions
Press inquiries
Existing Data, Cartography And Direct Marketing Clients
The products and services of these divisions will still continue business as usual under a new company Mappuls AG. Visit the new website at http://www.mappuls.ch for more details or send your inquiries to info@mappuls.ch
FAQ
Why is Google acquiring Endoxon?Endoxon’s assets and its European network bolster engineering and technical resources for Google. This acquisition of Endoxon will enable us to leverage their analysis capabilities and will help us build out and improve the functionality of Google Earth and Google Maps across Europe.
Why did Google acquire only three of Endoxon’s six business units? Google acquired Endoxon’s internet, mapping and data processing business units. Unlike the others, these complement Google Earth and Google Maps technologies and services.
What kind of support will be available for Endoxon customers?Endoxon will continue to support its existing customers.
Can I still purchase Endoxon products/services for my business? No. Endoxon will discontinue selling Endoxon products and services.
If I have an existing contract with Endoxon, what will happen to that? Endoxon will fulfill all obligations and commitments under its existing contracts.
Do I still have the same contact persons within the Endoxon organization? Yes. Contact persons and their numbers are unchanged.
About EndoxonEndoxon is a developer of internet mapping solutions, mobile services, data processing, cartography, direct marketing and the Trinity software suite. Since 1988, Endoxon and its 75 employees have created ground-breaking solutions for a wide variety of geographic needs. Endoxon is a pioneer in AJAX mapping technologies. Endoxon technologies enable the integration and processing of geo-referenced data and high-resolution aerial and satellite images for dynamic internet and mobile services.
©
New NYC taxis to have TV and tracking
location based services
NEW YORK - New York's next generation of cabs is coming - complete with TV. The new features - designed to help riders pass the time, pay the fare and even find their lost umbrellas - are expected to start hitting the streets within two weeks.
The city Taxi & Limousine Commission gave a preview Thursday, showing off a touch-screen device that lets passengers check news and weather reports, look up restaurant reviews and track their cab's progress on an electronic map.
The tracking feature also promises to make it easier for riders to retrieve things they leave behind. Rather than racking their minds for a medallion number, riders will be able to call a city information line and say where they were dropped off and what was lost. The taxi commission will work from that to try to find the cab.
The new features also include a credit-card reader, a significant addition for the largely cash-only taxi system. Riders can even calculate a tip.
And perhaps best of all, especially for riders driven to distraction by an experiment with "taxi TV" a few years ago, passengers can turn it all off.
"If you want a silent trip, you're going to get it," said Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus.
The new features have been in the works since a 2004 fare increase. Drivers can choose from four different models.
"We wanted to have a smorgasbord for drivers to pick from," said Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
The taxi commission flirted with television in taxis in 2003, but the 515 touch-screens were yanked within months.
Some passengers bemoaned the inescapable flickering of screens that could be muted but not turned off. The taxi commission ultimately said surveys showed passengers were either indifferent to or annoyed by them, though some taxi-TV companies said otherwise.
location based services
NEW YORK - New York's next generation of cabs is coming - complete with TV. The new features - designed to help riders pass the time, pay the fare and even find their lost umbrellas - are expected to start hitting the streets within two weeks.
The city Taxi & Limousine Commission gave a preview Thursday, showing off a touch-screen device that lets passengers check news and weather reports, look up restaurant reviews and track their cab's progress on an electronic map.
The tracking feature also promises to make it easier for riders to retrieve things they leave behind. Rather than racking their minds for a medallion number, riders will be able to call a city information line and say where they were dropped off and what was lost. The taxi commission will work from that to try to find the cab.
The new features also include a credit-card reader, a significant addition for the largely cash-only taxi system. Riders can even calculate a tip.
And perhaps best of all, especially for riders driven to distraction by an experiment with "taxi TV" a few years ago, passengers can turn it all off.
"If you want a silent trip, you're going to get it," said Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus.
The new features have been in the works since a 2004 fare increase. Drivers can choose from four different models.
"We wanted to have a smorgasbord for drivers to pick from," said Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
The taxi commission flirted with television in taxis in 2003, but the 515 touch-screens were yanked within months.
Some passengers bemoaned the inescapable flickering of screens that could be muted but not turned off. The taxi commission ultimately said surveys showed passengers were either indifferent to or annoyed by them, though some taxi-TV companies said otherwise.
New NYC taxis to have TV and tracking
location based services
NEW YORK - New York's next generation of cabs is coming - complete with TV. The new features - designed to help riders pass the time, pay the fare and even find their lost umbrellas - are expected to start hitting the streets within two weeks.
The city Taxi & Limousine Commission gave a preview Thursday, showing off a touch-screen device that lets passengers check news and weather reports, look up restaurant reviews and track their cab's progress on an electronic map.
The tracking feature also promises to make it easier for riders to retrieve things they leave behind. Rather than racking their minds for a medallion number, riders will be able to call a city information line and say where they were dropped off and what was lost. The taxi commission will work from that to try to find the cab.
The new features also include a credit-card reader, a significant addition for the largely cash-only taxi system. Riders can even calculate a tip.
And perhaps best of all, especially for riders driven to distraction by an experiment with "taxi TV" a few years ago, passengers can turn it all off.
"If you want a silent trip, you're going to get it," said Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus.
The new features have been in the works since a 2004 fare increase. Drivers can choose from four different models.
"We wanted to have a smorgasbord for drivers to pick from," said Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
The taxi commission flirted with television in taxis in 2003, but the 515 touch-screens were yanked within months.
Some passengers bemoaned the inescapable flickering of screens that could be muted but not turned off. The taxi commission ultimately said surveys showed passengers were either indifferent to or annoyed by them, though some taxi-TV companies said otherwise.
location based services
NEW YORK - New York's next generation of cabs is coming - complete with TV. The new features - designed to help riders pass the time, pay the fare and even find their lost umbrellas - are expected to start hitting the streets within two weeks.
The city Taxi & Limousine Commission gave a preview Thursday, showing off a touch-screen device that lets passengers check news and weather reports, look up restaurant reviews and track their cab's progress on an electronic map.
The tracking feature also promises to make it easier for riders to retrieve things they leave behind. Rather than racking their minds for a medallion number, riders will be able to call a city information line and say where they were dropped off and what was lost. The taxi commission will work from that to try to find the cab.
The new features also include a credit-card reader, a significant addition for the largely cash-only taxi system. Riders can even calculate a tip.
And perhaps best of all, especially for riders driven to distraction by an experiment with "taxi TV" a few years ago, passengers can turn it all off.
"If you want a silent trip, you're going to get it," said Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus.
The new features have been in the works since a 2004 fare increase. Drivers can choose from four different models.
"We wanted to have a smorgasbord for drivers to pick from," said Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
The taxi commission flirted with television in taxis in 2003, but the 515 touch-screens were yanked within months.
Some passengers bemoaned the inescapable flickering of screens that could be muted but not turned off. The taxi commission ultimately said surveys showed passengers were either indifferent to or annoyed by them, though some taxi-TV companies said otherwise.
Epson Develops world's smallest GPS module
location based services
Epson Japan has developed an ultra-sensitive, ultra-compact global positioning system (GPS) module to meet high demand from manufacturers of mobile phones and other handsets with GPS functionality. The Epson S4E19863 series was developed using Epson's advanced original technology and know-how relating to GPS baseband processors and A-GPS software. Featuring a remarkably broad detection range capable of identifying both strong outdoor signals and weak indoor signals, the new module far outstrips the levels of sensitivity found in conventional GPS technology. The Epson S4E19863 module also supports the three 3GPP-compliant positioning modes (MS-Based, MS-Assisted and Autonomous), for world-class GPS positioning performance in any application and under any network environment.
Moreover, thanks to clever use of space-saving technology the S4E19863 series is the world's smallest GPS module (7 mm x 6 mm x 1.28 mm), making it ideal for applications with limited component space, such as mobile phones. Volume shipment of the Epson S4E19863 series has already begun.
location based services
Epson Japan has developed an ultra-sensitive, ultra-compact global positioning system (GPS) module to meet high demand from manufacturers of mobile phones and other handsets with GPS functionality. The Epson S4E19863 series was developed using Epson's advanced original technology and know-how relating to GPS baseband processors and A-GPS software. Featuring a remarkably broad detection range capable of identifying both strong outdoor signals and weak indoor signals, the new module far outstrips the levels of sensitivity found in conventional GPS technology. The Epson S4E19863 module also supports the three 3GPP-compliant positioning modes (MS-Based, MS-Assisted and Autonomous), for world-class GPS positioning performance in any application and under any network environment.
Moreover, thanks to clever use of space-saving technology the S4E19863 series is the world's smallest GPS module (7 mm x 6 mm x 1.28 mm), making it ideal for applications with limited component space, such as mobile phones. Volume shipment of the Epson S4E19863 series has already begun.
Ban on Positioning Systems Lifted
location based services
The government has lifted a ban on the use of high-definition images made from space and high-precision positioning systems, news agencies reported Monday.
The move will allow such systems to be used by businesses and by drivers with GPS navigation.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said regulations needed to implement the decision were already in force, the agencies said. "This is what economy-related ministries have been asking for for several years," Ivanov told Interfax.
Until now, global positioning systems capable of locating objects on the ground more precisely than in a radius of 30 meters were formally outlawed for security reasons. Images made from space that locate an object within less than 2 meters were also banned.
The ban was largely ignored because Western GPS devices were used in Russia, and high-precision pictures, needed for companies dealing in construction, mining and other sectors, were already on the market and widely used.
"This [lifting of the limitations] will allow consumers to use space-based navigation systems equipment," Ivanov said.
He also said that now that the limitations have been removed, Russia would be able to bring into the commercial market its own global positioning system known as Glonass, currently used only by the military.
location based services
The government has lifted a ban on the use of high-definition images made from space and high-precision positioning systems, news agencies reported Monday.
The move will allow such systems to be used by businesses and by drivers with GPS navigation.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said regulations needed to implement the decision were already in force, the agencies said. "This is what economy-related ministries have been asking for for several years," Ivanov told Interfax.
Until now, global positioning systems capable of locating objects on the ground more precisely than in a radius of 30 meters were formally outlawed for security reasons. Images made from space that locate an object within less than 2 meters were also banned.
The ban was largely ignored because Western GPS devices were used in Russia, and high-precision pictures, needed for companies dealing in construction, mining and other sectors, were already on the market and widely used.
"This [lifting of the limitations] will allow consumers to use space-based navigation systems equipment," Ivanov said.
He also said that now that the limitations have been removed, Russia would be able to bring into the commercial market its own global positioning system known as Glonass, currently used only by the military.
Google & Swiss mapping software specialist Endoxon AG
location based services
. Officially this is bolstering their European support but I think that what this really does is adding top mapping technology know-how and products to Google's ambitious location based services goals. This is another piece in the puzzle. After they have also announced to build with HTC of Taiwan a mobile GPS/WLAN end user device they now add more professional know-how and -maybe- look-and-feel to GoogleEarth and GoogleMap. Endoxon is certainly a top mapping company with excellent products and will be able to fill the mentioned role easily.
location based services
. Officially this is bolstering their European support but I think that what this really does is adding top mapping technology know-how and products to Google's ambitious location based services goals. This is another piece in the puzzle. After they have also announced to build with HTC of Taiwan a mobile GPS/WLAN end user device they now add more professional know-how and -maybe- look-and-feel to GoogleEarth and GoogleMap. Endoxon is certainly a top mapping company with excellent products and will be able to fill the mentioned role easily.
Personal Location Based Communications
location based services
I’ve been skimming through a few of the presentations from Nokia World and taking a look at the MEX manifesto and thinking about some of the themes that came out of the >play conference. Location based services and advertising keep coming up, I commented about that in my initial post after the conference. I’m still feeling a disconnect though, the loop just hasn’t been closed on this one. I think there’s some fantastic potential there, but there are big gaping holes in what needs to be done.
I’m definitely a huge fan of the whole personal communications aspect of mobile. Sure the handset can be just another “pipe to the consumer” that content gets shoved down, but that would suck. It’s a personal portable communications mechanism that should allow me to connect with who/what I care about the most, not just consume. I’m sold on that part, top to bottom. What I haven’t figured out yet is the location based services part of that, and the impact on advertising in particular.
The problem with the location based stuff is that almost everything is invasive to a degree, and for the most part to a pretty great degree. The kinds of location based services that are personal and community focused should be the most valuable if we assume that the personal communications aspects trump the consumption aspects. The Loopt friend finder application is an excellent example of a positive personal communications focused LBS. People keep insisting that this is a great avenue for local advertising, but I’m not feeling it yet. I would like to be, so help me out.
The problems I see:
No one who uses the app actually wants information about the 300 Starbucks locations within 20 feet of their current location cluttering up the map of their friends. Try it out, snag a teenager in some major metro area and ask them how they use their phone. Seriously, just stop someone with a skateboard and talk to them. They don’t give a shit about businesses in the area. But then ask them if they have any photos and videos on their phone and how they’re sharing them, sometimes you’ll find out they have relatively complex adhoc networks and publishing mechanisms that aren’t being serviced by any current offering unless you really twist on MySpace to make it work for you. It’s not that they don’t care, they just don’t care about what you have to offer.
In order for that location based information to be “relevant and contextual” (MEX principle #3) it pretty much needs to be profile or recommendation based. Both of which are problematic in the extreme. I’m not saying that they can’t be solved, I just don’t see the necessary solutions coming up yet. Are they out there? Is there someone building an open and sharable community focused platform for mobile recommendations and preferences? I would love to chat with them.
Mobile publishing is still a major stumbling block. It would be great to introduce people to venues uniquely suited to their personal preferences in their local area, but does that quirky mom and pop breakfast shop down the street have something up online in mobile format that is going to convince the user to wander down and check them out? Usually not. We’re going to have to rely on user generated content for this stuff also. I think stuff like Plazes is driving this in the right direction. But how long has that been going on for, and it doesn’t seem like it’s really hit critical mass yet. Even in Palo Alto, which outside of SF itself tends to be one of the highest density tech communities I’ve found. And their info is really tied to wifi hotspots and not true geolocation info (argue all you want, you know I’m right).
Location based advertising requires the advertiser to work in a way that’s very significantly outside of their experience. Their campaigns simply aren’t structured in terms of “sending 2000 coupons to people within 4 blocks of Union Square”. If they don’t have a way to measure it and fold it into their other metrics it’s a useless feature to them. It takes time for models like this to work themselves out. And so far I haven’t been hearing the advertisers talk much about location based advertising. Actually what I keep hearing again and again is that dealing with the advertising agencies that control big budgets in advertising requires that you conform to the models they already understand and gradually shift things in the direction you want. There’s a lot of momentum to overcome in the trillion dollar advertising industry. I think it’s worth doing, otherwise I wouldn’t be working on mobile advertising. But a technology focused solution isn’t the answer, no one is going to pay attention. You need to figure out how to make people with money for advertising give it to you. The technology itself is the easy part. But people with the technology stand up and declare the problem already solved. That’s disconcerting to me, and indicative of a pretty major disjoin between the technology providers and the market (not that this particular situation is anything new to mobile). Something like this needs to be bottom up, and the bottom is where the smallest margins and most work are. Yet LBS is seen as a “premium” that can be charged at astronomical rates, and that just sets the bar too high for advertising supported services.
People familiar with online advertising, and user generated content in particular, know that you make advertising money from Google and YPN not based on your persistent users but based on search traffic. Someone searches on Google for an answer, clicks on the search result linking to some comment to one of your blog posts, doesn’t find what they want there, and leaves via an advertisement. Your persistent readers aren’t a great source of advertising revenue, they’re a great source of content. Let them communicate without interruption and maybe you get to use that content to make some money off of. It’s not clear to me how that maps to mobile and LBS. The key online is that context can be inferred based on the reverse of the index used for searches, but there is no equivalent for the essential location metadata. How do you make that system self-regulating?
There seems to be more and more geolocation/LBS stuff going on all the time, I know you folks are out there, definitely weigh in on this one.
location based services
I’ve been skimming through a few of the presentations from Nokia World and taking a look at the MEX manifesto and thinking about some of the themes that came out of the >play conference. Location based services and advertising keep coming up, I commented about that in my initial post after the conference. I’m still feeling a disconnect though, the loop just hasn’t been closed on this one. I think there’s some fantastic potential there, but there are big gaping holes in what needs to be done.
I’m definitely a huge fan of the whole personal communications aspect of mobile. Sure the handset can be just another “pipe to the consumer” that content gets shoved down, but that would suck. It’s a personal portable communications mechanism that should allow me to connect with who/what I care about the most, not just consume. I’m sold on that part, top to bottom. What I haven’t figured out yet is the location based services part of that, and the impact on advertising in particular.
The problem with the location based stuff is that almost everything is invasive to a degree, and for the most part to a pretty great degree. The kinds of location based services that are personal and community focused should be the most valuable if we assume that the personal communications aspects trump the consumption aspects. The Loopt friend finder application is an excellent example of a positive personal communications focused LBS. People keep insisting that this is a great avenue for local advertising, but I’m not feeling it yet. I would like to be, so help me out.
The problems I see:
No one who uses the app actually wants information about the 300 Starbucks locations within 20 feet of their current location cluttering up the map of their friends. Try it out, snag a teenager in some major metro area and ask them how they use their phone. Seriously, just stop someone with a skateboard and talk to them. They don’t give a shit about businesses in the area. But then ask them if they have any photos and videos on their phone and how they’re sharing them, sometimes you’ll find out they have relatively complex adhoc networks and publishing mechanisms that aren’t being serviced by any current offering unless you really twist on MySpace to make it work for you. It’s not that they don’t care, they just don’t care about what you have to offer.
In order for that location based information to be “relevant and contextual” (MEX principle #3) it pretty much needs to be profile or recommendation based. Both of which are problematic in the extreme. I’m not saying that they can’t be solved, I just don’t see the necessary solutions coming up yet. Are they out there? Is there someone building an open and sharable community focused platform for mobile recommendations and preferences? I would love to chat with them.
Mobile publishing is still a major stumbling block. It would be great to introduce people to venues uniquely suited to their personal preferences in their local area, but does that quirky mom and pop breakfast shop down the street have something up online in mobile format that is going to convince the user to wander down and check them out? Usually not. We’re going to have to rely on user generated content for this stuff also. I think stuff like Plazes is driving this in the right direction. But how long has that been going on for, and it doesn’t seem like it’s really hit critical mass yet. Even in Palo Alto, which outside of SF itself tends to be one of the highest density tech communities I’ve found. And their info is really tied to wifi hotspots and not true geolocation info (argue all you want, you know I’m right).
Location based advertising requires the advertiser to work in a way that’s very significantly outside of their experience. Their campaigns simply aren’t structured in terms of “sending 2000 coupons to people within 4 blocks of Union Square”. If they don’t have a way to measure it and fold it into their other metrics it’s a useless feature to them. It takes time for models like this to work themselves out. And so far I haven’t been hearing the advertisers talk much about location based advertising. Actually what I keep hearing again and again is that dealing with the advertising agencies that control big budgets in advertising requires that you conform to the models they already understand and gradually shift things in the direction you want. There’s a lot of momentum to overcome in the trillion dollar advertising industry. I think it’s worth doing, otherwise I wouldn’t be working on mobile advertising. But a technology focused solution isn’t the answer, no one is going to pay attention. You need to figure out how to make people with money for advertising give it to you. The technology itself is the easy part. But people with the technology stand up and declare the problem already solved. That’s disconcerting to me, and indicative of a pretty major disjoin between the technology providers and the market (not that this particular situation is anything new to mobile). Something like this needs to be bottom up, and the bottom is where the smallest margins and most work are. Yet LBS is seen as a “premium” that can be charged at astronomical rates, and that just sets the bar too high for advertising supported services.
People familiar with online advertising, and user generated content in particular, know that you make advertising money from Google and YPN not based on your persistent users but based on search traffic. Someone searches on Google for an answer, clicks on the search result linking to some comment to one of your blog posts, doesn’t find what they want there, and leaves via an advertisement. Your persistent readers aren’t a great source of advertising revenue, they’re a great source of content. Let them communicate without interruption and maybe you get to use that content to make some money off of. It’s not clear to me how that maps to mobile and LBS. The key online is that context can be inferred based on the reverse of the index used for searches, but there is no equivalent for the essential location metadata. How do you make that system self-regulating?
There seems to be more and more geolocation/LBS stuff going on all the time, I know you folks are out there, definitely weigh in on this one.
SQL Server, MySQL top in wireless development
location based services
According to a new report by Evans Data Corp, Microsoft’s SQL Server tops the chart in wireless applications at 30%. While MySQL Server ranks in second with 20% market share followed by Oracle. The report suggests that Oracle’s market share should increase over the next year. The report also found that 40% of wireless applications are location based services like GPS technology and Google Maps for example. The number one platform this year is cell phones at 47%, taking most of it’s market share from PDAs which have historically dominated the mobile applications market. With SQL Server CE and MySQL OEM under more development and exposure this year some exciting things are in store for the future of the mobile data market.
location based services
According to a new report by Evans Data Corp, Microsoft’s SQL Server tops the chart in wireless applications at 30%. While MySQL Server ranks in second with 20% market share followed by Oracle. The report suggests that Oracle’s market share should increase over the next year. The report also found that 40% of wireless applications are location based services like GPS technology and Google Maps for example. The number one platform this year is cell phones at 47%, taking most of it’s market share from PDAs which have historically dominated the mobile applications market. With SQL Server CE and MySQL OEM under more development and exposure this year some exciting things are in store for the future of the mobile data market.
Rise of MoSoSo
location based services
ABI Research has come out with some eye-popping numbers about the explosion of mobile social communities . The rise of MoSoSo (Mobile Social Software), thanks to Steve Jones, awakens tremendous new challenges and opportunities. One of the best explanations of this rise comes from Tomi Ahonen who has also written an excellent book "Communities Dominate Brands".
The usual tried and tested methods of marketing can safely be thrown out. For instance, when 90% of consumers trust word-of-mouth suggestions, how will companies tap into such communities and stay? There are plenty of players in this arena: Dodgeball, Enpresence, Jambo Networks, Loopt, Mologogo, My MoSoSo, Pinppl, PlaceSite, Plazes, Saki Mobile, Nokia Sensor, Microsoft SLAM, Vixo, Zingku
My earlier posts about Loopt and Location Based Services stuff are examples. This is great opportunity for truly innovative approaches to engage, convert and involve the MoSoSo consumer.
Technorati Tags: ABI Research, Dodgeball, Enpresence, GPS, Hot Startup, Hot Startups, Jambo Networks, Location Based Services, Loopt, Microsoft SLAM, MoSoSo, Mobile, Mobile Social Software Steve Jones, Mobile social communities, Mobility 2.0, Mologogo, My MoSoSo, Nokia Sensor, Pinppl, PlaceSite, Plazes, Saki Mobile, Technology, Tomi Ahonen, Vixo, Zingku
Posted by Jitendra Mudhol in GPS, Hot Startups, Microsoft, Mobile, Mobility, Mobility 2.0, Technology, Web 2.0 Permalink
location based services
ABI Research has come out with some eye-popping numbers about the explosion of mobile social communities . The rise of MoSoSo (Mobile Social Software), thanks to Steve Jones, awakens tremendous new challenges and opportunities. One of the best explanations of this rise comes from Tomi Ahonen who has also written an excellent book "Communities Dominate Brands".
The usual tried and tested methods of marketing can safely be thrown out. For instance, when 90% of consumers trust word-of-mouth suggestions, how will companies tap into such communities and stay? There are plenty of players in this arena: Dodgeball, Enpresence, Jambo Networks, Loopt, Mologogo, My MoSoSo, Pinppl, PlaceSite, Plazes, Saki Mobile, Nokia Sensor, Microsoft SLAM, Vixo, Zingku
My earlier posts about Loopt and Location Based Services stuff are examples. This is great opportunity for truly innovative approaches to engage, convert and involve the MoSoSo consumer.
Technorati Tags: ABI Research, Dodgeball, Enpresence, GPS, Hot Startup, Hot Startups, Jambo Networks, Location Based Services, Loopt, Microsoft SLAM, MoSoSo, Mobile, Mobile Social Software Steve Jones, Mobile social communities, Mobility 2.0, Mologogo, My MoSoSo, Nokia Sensor, Pinppl, PlaceSite, Plazes, Saki Mobile, Technology, Tomi Ahonen, Vixo, Zingku
Posted by Jitendra Mudhol in GPS, Hot Startups, Microsoft, Mobile, Mobility, Mobility 2.0, Technology, Web 2.0 Permalink
bile Locator™
location based services
See where people are. In real time.
Contact Employees Anytime, Anywhere.For businesses with a mobile workforce, location and communication are everything. So, when you need to notify customers of schedule changes, help drivers avoid traffic backups or dispatch the closest employee to a pickup or delivery, you'll get it done with Mobile Locator™.
Features include:
Real-time location - see where people are either by address or web-based map.
PC-to-phone messaging - point and click to send messages to any located phone or handheld.
Driving directions in English or Spanish - send to your workers based on their current location, get them to their next job or back to the office.
Points of interest - find your employee's current location or locate the nearest gas station, ATM, bank or restaurant.
No extra equipment or setup required - all you need is a Nextel GPS-enabled phone or BlackBerry® handheld, a PC with web access, and a MyNextel user ID and password.
What You'll Need
Requires one of the following:
Pricing
Mobile Locator™ - $15.00/month
Includes Pay As You Go Text Messaging ($0.15 per message sent or received).
Mobile Locator™ with Text Messaging 500 Plan - $20.00/month
Includes 500 Text Messages. (Overage $0.10 per message sent or received).
Get It
Current Customers
location based services
See where people are. In real time.
Contact Employees Anytime, Anywhere.For businesses with a mobile workforce, location and communication are everything. So, when you need to notify customers of schedule changes, help drivers avoid traffic backups or dispatch the closest employee to a pickup or delivery, you'll get it done with Mobile Locator™.
Features include:
Real-time location - see where people are either by address or web-based map.
PC-to-phone messaging - point and click to send messages to any located phone or handheld.
Driving directions in English or Spanish - send to your workers based on their current location, get them to their next job or back to the office.
Points of interest - find your employee's current location or locate the nearest gas station, ATM, bank or restaurant.
No extra equipment or setup required - all you need is a Nextel GPS-enabled phone or BlackBerry® handheld, a PC with web access, and a MyNextel user ID and password.
What You'll Need
Requires one of the following:
Pricing
Mobile Locator™ - $15.00/month
Includes Pay As You Go Text Messaging ($0.15 per message sent or received).
Mobile Locator™ with Text Messaging 500 Plan - $20.00/month
Includes 500 Text Messages. (Overage $0.10 per message sent or received).
Get It
Current Customers
Toronto transit map
location based services
This map contains public transit (bus, subway, street car, train, and LRT) lines for much of the Greater Toronto Area on a map provided by Google. Data for TTC, GO Transit, VIVA, Brampton Transit, Mississauga Transit and Vaughan Transit is included.
For more information on how this map was created, consult its creator's weblog entries on the subject. Please report any bugs or undesired behaviour.
location based services
This map contains public transit (bus, subway, street car, train, and LRT) lines for much of the Greater Toronto Area on a map provided by Google. Data for TTC, GO Transit, VIVA, Brampton Transit, Mississauga Transit and Vaughan Transit is included.
For more information on how this map was created, consult its creator's weblog entries on the subject. Please report any bugs or undesired behaviour.
"A global Index of 2,312 servers, serving 39,237 map services, containing over 600,000 GIS Layers, covering more than 8,000,000 columns!"
location based services
location based services
Latitude Longitude Lookup
LOCATION BASED SERVICES
12/17/2006 6:04:15 AM [Shanta]
Displays the latitude/longitute when you double-click the map. But limited zoom available to do this.posted by Shanta to geospatial google ... and others... bookmark this
LOCATION BASED SERVICES
12/17/2006 6:04:15 AM [Shanta]
Displays the latitude/longitute when you double-click the map. But limited zoom available to do this.posted by Shanta to geospatial google ... and others... bookmark this
Internet and Satellite TV Change News Media, News Delivery
location based services
Satellite television and the expanding power of the Internet are not only changing the way news is delivered, but also the perception of what news is and the way journalists do their jobs. These changes are having a profound impact on the news business while at the same time providing societies with more information that can help strengthen freedom, democracy and human rights. VOA's Bill Rodgers has more in this report.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast in 2005, devastating New Orleans and wrecking havoc elsewhere in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Knight Ridder news service sprang into action to support one of its subscriber newspapers. Now owned by the McClatchy newspaper chain, Knight Ridder's Washington bureau helped the storm-devastated Biloxi Sun Herald in Mississippi get its content on line.
Jim Van NostrandJim Van Nostrand, who is now senior editor for McClatchy Interactive, describes what happened. "We used audio and video and user-generated content to great effect there. People were able to upload their photos of their houses, upload photos of their neighborhoods, they were able to use message boards to talk neighbors to ask: 'hey, have you seen my mother or my uncle or my brother?'. I would say at least half of the content that we posted for Hurricane Katrina was stuff you wouldn't see in print. Message boards, audio, video that sort of thing."
The power of the Internet is increasingly transforming the way newspapers deliver their product -- the kind of product they deliver -- and their relationship with readers.
Van Nostrand adds, "It allows our readers to interact with us as they've never interacted before. It used to be the old model was: 'we publish the story, people read it', that is a one-way communications system. Now people can participate in our reporting, they can send us questions, they can send us comments, they can help shape our coverage."
Jeffrey DvorkinBut with American newspaper circulation declining by as much as two percent a year, the Internet may be a double-edged sword. This is posing some tough challenges, according to Jeffrey Dvorkin of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. "We know that as circulation figures decline, as fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers in the United States and even watching or listening to mainstream television and radio, news organizations are trying to think where is the audience going. A lot of the audience, certainly the younger audience, is going to the internet."
And content on the internet can sometimes generate news and affect government policies. The news media last year reported on a Malaysian video clip circulating on the internet showing police mistreatment of a nude ethnic Chinese woman under detention in Kuala Lumpur. This incident of police abuse had international repercussions, causing Malaysia's home minister to launch an investigation as China expressed its displeasure.
Such rapid spread of information via the internet -- and also by satellite television -- is having a profound impact on societies. American University journalism professor Christopher Simpson says one effect is to strengthen human rights.
"There are a number of trends associated with this. One of them is, at least, a potentially a greater strength for human rights movements, non-governmental groups that type of thing to use the tools that are available to both capture information about peoples' lives and to broadcast or transmit that information. That means that the silence that surrounds extreme poverty, for example, can be broken more easily than before. The silence that tends to surround police brutality, called by whatever name, tends to be easier to break than previously."
This is why the Internet is censored in places like China, and reception of satellite television is banned by repressive countries. Yet - as the recent launches of Al-Jazeera International and "France 24" demonstrates -- there appears to be a growing global appetite for satellite television services broadcasting news and information.
This expansion of information delivery is a healthy development, says professor Simpson, because it can help foster democracy. "The raw material of democracy, of freedom, of power is that people understand what is going on around them. They understand what their society is doing, they understand what their rulers are doing. So in order for that to happen at all, they must have information and they must have accurate information."
While accurate information is the goal, not everything being broadcast or on the Internet is accurate. There are also concerns also that the quality of the news product may be adversely affected as journalists face growing pressures to rush their material onto websites. The public editor of the New York Times recently raised this question, wondering whether speed can be balanced with completeness.
In the end, traditional media such as newspapers are likely to adapt and survive these technological changes. What is not likely to change is the power of the written word, according to McClatchy's Jim Van Nostrand. "For all of the things that the internet offers, it is still a medium of the written word. That's not going to go away. You still need reporters to go out and ask questions and interview people and tell stories. The internet gives us other tools to tell those stories but the written word isn't going to go away."
And as long as this is true, the growing proliferation of ideas and information will continue.
location based services
Satellite television and the expanding power of the Internet are not only changing the way news is delivered, but also the perception of what news is and the way journalists do their jobs. These changes are having a profound impact on the news business while at the same time providing societies with more information that can help strengthen freedom, democracy and human rights. VOA's Bill Rodgers has more in this report.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast in 2005, devastating New Orleans and wrecking havoc elsewhere in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Knight Ridder news service sprang into action to support one of its subscriber newspapers. Now owned by the McClatchy newspaper chain, Knight Ridder's Washington bureau helped the storm-devastated Biloxi Sun Herald in Mississippi get its content on line.
Jim Van NostrandJim Van Nostrand, who is now senior editor for McClatchy Interactive, describes what happened. "We used audio and video and user-generated content to great effect there. People were able to upload their photos of their houses, upload photos of their neighborhoods, they were able to use message boards to talk neighbors to ask: 'hey, have you seen my mother or my uncle or my brother?'. I would say at least half of the content that we posted for Hurricane Katrina was stuff you wouldn't see in print. Message boards, audio, video that sort of thing."
The power of the Internet is increasingly transforming the way newspapers deliver their product -- the kind of product they deliver -- and their relationship with readers.
Van Nostrand adds, "It allows our readers to interact with us as they've never interacted before. It used to be the old model was: 'we publish the story, people read it', that is a one-way communications system. Now people can participate in our reporting, they can send us questions, they can send us comments, they can help shape our coverage."
Jeffrey DvorkinBut with American newspaper circulation declining by as much as two percent a year, the Internet may be a double-edged sword. This is posing some tough challenges, according to Jeffrey Dvorkin of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. "We know that as circulation figures decline, as fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers in the United States and even watching or listening to mainstream television and radio, news organizations are trying to think where is the audience going. A lot of the audience, certainly the younger audience, is going to the internet."
And content on the internet can sometimes generate news and affect government policies. The news media last year reported on a Malaysian video clip circulating on the internet showing police mistreatment of a nude ethnic Chinese woman under detention in Kuala Lumpur. This incident of police abuse had international repercussions, causing Malaysia's home minister to launch an investigation as China expressed its displeasure.
Such rapid spread of information via the internet -- and also by satellite television -- is having a profound impact on societies. American University journalism professor Christopher Simpson says one effect is to strengthen human rights.
"There are a number of trends associated with this. One of them is, at least, a potentially a greater strength for human rights movements, non-governmental groups that type of thing to use the tools that are available to both capture information about peoples' lives and to broadcast or transmit that information. That means that the silence that surrounds extreme poverty, for example, can be broken more easily than before. The silence that tends to surround police brutality, called by whatever name, tends to be easier to break than previously."
This is why the Internet is censored in places like China, and reception of satellite television is banned by repressive countries. Yet - as the recent launches of Al-Jazeera International and "France 24" demonstrates -- there appears to be a growing global appetite for satellite television services broadcasting news and information.
This expansion of information delivery is a healthy development, says professor Simpson, because it can help foster democracy. "The raw material of democracy, of freedom, of power is that people understand what is going on around them. They understand what their society is doing, they understand what their rulers are doing. So in order for that to happen at all, they must have information and they must have accurate information."
While accurate information is the goal, not everything being broadcast or on the Internet is accurate. There are also concerns also that the quality of the news product may be adversely affected as journalists face growing pressures to rush their material onto websites. The public editor of the New York Times recently raised this question, wondering whether speed can be balanced with completeness.
In the end, traditional media such as newspapers are likely to adapt and survive these technological changes. What is not likely to change is the power of the written word, according to McClatchy's Jim Van Nostrand. "For all of the things that the internet offers, it is still a medium of the written word. That's not going to go away. You still need reporters to go out and ask questions and interview people and tell stories. The internet gives us other tools to tell those stories but the written word isn't going to go away."
And as long as this is true, the growing proliferation of ideas and information will continue.
Samsung Launches the World’s First 'Optical Joystick' Phone
location based services
Samsung 's latest ‘Optical Joystick' Phone (Model: SCH-V960) is suited with the latest technology that may revolutionize the way users interact with the menu and user interface of mobile handsets. Users utilize the optical joystick key by placing their finger and moving a cursor to navigate through the menu, similar to a cursor of a mouse on a PC . Optical sensors will read and react to users' finger movement, thus breaking down the traditional four-way menu navigation and providing 360 degrees of freedom. The familiarity and free movement of the V960's Optical Joystick will result in quick and hassle-free menu navigation. Users can point the cursor and click directly on icons on MyScreen, similar interface to that on a PC environment, and gain direct access to frequently used menus such as photo album, messaging, and music menu. Users can also use the Optical Joystick to easily scroll through the play list while listening to their music.
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Mobile Phones All the latest brands Large range - Australian stores
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Through an illumination sensor, the Samsung V960 also includes a 'Smart Lighting' feature that automatically controls the brightness of the LCD screen and keypad. By using the 'Smart Lighting' feature, users are protected from eye strain and will minimize power consumption for increased efficiency. In addition, the V960 also supports a 2 megapixel camera, GPS and Bluetooth function. Kitae Lee, P resident of Samsung's Telecommunication and Network Business said, “As the importance of user-friendly interface increases, Samsung is researching and developing methods that enhances intuitive use of mobile phones. Samsung will continue to combine innovative idea and the latest technology that will benefit our end users." The V960 will be launched in the Korean market at the end of December.
location based services
Samsung 's latest ‘Optical Joystick' Phone (Model: SCH-V960) is suited with the latest technology that may revolutionize the way users interact with the menu and user interface of mobile handsets. Users utilize the optical joystick key by placing their finger and moving a cursor to navigate through the menu, similar to a cursor of a mouse on a PC . Optical sensors will read and react to users' finger movement, thus breaking down the traditional four-way menu navigation and providing 360 degrees of freedom. The familiarity and free movement of the V960's Optical Joystick will result in quick and hassle-free menu navigation. Users can point the cursor and click directly on icons on MyScreen, similar interface to that on a PC environment, and gain direct access to frequently used menus such as photo album, messaging, and music menu. Users can also use the Optical Joystick to easily scroll through the play list while listening to their music.
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
Which Mobile Phone Search our Directory of the Top 10 Australian Mobile Phone Providers
Mobile Phones All the latest brands Large range - Australian stores
Buy The Samsung E370 Cheap Text Messaging and Calls Free delivery. Buy Online Now!
Through an illumination sensor, the Samsung V960 also includes a 'Smart Lighting' feature that automatically controls the brightness of the LCD screen and keypad. By using the 'Smart Lighting' feature, users are protected from eye strain and will minimize power consumption for increased efficiency. In addition, the V960 also supports a 2 megapixel camera, GPS and Bluetooth function. Kitae Lee, P resident of Samsung's Telecommunication and Network Business said, “As the importance of user-friendly interface increases, Samsung is researching and developing methods that enhances intuitive use of mobile phones. Samsung will continue to combine innovative idea and the latest technology that will benefit our end users." The V960 will be launched in the Korean market at the end of December.
Location Is Going Everywhere at the 2007 O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference
The O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference brings together the people, projects, and issues building the new technological foundations and creating value in the location industry.
Sebastopol, CA-- The Where 2.0 call for participation is now open and the program committee is seeking speakers to debate and discuss what's viable in the location space now, and what's lurking just below the radar. Where 2.0 takes place May 29-30, 2007 at the Fairmont in San Jose, California. Proposals are due no later than January 5, 2007; registration opens in February 2007. O'Reilly Media is now accepting proposals from people interested in leading the charge into the location frontier: GIS veterans, technology evangelists, developers and hackers, neogeographers, CxOs, business developers, entrepreneurs, activists, and artists. Where 2.0 is a two-day, single-track conference featuring a unique combination of high profile keynotes with established players, lightning talks, panel discussions, demos, high order bits, the Where Fair, and much more. "The thrust of the program for the 2007 conference will answer the question, 'Where's the value?' Every lasting fantastic technical innovation has built value around it, and the new world of networked geographic tools follows the same rule," notes program chair Brady Forrest. "We'll be looking at the latest Where 2.0 technology, businesses, and content with an emphasis on these questions: How can developers make money at this? What applications have legs? How can enterprises make money using this?" Some of the technologies and transformations on the program committee's radar include: -Local search and advertising is driving this new wave of innovation, but the models aren't set yet. What are the new trends? What are companies going to do to get a piece of the local advertising market? How will this impact mobile applications? -All of the major players have started adding the ability to mod their sites' maps, evidence that there is a desire from users to geotag their data in order to use it elsewhere. Formats are still being decided. Who will end up with the best data? Who will own it? Will users be able to take it with them? What effect will GeoDRM have? - There is always more data to be collected, even if it hasn't been formally released. Who has rights to this data? What about pubic GIS data? Every country has it own policies and restrictions, how will and should they change as the need for it increases? -The open source GIS stack rivals the proprietary one. What are the new advances in the open source stack? Where are they pushing the GIS software companies? -Cheap sensors are become ubiquitous and increasingly web-based. Right now they are being used to track traffic, give out speeding tickets, detect the weather, and turn on the music in our homes. Where is this technology going and how will it affect our lives? -Bluetooth, WiFi... these are the ingredients of ultra-local applications. It seems like users would want them but they haven't taken off yet. Is the killer app around the corner or is this never going to truly take off? -Location-based services are increasingly being added to mobile phones. What will the next innovations be and where will they come from? Handset manufacturers? Carriers? Or a startup that outflanks both? -Visualization: Tools like Google Earth, Sketchup, Frappr, and Spaceland have turned us all into voyeurs and neogeographers. What are the advances in this area? -With greater access to location and sensor data comes greater concern for privacy. How are companies preparing for this? How will society react? -Maps can be used to convey powerful messages and forecast potential doom. Geodata and software will be needed through out the world by governments and NGOs. What are they doing with it right now and what will be needed in the future? Now in it's third year, the O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference is where the grassroots and leading edge developers building location aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. In the O'Reilly conference tradition, Where 2.0 presents leading trends rather than chasing them. There's no better place to meet the people behind the mash-ups, the people behind the platforms, and the people looking ahead to the future of geospatial. Additional Resources: For complete conference details, visit: http://conferences.oreilly.com/where
Read the Where conference blog for the latest event announcements and news: http://www.oreillynet.com/conferences/blog/where
The O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference brings together the people, projects, and issues building the new technological foundations and creating value in the location industry.
Sebastopol, CA-- The Where 2.0 call for participation is now open and the program committee is seeking speakers to debate and discuss what's viable in the location space now, and what's lurking just below the radar. Where 2.0 takes place May 29-30, 2007 at the Fairmont in San Jose, California. Proposals are due no later than January 5, 2007; registration opens in February 2007. O'Reilly Media is now accepting proposals from people interested in leading the charge into the location frontier: GIS veterans, technology evangelists, developers and hackers, neogeographers, CxOs, business developers, entrepreneurs, activists, and artists. Where 2.0 is a two-day, single-track conference featuring a unique combination of high profile keynotes with established players, lightning talks, panel discussions, demos, high order bits, the Where Fair, and much more. "The thrust of the program for the 2007 conference will answer the question, 'Where's the value?' Every lasting fantastic technical innovation has built value around it, and the new world of networked geographic tools follows the same rule," notes program chair Brady Forrest. "We'll be looking at the latest Where 2.0 technology, businesses, and content with an emphasis on these questions: How can developers make money at this? What applications have legs? How can enterprises make money using this?" Some of the technologies and transformations on the program committee's radar include: -Local search and advertising is driving this new wave of innovation, but the models aren't set yet. What are the new trends? What are companies going to do to get a piece of the local advertising market? How will this impact mobile applications? -All of the major players have started adding the ability to mod their sites' maps, evidence that there is a desire from users to geotag their data in order to use it elsewhere. Formats are still being decided. Who will end up with the best data? Who will own it? Will users be able to take it with them? What effect will GeoDRM have? - There is always more data to be collected, even if it hasn't been formally released. Who has rights to this data? What about pubic GIS data? Every country has it own policies and restrictions, how will and should they change as the need for it increases? -The open source GIS stack rivals the proprietary one. What are the new advances in the open source stack? Where are they pushing the GIS software companies? -Cheap sensors are become ubiquitous and increasingly web-based. Right now they are being used to track traffic, give out speeding tickets, detect the weather, and turn on the music in our homes. Where is this technology going and how will it affect our lives? -Bluetooth, WiFi... these are the ingredients of ultra-local applications. It seems like users would want them but they haven't taken off yet. Is the killer app around the corner or is this never going to truly take off? -Location-based services are increasingly being added to mobile phones. What will the next innovations be and where will they come from? Handset manufacturers? Carriers? Or a startup that outflanks both? -Visualization: Tools like Google Earth, Sketchup, Frappr, and Spaceland have turned us all into voyeurs and neogeographers. What are the advances in this area? -With greater access to location and sensor data comes greater concern for privacy. How are companies preparing for this? How will society react? -Maps can be used to convey powerful messages and forecast potential doom. Geodata and software will be needed through out the world by governments and NGOs. What are they doing with it right now and what will be needed in the future? Now in it's third year, the O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference is where the grassroots and leading edge developers building location aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. In the O'Reilly conference tradition, Where 2.0 presents leading trends rather than chasing them. There's no better place to meet the people behind the mash-ups, the people behind the platforms, and the people looking ahead to the future of geospatial. Additional Resources: For complete conference details, visit: http://conferences.oreilly.com/where
Read the Where conference blog for the latest event announcements and news: http://www.oreillynet.com/conferences/blog/where
Monday, December 18, 2006
Navigating the GPS Price War
location based services
With rebates and discounts as steep as 50%, navigation device makers' fierce fight for market share is challenging established players Garmin and TomTom
by Arik Hesseldahl
Technology
Sometimes the race goes not to the swift, but to those who can slash prices the most.
That might explain some of the recent price cuts in the personal navigation device market by the likes of Garmin (GRMN), TomTom (TMOAF), and Magellan.
Consider moves by Olathe (Kan.)-based Garmin, which broke $1 billion in sales last year selling navigation devices for motorists, hikers, boaters, and pilots. In-car navigation devices are among the must-have devices this holiday season, and Garmin is locked in a share battle with Dutch upstart TomTom.
Enter the Wild Card
Garmin has slashed retail prices across its automotive line by $50 to $100 and boosted rebates for existing inventory, according to a Dec. 1 research note issued by Jim Duffy, an analyst with Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco. Duffy based that conclusion on checks with 40 retail chains. The response from TomTom? A doubling of its own rebate from $50 to $100 and an extension of its eligible rebate period into early January, 2007.
But a third player has given Garmin and TomTom headaches—and it may be one you've never heard of: Mitac. It's a Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer, which makes, among other things, personal navigation devices (PNDs) for other companies.
On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a Mitac-made device called the Mio DigiWalker was priced as low as $150, down from the $300 to $400 range, says analyst Rich Valera of Needham & Co. in New York (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/29/06, "Find Yourself with Mio's Mighty DigiWalker"). "It was a one-time thing, but they sold a ton of them," Valera says. "It subsequently went back up in price, but I think it was meant to boost some name recognition."
Commodity Conundrum
Stunts like that are the stuff of nightmares for Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. Navigation devices aren't hard to make. The globe-covering navigation signals from the U.S.-made and taxpayer-funded Global Positioning System constellation of satellites are free for the taking, and GPS chips from companies such as SiRF Technology (SIRF) aren't exactly expensive (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/29/06, "GPS Navigates Onto Holiday Wish Lists"). Nor are the services of a low-cost manufacturing partner, like those found in Taiwan and China in such great numbers.
If the devices are so easy to make, the thinking goes, what's to keep personal navigation gadgets from becoming a commodity whose features and functions are inherently equal but whose price is the main differentiator—following the same path as PCs and wireless phones?
"I did talk to Garmin about it," Valera says. "They didn't think the sell-through on that product was all that strong. Even so, this is the kind of competitor you worry about."
A Garmin spokeswoman, asked about the recent price adjustments, said the changes were in line with already established plans for the holiday season. Calls to executives at TomTom were not immediately returned.
Too Hot for Philips
But it's clear that the market for PNDs is suddenly very hot, particularly for retailers. The U.S. market leader, at least so far as units used in cars are concerned, is TomTom, which sold 1.2 million units in its third quarter, according to a report issued Oct. 26. The company said it expects to finish the year with sales of 4.4 million to 4.7 million units.
In the same quarter, Garmin sold 1.23 million units—though not all of those were to be used in cars. Garmin also caters to boaters, hikers, and joggers and derives about 65% of its revenue from sales of in-car units.
location based services
With rebates and discounts as steep as 50%, navigation device makers' fierce fight for market share is challenging established players Garmin and TomTom
by Arik Hesseldahl
Technology
Sometimes the race goes not to the swift, but to those who can slash prices the most.
That might explain some of the recent price cuts in the personal navigation device market by the likes of Garmin (GRMN), TomTom (TMOAF), and Magellan.
Consider moves by Olathe (Kan.)-based Garmin, which broke $1 billion in sales last year selling navigation devices for motorists, hikers, boaters, and pilots. In-car navigation devices are among the must-have devices this holiday season, and Garmin is locked in a share battle with Dutch upstart TomTom.
Enter the Wild Card
Garmin has slashed retail prices across its automotive line by $50 to $100 and boosted rebates for existing inventory, according to a Dec. 1 research note issued by Jim Duffy, an analyst with Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco. Duffy based that conclusion on checks with 40 retail chains. The response from TomTom? A doubling of its own rebate from $50 to $100 and an extension of its eligible rebate period into early January, 2007.
But a third player has given Garmin and TomTom headaches—and it may be one you've never heard of: Mitac. It's a Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer, which makes, among other things, personal navigation devices (PNDs) for other companies.
On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a Mitac-made device called the Mio DigiWalker was priced as low as $150, down from the $300 to $400 range, says analyst Rich Valera of Needham & Co. in New York (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/29/06, "Find Yourself with Mio's Mighty DigiWalker"). "It was a one-time thing, but they sold a ton of them," Valera says. "It subsequently went back up in price, but I think it was meant to boost some name recognition."
Commodity Conundrum
Stunts like that are the stuff of nightmares for Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. Navigation devices aren't hard to make. The globe-covering navigation signals from the U.S.-made and taxpayer-funded Global Positioning System constellation of satellites are free for the taking, and GPS chips from companies such as SiRF Technology (SIRF) aren't exactly expensive (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/29/06, "GPS Navigates Onto Holiday Wish Lists"). Nor are the services of a low-cost manufacturing partner, like those found in Taiwan and China in such great numbers.
If the devices are so easy to make, the thinking goes, what's to keep personal navigation gadgets from becoming a commodity whose features and functions are inherently equal but whose price is the main differentiator—following the same path as PCs and wireless phones?
"I did talk to Garmin about it," Valera says. "They didn't think the sell-through on that product was all that strong. Even so, this is the kind of competitor you worry about."
A Garmin spokeswoman, asked about the recent price adjustments, said the changes were in line with already established plans for the holiday season. Calls to executives at TomTom were not immediately returned.
Too Hot for Philips
But it's clear that the market for PNDs is suddenly very hot, particularly for retailers. The U.S. market leader, at least so far as units used in cars are concerned, is TomTom, which sold 1.2 million units in its third quarter, according to a report issued Oct. 26. The company said it expects to finish the year with sales of 4.4 million to 4.7 million units.
In the same quarter, Garmin sold 1.23 million units—though not all of those were to be used in cars. Garmin also caters to boaters, hikers, and joggers and derives about 65% of its revenue from sales of in-car units.
Sat-nav for blind 'not a gimmick'By
location based services
Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 1:52am GMT 19/12/2006
Blind residents of Turin have been equipped with GPS trackers so that they can be directed around the northern Italian city by satellite.
When wearing the device, a blind user can be tracked by call-centre workers on a map of the city. If he needs help, he can press a special button on a mobile phone to ring in and be guided towards his destination.
Another button can alert staff in case of an attack, or another emergency.
advertisement
document.write('');
The trial scheme, named Easy Walk, started last week.
It will be extended to 30 users in January and is expected to last three to four months before being rolled out to all of Piedmont's 3,000 blind people.
It will be free to users, but its cost to the regional government has not been revealed. The service runs 24 hours a day and can work across Italy and even France.
Federico Borgna, one of those involved in the trial, said his device had not so far given him any of the directional headaches that satellite navigation is notorious for.
"At first, the level of precision was dramatically off, but they have worked hard to correct it. The best thing about the service is the call-centre, because the person gives me instructions and then watches me as I go," he said.
Mercedes Bresso, who came up with the idea and who is also the head of the regional government, said the initiative was not "a gimmick," but "the start of a wider project to use new technologies to help people.
A blind person might not feel well and forget where the nearest pharmacy is. This service will solve that, and give them more autonomy."
The head of the Blind Association of Piedmont, Angelo Dalbano, said having a GPS tracker would give blind people the confidence to travel to new places.
malcolm.moore@telegraph.co.uk
location based services
Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 1:52am GMT 19/12/2006
Blind residents of Turin have been equipped with GPS trackers so that they can be directed around the northern Italian city by satellite.
When wearing the device, a blind user can be tracked by call-centre workers on a map of the city. If he needs help, he can press a special button on a mobile phone to ring in and be guided towards his destination.
Another button can alert staff in case of an attack, or another emergency.
advertisement
document.write('');
The trial scheme, named Easy Walk, started last week.
It will be extended to 30 users in January and is expected to last three to four months before being rolled out to all of Piedmont's 3,000 blind people.
It will be free to users, but its cost to the regional government has not been revealed. The service runs 24 hours a day and can work across Italy and even France.
Federico Borgna, one of those involved in the trial, said his device had not so far given him any of the directional headaches that satellite navigation is notorious for.
"At first, the level of precision was dramatically off, but they have worked hard to correct it. The best thing about the service is the call-centre, because the person gives me instructions and then watches me as I go," he said.
Mercedes Bresso, who came up with the idea and who is also the head of the regional government, said the initiative was not "a gimmick," but "the start of a wider project to use new technologies to help people.
A blind person might not feel well and forget where the nearest pharmacy is. This service will solve that, and give them more autonomy."
The head of the Blind Association of Piedmont, Angelo Dalbano, said having a GPS tracker would give blind people the confidence to travel to new places.
malcolm.moore@telegraph.co.uk
Elves Protest Santa, Inc.'s New Tracking Strategy
location based services
NORTH POLE – December 18th, 2006 – In a dramatic show of solidarity among Santa Inc.'s work-force, the Elves came together on December 1st to present Santa, Inc.'s CEO with a petition signed by all 20,000 elves who worked in the field on Christmas Eve delivering presents to all the good boys and girls. The petition stated Santa, Inc.'s upcoming implementation of an AVL tracking application on the elves cellular phones was not acceptable and against the corporate culture of Santa, Inc. The acting spokesman for the elves, Hermey "The Misfit" Elf, stated, "We are not against tracking Santa, Inc.'s Assets per se—its just that we don't consider ourselves wholly-owned by Santa, Inc. Track the sleighs, not the elves." Hermey and other elves at the Santa, Inc. headquarters were spotted wearing tee-shirts emblazoned with an "Elves Own Ourselves" slogan. Santa, Inc. had previously publicized a plan to roll-out phone handset tracking capabilities on Christmas Eve of this year, but has shelved those plans in favor of implementing tracking devices on all sleighs in the delivery fleet. "Automatic Sleigh Location (ASL) has always been a planned component of stream-lining our shipping and logistics operations," stated Mrs. Claus, the President and Chairman of the Board, "this is just the first year we will have it rolled out to all sleighs." "At Santa, Inc., we were just not expecting the negative feedback that our proposal to track the elves individually, via their cell phones, generated among our workforce," she added. In a last minute deal, brokered by Santa, Inc. with the support of their elf work-force, Chapel Hill, NC-based USAT Corp., a firm hired by Santa, Inc. in the past to enable wireless data communications between headquarters and all shopping mall-based Santas, was tapped by Santa, Inc. to install the ASL equipment into all sleighs during the latter part of the month of December. In order to achieve so many installs in such a short timeframe, Santa has agreed that 200 elves, managed by Hermey, will assist the USAT Corp. installation team after a training session given to Santa's workforce by Joe Goss, USAT Corp.'s National Installation Manager. "It is a very challenging schedule, but with good weather and full cooperation of the elves, we should get all the sleighs done on time," Goss said. About Santa, Inc. With approximately 60,000 employees in over 120 countries and no ongoing revenues, Santa, Inc. is one of the world's largest not-for-profit providers of holiday deliveries. Santa, Inc. designs and develops or sources gifts which it delivers to end-users via their proprietary CRM with a sophisticated, integrated "behavioral tracking system". For further information please visit www.usatcorp.com/santa
location based services
NORTH POLE – December 18th, 2006 – In a dramatic show of solidarity among Santa Inc.'s work-force, the Elves came together on December 1st to present Santa, Inc.'s CEO with a petition signed by all 20,000 elves who worked in the field on Christmas Eve delivering presents to all the good boys and girls. The petition stated Santa, Inc.'s upcoming implementation of an AVL tracking application on the elves cellular phones was not acceptable and against the corporate culture of Santa, Inc. The acting spokesman for the elves, Hermey "The Misfit" Elf, stated, "We are not against tracking Santa, Inc.'s Assets per se—its just that we don't consider ourselves wholly-owned by Santa, Inc. Track the sleighs, not the elves." Hermey and other elves at the Santa, Inc. headquarters were spotted wearing tee-shirts emblazoned with an "Elves Own Ourselves" slogan. Santa, Inc. had previously publicized a plan to roll-out phone handset tracking capabilities on Christmas Eve of this year, but has shelved those plans in favor of implementing tracking devices on all sleighs in the delivery fleet. "Automatic Sleigh Location (ASL) has always been a planned component of stream-lining our shipping and logistics operations," stated Mrs. Claus, the President and Chairman of the Board, "this is just the first year we will have it rolled out to all sleighs." "At Santa, Inc., we were just not expecting the negative feedback that our proposal to track the elves individually, via their cell phones, generated among our workforce," she added. In a last minute deal, brokered by Santa, Inc. with the support of their elf work-force, Chapel Hill, NC-based USAT Corp., a firm hired by Santa, Inc. in the past to enable wireless data communications between headquarters and all shopping mall-based Santas, was tapped by Santa, Inc. to install the ASL equipment into all sleighs during the latter part of the month of December. In order to achieve so many installs in such a short timeframe, Santa has agreed that 200 elves, managed by Hermey, will assist the USAT Corp. installation team after a training session given to Santa's workforce by Joe Goss, USAT Corp.'s National Installation Manager. "It is a very challenging schedule, but with good weather and full cooperation of the elves, we should get all the sleighs done on time," Goss said. About Santa, Inc. With approximately 60,000 employees in over 120 countries and no ongoing revenues, Santa, Inc. is one of the world's largest not-for-profit providers of holiday deliveries. Santa, Inc. designs and develops or sources gifts which it delivers to end-users via their proprietary CRM with a sophisticated, integrated "behavioral tracking system". For further information please visit www.usatcorp.com/santa
Year end TOP lists a plenty - LBS topping smartphone predictions?
location based services
I love this time of year... the year is ending and everyone and their dogs are coming out with their year in review best of and TOP picks and predictions for 2007. Once such list got my attention this morning. It was from mobile application sales channel Handango. They have their Top 7 picks for smartphone apps for 2007 and once again LBS (and GPS) are topping the picks. I don't want to be a prude but man, haven't we been hearing this for about 5 years now... LBS... the killer app! Now don't get me wrong, ofcourse I think LBS is a killer app but it may not be THE killer app. Indeed the penetration into the commercial application spce has been signifigant, for obviousl reasons... if you aren't location-enabling your commercial applications and solutions then you aren't in the game. But... to imply that "GPS-Enabled Location Based Services (LBS) Will Be Killer Applications" as Handango has is a bit of a stretch in my mind. HAndango is a consumer channel thus, their predictions are for the consumer space. Plain and simple... the consumer will not adopt GPS enabled apps in droves... not yet anyway. The obstacle is the sales channel, a problem that has plagued the mobile space for years. The consumer relies upon the sales clerk to sell him a sleek, cool device and the supporting services and these clerks simply aren't equipped to sell GPS, Geospatial, or LBS solutions (disclaimer: although the savvy user will ask for them). Here's just a small example... I recently signed up to activate 3 phones on the T-Mobile service. The clerk (a very helpful young guy) was eager to sell me the latest music and picture phone.. yadayada, until he realized I may know a think or 2 about the space... I pulled 3 smartphones out of my pocket that he'd never seen and blew him away with them (my Nokia N80, 7610, and 6680 - European edition). He proceeded to sell me a "my faves" plan and I left quite satisfied. The problem... unlocked devices are not able to take part in the plan.. the reaon being that only T-mobile provided phones come equipped with the required application software and settings... ooops... too bad the clerk wasn't aware of that! LOL - you can check out the Handango Smartphone Market's Top Seven in '07 HERE
location based services
I love this time of year... the year is ending and everyone and their dogs are coming out with their year in review best of and TOP picks and predictions for 2007. Once such list got my attention this morning. It was from mobile application sales channel Handango. They have their Top 7 picks for smartphone apps for 2007 and once again LBS (and GPS) are topping the picks. I don't want to be a prude but man, haven't we been hearing this for about 5 years now... LBS... the killer app! Now don't get me wrong, ofcourse I think LBS is a killer app but it may not be THE killer app. Indeed the penetration into the commercial application spce has been signifigant, for obviousl reasons... if you aren't location-enabling your commercial applications and solutions then you aren't in the game. But... to imply that "GPS-Enabled Location Based Services (LBS) Will Be Killer Applications" as Handango has is a bit of a stretch in my mind. HAndango is a consumer channel thus, their predictions are for the consumer space. Plain and simple... the consumer will not adopt GPS enabled apps in droves... not yet anyway. The obstacle is the sales channel, a problem that has plagued the mobile space for years. The consumer relies upon the sales clerk to sell him a sleek, cool device and the supporting services and these clerks simply aren't equipped to sell GPS, Geospatial, or LBS solutions (disclaimer: although the savvy user will ask for them). Here's just a small example... I recently signed up to activate 3 phones on the T-Mobile service. The clerk (a very helpful young guy) was eager to sell me the latest music and picture phone.. yadayada, until he realized I may know a think or 2 about the space... I pulled 3 smartphones out of my pocket that he'd never seen and blew him away with them (my Nokia N80, 7610, and 6680 - European edition). He proceeded to sell me a "my faves" plan and I left quite satisfied. The problem... unlocked devices are not able to take part in the plan.. the reaon being that only T-mobile provided phones come equipped with the required application software and settings... ooops... too bad the clerk wasn't aware of that! LOL - you can check out the Handango Smartphone Market's Top Seven in '07 HERE
Google and NASA pair up for virtual space exploration
location based services
The crunch of Martian soil underfoot and the feel of Martian wind against your cheek could one day be experienced by anyone with an internet connection as a result of a new collaboration between NASA and internet titan Google.
Google has already produced interactive maps of Mars and the Moon by combining their own software with NASA imagery (see NASA and Google bring Mars to PCs everywhere).
Now, NASA and Google have signed a Space Act Agreement that will see the two organisations cooperating to make more NASA data accessible to anyone on the internet.
"As we go back to the Moon, as we go on to Mars, as we go to near-Earth asteroids, we want every person not only in America but throughout the world to be able to travel with us and to feel the excitement of what it feels like to be on a new planet," says S. Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, US.
The collaboration could eventually lead to capabilities resembling those of the "holodeck" in Star Trek, Worden says. As future robots explore the surface of Mars, this technology "would enable people to feel the crunch of Martian soil underneath their feet as the robots move around – maybe feel the Martian wind on your face," he says.
Important mission
In the nearer term, the collaboration will make more of NASA's Moon and Mars imagery available for online exploration. Some Mars imagery is already accessible in 3D through a programme NASA developed called World Wind (see Space exploration program is out of this world).
Google feels NASA has an important mission that positively impacts humanity, says Google engineering director Daniel Clancy.
"Google is entering this because we're happy to see how we can help support that mission," he says. "We feel some of Google's technologies and capabilities can work with NASA to increase that impact."
Even though it is theoretically in the public domain, much of the data from NASA missions is not readily available to the public because it is in not in an easily usable form, says Ames business development director Chris Kemp.
He says NASA and Google are set to change that. "We want to make that information as useful and as accessible to everyone as possible," he says.
location based services
The crunch of Martian soil underfoot and the feel of Martian wind against your cheek could one day be experienced by anyone with an internet connection as a result of a new collaboration between NASA and internet titan Google.
Google has already produced interactive maps of Mars and the Moon by combining their own software with NASA imagery (see NASA and Google bring Mars to PCs everywhere).
Now, NASA and Google have signed a Space Act Agreement that will see the two organisations cooperating to make more NASA data accessible to anyone on the internet.
"As we go back to the Moon, as we go on to Mars, as we go to near-Earth asteroids, we want every person not only in America but throughout the world to be able to travel with us and to feel the excitement of what it feels like to be on a new planet," says S. Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, US.
The collaboration could eventually lead to capabilities resembling those of the "holodeck" in Star Trek, Worden says. As future robots explore the surface of Mars, this technology "would enable people to feel the crunch of Martian soil underneath their feet as the robots move around – maybe feel the Martian wind on your face," he says.
Important mission
In the nearer term, the collaboration will make more of NASA's Moon and Mars imagery available for online exploration. Some Mars imagery is already accessible in 3D through a programme NASA developed called World Wind (see Space exploration program is out of this world).
Google feels NASA has an important mission that positively impacts humanity, says Google engineering director Daniel Clancy.
"Google is entering this because we're happy to see how we can help support that mission," he says. "We feel some of Google's technologies and capabilities can work with NASA to increase that impact."
Even though it is theoretically in the public domain, much of the data from NASA missions is not readily available to the public because it is in not in an easily usable form, says Ames business development director Chris Kemp.
He says NASA and Google are set to change that. "We want to make that information as useful and as accessible to everyone as possible," he says.
First Internet-Connected GPS Device
location based services
December 15, 2006 Dash will be showing a very interesting device at the coming 2007 International CES in Las Vegas – the first Internet-connected GPS device. As it’s connected live to the rest of the world, the first GPS device with two-way connectivity, Dash Express has a rich set of real-time features to help consumers make smart decisions behind the wheel. It will for example, get you where you want to go in the fastest time possible using information generated from other Dash devices in the company’s driver network. You can select from three routes for any destination based on accurate travel time forecasts from the network. It’ll also enable you to find virtually anything -- people, places, products and services -- using Internet-enabled local search, send addresses from any computer right to your dashboard and make sure you always have the most up-to-date maps and software. Dash will be available in California in spring 2007, and will be available nationally in fall 2007.
location based services
December 15, 2006 Dash will be showing a very interesting device at the coming 2007 International CES in Las Vegas – the first Internet-connected GPS device. As it’s connected live to the rest of the world, the first GPS device with two-way connectivity, Dash Express has a rich set of real-time features to help consumers make smart decisions behind the wheel. It will for example, get you where you want to go in the fastest time possible using information generated from other Dash devices in the company’s driver network. You can select from three routes for any destination based on accurate travel time forecasts from the network. It’ll also enable you to find virtually anything -- people, places, products and services -- using Internet-enabled local search, send addresses from any computer right to your dashboard and make sure you always have the most up-to-date maps and software. Dash will be available in California in spring 2007, and will be available nationally in fall 2007.
www.mashedhotels.com
location based services
This site is part of the Mashed World site network. The site is centred upon an interactive Google map showing places of interest in multiple categories around the world. The site features a powerful Hotel Search facility, combining hotel listings to give you a one-stop place to View, Compare and Book Online hotels anywhere in the world.
When the map is zoomed out, destination markers are used to represent villages, towns and cities. The size of these markers is based upon the total number of hotels and tourist attractions at that destination.
Click to view these countries on the main map. More countries and destinations are listed in the destinations section on the left hand side of the screen.
London and the U.K.
Prague
Thailand
The Bahamas
Mexico
U.S.A.
Italy
Netherlands
Kazakhstan
Currently we display places in the following categories :Hotels - We have a sizeable collection of hotels from three different hotel booking networks. About 100,000 hotels and condos are listed, all of which can be booked online. (Note: a few of these listings are duplicates). Filters can let you select hotels within a certain price range or service level.Capital Cities - Locations of capital cities plus key country facts are shown on the map. Popular Destinations - This category is under development. We are looking for people to submit destination reports - please contact us if you are interested. Airports - 3,000 airports are displayed on the map. These range from large international airports to small local airports and even military airbases. Select an airport then click the zoom control to take a closer look. Landmarks - Landmarks from around the world are listed. We aim to expand this section soon and correct a few placement errors in this database. Further categories - We plan to add additional place categories over time. We are also on the look-out for existing place lists to add to the site. If you have a place database you would like to add please contact us.
Technical Notes1. The aims of the Mashed World web sites are to
Present a continuous map that self-updates when the viewpoint is changed.
Display as many markers as possible on the map.
Maximize the map size.
Present information in a straightforward intuitive way. 2. This site is best viewed in at least 1024 x 768. 3. The map works best with Firefox. Maps update slowly in Internet Explorer 6. 4. On the map an option called 'Limit Displayed Markers' can be changed (by default this option is enabled). You can switch off the 'Limit Displayed Markers' option to view place markers at more zoom levels, although the map will take slightly longer to load as a result. 5. Use the map Pan and Zooming capabilities to navigate the worldwide map. You can use the mouse to drag and drop the map viewpoint (panning). 6. Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out of the map. 7. The '+' and '-' keys can also be used to zoom. 8. Select place categories to filter which places are displayed. The Hotel category has additional options which let you select hotels of different star ratings and/or within a specified price range. 9. More information is available on the Help Page. 10. Please let us know if you have any comments, questions or suggestions about the site using the Contact Page.
location based services
This site is part of the Mashed World site network. The site is centred upon an interactive Google map showing places of interest in multiple categories around the world. The site features a powerful Hotel Search facility, combining hotel listings to give you a one-stop place to View, Compare and Book Online hotels anywhere in the world.
When the map is zoomed out, destination markers are used to represent villages, towns and cities. The size of these markers is based upon the total number of hotels and tourist attractions at that destination.
Click to view these countries on the main map. More countries and destinations are listed in the destinations section on the left hand side of the screen.
London and the U.K.
Prague
Thailand
The Bahamas
Mexico
U.S.A.
Italy
Netherlands
Kazakhstan
Currently we display places in the following categories :Hotels - We have a sizeable collection of hotels from three different hotel booking networks. About 100,000 hotels and condos are listed, all of which can be booked online. (Note: a few of these listings are duplicates). Filters can let you select hotels within a certain price range or service level.Capital Cities - Locations of capital cities plus key country facts are shown on the map. Popular Destinations - This category is under development. We are looking for people to submit destination reports - please contact us if you are interested. Airports - 3,000 airports are displayed on the map. These range from large international airports to small local airports and even military airbases. Select an airport then click the zoom control to take a closer look. Landmarks - Landmarks from around the world are listed. We aim to expand this section soon and correct a few placement errors in this database. Further categories - We plan to add additional place categories over time. We are also on the look-out for existing place lists to add to the site. If you have a place database you would like to add please contact us.
Technical Notes1. The aims of the Mashed World web sites are to
Present a continuous map that self-updates when the viewpoint is changed.
Display as many markers as possible on the map.
Maximize the map size.
Present information in a straightforward intuitive way. 2. This site is best viewed in at least 1024 x 768. 3. The map works best with Firefox. Maps update slowly in Internet Explorer 6. 4. On the map an option called 'Limit Displayed Markers' can be changed (by default this option is enabled). You can switch off the 'Limit Displayed Markers' option to view place markers at more zoom levels, although the map will take slightly longer to load as a result. 5. Use the map Pan and Zooming capabilities to navigate the worldwide map. You can use the mouse to drag and drop the map viewpoint (panning). 6. Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out of the map. 7. The '+' and '-' keys can also be used to zoom. 8. Select place categories to filter which places are displayed. The Hotel category has additional options which let you select hotels of different star ratings and/or within a specified price range. 9. More information is available on the Help Page. 10. Please let us know if you have any comments, questions or suggestions about the site using the Contact Page.
Google Maps: Get from point A to B.. then C & D!
location based services
A new feature from Google Maps will help you plan your next roadtrip:The core Google Maps service has improved its directions feature by allowing you to enter more than 2 locations to plot directions between. Now when you plot directions between 2 points a link appears at the bottom of the instructions to the left labeled "Add Destination".Click this link to enter more places to add to your route plotting. It doesn't appear to have a limit for the number of locations you can add and it will also auto-complete places from your 'Saved Locations' area if you have this feature enabled. This looks to be active for most Google Maps countries: USA, Canada, UK & Ireland, Japan, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. Perhaps the next feature addition will help NASA plot directions from Earth, the Moon.. then Mars! :)
location based services
A new feature from Google Maps will help you plan your next roadtrip:The core Google Maps service has improved its directions feature by allowing you to enter more than 2 locations to plot directions between. Now when you plot directions between 2 points a link appears at the bottom of the instructions to the left labeled "Add Destination".Click this link to enter more places to add to your route plotting. It doesn't appear to have a limit for the number of locations you can add and it will also auto-complete places from your 'Saved Locations' area if you have this feature enabled. This looks to be active for most Google Maps countries: USA, Canada, UK & Ireland, Japan, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. Perhaps the next feature addition will help NASA plot directions from Earth, the Moon.. then Mars! :)
Google Maps: Get from point A to B.. then C & D!
location based services
A new feature from Google Maps will help you plan your next roadtrip:The core Google Maps service has improved its directions feature by allowing you to enter more than 2 locations to plot directions between. Now when you plot directions between 2 points a link appears at the bottom of the instructions to the left labeled "Add Destination".Click this link to enter more places to add to your route plotting. It doesn't appear to have a limit for the number of locations you can add and it will also auto-complete places from your 'Saved Locations' area if you have this feature enabled. This looks to be active for most Google Maps countries: USA, Canada, UK & Ireland, Japan, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. Perhaps the next feature addition will help NASA plot directions from Earth, the Moon.. then Mars! :)
location based services
A new feature from Google Maps will help you plan your next roadtrip:The core Google Maps service has improved its directions feature by allowing you to enter more than 2 locations to plot directions between. Now when you plot directions between 2 points a link appears at the bottom of the instructions to the left labeled "Add Destination".Click this link to enter more places to add to your route plotting. It doesn't appear to have a limit for the number of locations you can add and it will also auto-complete places from your 'Saved Locations' area if you have this feature enabled. This looks to be active for most Google Maps countries: USA, Canada, UK & Ireland, Japan, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. Perhaps the next feature addition will help NASA plot directions from Earth, the Moon.. then Mars! :)
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Key technology trends for 2007
location based services
Personal GPS/location aware applicationsYou can now buy a mini GPS receiver for under £100 which can communicate your geo-coordinates to your mobile phone via Bluetooth which can in turn be uploaded to the web. A whole crop of Web 2.0 apps are springing up to take advantage of this new data set (e.g. Plazes, Everytrail, Socialite). Even without GPS data there are location based services to suit, relying on other methods to ascertain your whereabouts, such as triangulating the mobile phone signal (e.g Dodgeball, ZoneTag). Location aware applications could just turn out to be the mobile internet's USP.
location based services
Personal GPS/location aware applicationsYou can now buy a mini GPS receiver for under £100 which can communicate your geo-coordinates to your mobile phone via Bluetooth which can in turn be uploaded to the web. A whole crop of Web 2.0 apps are springing up to take advantage of this new data set (e.g. Plazes, Everytrail, Socialite). Even without GPS data there are location based services to suit, relying on other methods to ascertain your whereabouts, such as triangulating the mobile phone signal (e.g Dodgeball, ZoneTag). Location aware applications could just turn out to be the mobile internet's USP.
Location Based Services from GPS
In a previous post, I made a reference to LBS (Location Based Services) on handsets having GPS capabilities. This post explores the market for such devices a little more. That these capabilities are inevitable goes without saying, but what is driving this trend now?
CDMA carriers have had GPS in their handsets all along. Qualcomm's gpsOne has provided the AGPS (Assisted GPS) hardware as a sort of freebie. Carriers are beginning to enable this only now. One report concludes that by the end of 2008, 25% of the WCDMA handsets will have GPS. A significant number of GSM phones will start to have this by next year end. The Nokia N95 phone uses GPS technology from TI. Advances in handset capabilities, better offerings from carriers and government regulations for emergency services (like E911) are the main driving factors.
GPS chip-makers can look forward to a good period of growth (although the CDMA market will still be controlled by Qualcomm). SiRF Technology Holdings (the leader), Atmel, Global Locate, GloNav, Nemerix, TI and u-Nav will be in ascendant mode.
Where will this leave the traditional navigation unit makers? It is already crowded - Garmin, Tom Tom, Dash Navigation, Magellan, Lowrance, HP, Alpine, Ares Digital and ... It is not a surprise that Philips decided to not to enter this bloodbath. In spite of a mad race to differentiate themselves with more and more meat (wireless capabilities, MP3 players, in-built satellite radio, contextual information on Points of Interest, etc), it is going to be rosy for only a short while before the consolidation starts.
But, Location Based Services themselves throw up lots of exciting possibilities for new companies and startups. ABI Research estimates that there will be upwards of 20 million subscribers for this by 2011. Watch this space.
Technorati Tags: ABI Research, AGPS, Alpine, Ares Digital Philips, Assisted GPS, Atmel, CDMA, Dash Navigation, E911, GPS, Garmin, GloNav, Global Locate, HP, LBS, Location Based Services, Lowrance, Magellan, Nemerix, Nokia N95, Qualcomm, SiRF Technology Holdings, TI, Tom Tom, WCDMA, gpsOne, u-Nav
In a previous post, I made a reference to LBS (Location Based Services) on handsets having GPS capabilities. This post explores the market for such devices a little more. That these capabilities are inevitable goes without saying, but what is driving this trend now?
CDMA carriers have had GPS in their handsets all along. Qualcomm's gpsOne has provided the AGPS (Assisted GPS) hardware as a sort of freebie. Carriers are beginning to enable this only now. One report concludes that by the end of 2008, 25% of the WCDMA handsets will have GPS. A significant number of GSM phones will start to have this by next year end. The Nokia N95 phone uses GPS technology from TI. Advances in handset capabilities, better offerings from carriers and government regulations for emergency services (like E911) are the main driving factors.
GPS chip-makers can look forward to a good period of growth (although the CDMA market will still be controlled by Qualcomm). SiRF Technology Holdings (the leader), Atmel, Global Locate, GloNav, Nemerix, TI and u-Nav will be in ascendant mode.
Where will this leave the traditional navigation unit makers? It is already crowded - Garmin, Tom Tom, Dash Navigation, Magellan, Lowrance, HP, Alpine, Ares Digital and ... It is not a surprise that Philips decided to not to enter this bloodbath. In spite of a mad race to differentiate themselves with more and more meat (wireless capabilities, MP3 players, in-built satellite radio, contextual information on Points of Interest, etc), it is going to be rosy for only a short while before the consolidation starts.
But, Location Based Services themselves throw up lots of exciting possibilities for new companies and startups. ABI Research estimates that there will be upwards of 20 million subscribers for this by 2011. Watch this space.
Technorati Tags: ABI Research, AGPS, Alpine, Ares Digital Philips, Assisted GPS, Atmel, CDMA, Dash Navigation, E911, GPS, Garmin, GloNav, Global Locate, HP, LBS, Location Based Services, Lowrance, Magellan, Nemerix, Nokia N95, Qualcomm, SiRF Technology Holdings, TI, Tom Tom, WCDMA, gpsOne, u-Nav
Internet and Satellite TV Change News Media, News Delivery
location based services
Satellite television and the expanding power of the Internet are not only changing the way news is delivered, but also the perception of what news is and the way journalists do their jobs. These changes are having a profound impact on the news business while at the same time providing societies with more information that can help strengthen freedom, democracy and human rights. VOA's Bill Rodgers has more in this report.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast in 2005, devastating New Orleans and wrecking havoc elsewhere in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Knight Ridder news service sprang into action to support one of its subscriber newspapers. Now owned by the McClatchy newspaper chain, Knight Ridder's Washington bureau helped the storm-devastated Biloxi Sun Herald in Mississippi get its content on line.
Jim Van NostrandJim Van Nostrand, who is now senior editor for McClatchy Interactive, describes what happened. "We used audio and video and user-generated content to great effect there. People were able to upload their photos of their houses, upload photos of their neighborhoods, they were able to use message boards to talk neighbors to ask: 'hey, have you seen my mother or my uncle or my brother?'. I would say at least half of the content that we posted for Hurricane Katrina was stuff you wouldn't see in print. Message boards, audio, video that sort of thing."
The power of the Internet is increasingly transforming the way newspapers deliver their product -- the kind of product they deliver -- and their relationship with readers.
Van Nostrand adds, "It allows our readers to interact with us as they've never interacted before. It used to be the old model was: 'we publish the story, people read it', that is a one-way communications system. Now people can participate in our reporting, they can send us questions, they can send us comments, they can help shape our coverage."
Jeffrey DvorkinBut with American newspaper circulation declining by as much as two percent a year, the Internet may be a double-edged sword. This is posing some tough challenges, according to Jeffrey Dvorkin of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. "We know that as circulation figures decline, as fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers in the United States and even watching or listening to mainstream television and radio, news organizations are trying to think where is the audience going. A lot of the audience, certainly the younger audience, is going to the internet."
And content on the internet can sometimes generate news and affect government policies. The news media last year reported on a Malaysian video clip circulating on the internet showing police mistreatment of a nude ethnic Chinese woman under detention in Kuala Lumpur. This incident of police abuse had international repercussions, causing Malaysia's home minister to launch an investigation as China expressed its displeasure.
Such rapid spread of information via the internet -- and also by satellite television -- is having a profound impact on societies. American University journalism professor Christopher Simpson says one effect is to strengthen human rights.
"There are a number of trends associated with this. One of them is, at least, a potentially a greater strength for human rights movements, non-governmental groups that type of thing to use the tools that are available to both capture information about peoples' lives and to broadcast or transmit that information. That means that the silence that surrounds extreme poverty, for example, can be broken more easily than before. The silence that tends to surround police brutality, called by whatever name, tends to be easier to break than previously."
This is why the Internet is censored in places like China, and reception of satellite television is banned by repressive countries. Yet - as the recent launches of Al-Jazeera International and "France 24" demonstrates -- there appears to be a growing global appetite for satellite television services broadcasting news and information.
This expansion of information delivery is a healthy development, says professor Simpson, because it can help foster democracy. "The raw material of democracy, of freedom, of power is that people understand what is going on around them. They understand what their society is doing, they understand what their rulers are doing. So in order for that to happen at all, they must have information and they must have accurate information."
While accurate information is the goal, not everything being broadcast or on the Internet is accurate. There are also concerns also that the quality of the news product may be adversely affected as journalists face growing pressures to rush their material onto websites. The public editor of the New York Times recently raised this question, wondering whether speed can be balanced with completeness.
In the end, traditional media such as newspapers are likely to adapt and survive these technological changes. What is not likely to change is the power of the written word, according to McClatchy's Jim Van Nostrand. "For all of the things that the internet offers, it is still a medium of the written word. That's not going to go away. You still need reporters to go out and ask questions and interview people and tell stories. The internet gives us other tools to tell those stories but the written word isn't going to go away."
And as long as this is true, the growing proliferation of ideas and information will continue.
location based services
Satellite television and the expanding power of the Internet are not only changing the way news is delivered, but also the perception of what news is and the way journalists do their jobs. These changes are having a profound impact on the news business while at the same time providing societies with more information that can help strengthen freedom, democracy and human rights. VOA's Bill Rodgers has more in this report.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast in 2005, devastating New Orleans and wrecking havoc elsewhere in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Knight Ridder news service sprang into action to support one of its subscriber newspapers. Now owned by the McClatchy newspaper chain, Knight Ridder's Washington bureau helped the storm-devastated Biloxi Sun Herald in Mississippi get its content on line.
Jim Van NostrandJim Van Nostrand, who is now senior editor for McClatchy Interactive, describes what happened. "We used audio and video and user-generated content to great effect there. People were able to upload their photos of their houses, upload photos of their neighborhoods, they were able to use message boards to talk neighbors to ask: 'hey, have you seen my mother or my uncle or my brother?'. I would say at least half of the content that we posted for Hurricane Katrina was stuff you wouldn't see in print. Message boards, audio, video that sort of thing."
The power of the Internet is increasingly transforming the way newspapers deliver their product -- the kind of product they deliver -- and their relationship with readers.
Van Nostrand adds, "It allows our readers to interact with us as they've never interacted before. It used to be the old model was: 'we publish the story, people read it', that is a one-way communications system. Now people can participate in our reporting, they can send us questions, they can send us comments, they can help shape our coverage."
Jeffrey DvorkinBut with American newspaper circulation declining by as much as two percent a year, the Internet may be a double-edged sword. This is posing some tough challenges, according to Jeffrey Dvorkin of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. "We know that as circulation figures decline, as fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers in the United States and even watching or listening to mainstream television and radio, news organizations are trying to think where is the audience going. A lot of the audience, certainly the younger audience, is going to the internet."
And content on the internet can sometimes generate news and affect government policies. The news media last year reported on a Malaysian video clip circulating on the internet showing police mistreatment of a nude ethnic Chinese woman under detention in Kuala Lumpur. This incident of police abuse had international repercussions, causing Malaysia's home minister to launch an investigation as China expressed its displeasure.
Such rapid spread of information via the internet -- and also by satellite television -- is having a profound impact on societies. American University journalism professor Christopher Simpson says one effect is to strengthen human rights.
"There are a number of trends associated with this. One of them is, at least, a potentially a greater strength for human rights movements, non-governmental groups that type of thing to use the tools that are available to both capture information about peoples' lives and to broadcast or transmit that information. That means that the silence that surrounds extreme poverty, for example, can be broken more easily than before. The silence that tends to surround police brutality, called by whatever name, tends to be easier to break than previously."
This is why the Internet is censored in places like China, and reception of satellite television is banned by repressive countries. Yet - as the recent launches of Al-Jazeera International and "France 24" demonstrates -- there appears to be a growing global appetite for satellite television services broadcasting news and information.
This expansion of information delivery is a healthy development, says professor Simpson, because it can help foster democracy. "The raw material of democracy, of freedom, of power is that people understand what is going on around them. They understand what their society is doing, they understand what their rulers are doing. So in order for that to happen at all, they must have information and they must have accurate information."
While accurate information is the goal, not everything being broadcast or on the Internet is accurate. There are also concerns also that the quality of the news product may be adversely affected as journalists face growing pressures to rush their material onto websites. The public editor of the New York Times recently raised this question, wondering whether speed can be balanced with completeness.
In the end, traditional media such as newspapers are likely to adapt and survive these technological changes. What is not likely to change is the power of the written word, according to McClatchy's Jim Van Nostrand. "For all of the things that the internet offers, it is still a medium of the written word. That's not going to go away. You still need reporters to go out and ask questions and interview people and tell stories. The internet gives us other tools to tell those stories but the written word isn't going to go away."
And as long as this is true, the growing proliferation of ideas and information will continue.
The future for Orange could soon be Google in your pocketDavid
location based services
Smith, technology correspondentSunday December 17, 2006The Observer
Google is on the move. The internet giant has held talks with Orange, the mobile phone operator, about a multi-billion-dollar partnership to create a 'Google phone' which makes it easy to search the web wherever you are.
The collaboration between two of the most powerful brands in technology is seen as a potential catalyst for making internet use of mobile phones as natural as on desktop computers and laptops.
Executives from Orange flew to Silicon Valley in California for a meeting at Google's headquarters, or 'Googleplex', to hold preliminary discussions about a joint deal. The companies believe that they have an affinity as brands that are perceived as both 'positive' and 'innovative'.
Article continues
Their plans centre on a branded Google phone, which would probably also carry Orange's logo. The device would not be revolutionary: manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specialising in smart phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.
A source close to the talks told The Observer: 'Google are software experts and are doing some amazing work compressing data so that the mobile user gets a much better experience. They don't know so much about mobiles, but they are eager to learn from Orange's years of experience.'
Among the potential benefits are location-based searches: aware of your handset's geographical position, Google could offer a tailored list of local cinemas, restaurants and other amenities, and maps and images from Google Earth. It is believed that the Google phone would not go on sale before 2008.
Google value the expertise of Orange, which is owned by France Telecom, Europe's second-largest telecoms group. A joint deal could be highly lucrative. Google recently became Silicon Valley's most valuable business at £81bn, although it still has a long way to go to eclipse the Seattle-based Microsoft. France Telecom has had a rockier spell, but this year announced sales of £33bn.
Tony Cooper, a telecoms consultant at Deloitte, said: 'There are numerous situations in which people say "I wish I had Google in my hand", and I can imagine the younger generation of users would think that a Google phone is a cool idea. It could bring in location-based searches like "Find a Thai restaurant in my area".'
He added: 'It has a potential to be a success, and to offer commercial success for both companies, particularly if Orange can link it to its broadband offering. If I was Orange, I'd want to get a share of the ad click-through revenues; if I was Google, I'd want a share of the airtime revenue. The potential stumbling block is if it's clunky and hard to use.'
Google already offers its search engine and other services on mobile phones. It has a partnership with Vodafone and last month announced a broadband agreement with the operator 3. It is working to make youTube, the video-sharing site it bought recently for £870m, easily accessible on handsets. But it is eager to expand in what experts see as a huge potential market, possibly the key to the future of the internet.
Manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola are working to make the mobile internet commonplace. Earlier this year Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice-president of Nokia, said at a product show in New York: 'In the mid-Nineties I said that if you don't have a mobile phone you will be making a declaration that you wanted to be outside organised society. People said I was crazy, but now everybody has a mobile phone. Today I'm saying that in 10 years' time the same will be true if you don't have the full internet in your pocket.
A spokesman for Google said: 'We don't comment on market speculation and rumour, but we are focused on mobile and there's nothing new in our commitment to that space.' Orange declined to comment.
location based services
Smith, technology correspondentSunday December 17, 2006The Observer
Google is on the move. The internet giant has held talks with Orange, the mobile phone operator, about a multi-billion-dollar partnership to create a 'Google phone' which makes it easy to search the web wherever you are.
The collaboration between two of the most powerful brands in technology is seen as a potential catalyst for making internet use of mobile phones as natural as on desktop computers and laptops.
Executives from Orange flew to Silicon Valley in California for a meeting at Google's headquarters, or 'Googleplex', to hold preliminary discussions about a joint deal. The companies believe that they have an affinity as brands that are perceived as both 'positive' and 'innovative'.
Article continues
Their plans centre on a branded Google phone, which would probably also carry Orange's logo. The device would not be revolutionary: manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specialising in smart phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.
A source close to the talks told The Observer: 'Google are software experts and are doing some amazing work compressing data so that the mobile user gets a much better experience. They don't know so much about mobiles, but they are eager to learn from Orange's years of experience.'
Among the potential benefits are location-based searches: aware of your handset's geographical position, Google could offer a tailored list of local cinemas, restaurants and other amenities, and maps and images from Google Earth. It is believed that the Google phone would not go on sale before 2008.
Google value the expertise of Orange, which is owned by France Telecom, Europe's second-largest telecoms group. A joint deal could be highly lucrative. Google recently became Silicon Valley's most valuable business at £81bn, although it still has a long way to go to eclipse the Seattle-based Microsoft. France Telecom has had a rockier spell, but this year announced sales of £33bn.
Tony Cooper, a telecoms consultant at Deloitte, said: 'There are numerous situations in which people say "I wish I had Google in my hand", and I can imagine the younger generation of users would think that a Google phone is a cool idea. It could bring in location-based searches like "Find a Thai restaurant in my area".'
He added: 'It has a potential to be a success, and to offer commercial success for both companies, particularly if Orange can link it to its broadband offering. If I was Orange, I'd want to get a share of the ad click-through revenues; if I was Google, I'd want a share of the airtime revenue. The potential stumbling block is if it's clunky and hard to use.'
Google already offers its search engine and other services on mobile phones. It has a partnership with Vodafone and last month announced a broadband agreement with the operator 3. It is working to make youTube, the video-sharing site it bought recently for £870m, easily accessible on handsets. But it is eager to expand in what experts see as a huge potential market, possibly the key to the future of the internet.
Manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola are working to make the mobile internet commonplace. Earlier this year Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice-president of Nokia, said at a product show in New York: 'In the mid-Nineties I said that if you don't have a mobile phone you will be making a declaration that you wanted to be outside organised society. People said I was crazy, but now everybody has a mobile phone. Today I'm saying that in 10 years' time the same will be true if you don't have the full internet in your pocket.
A spokesman for Google said: 'We don't comment on market speculation and rumour, but we are focused on mobile and there's nothing new in our commitment to that space.' Orange declined to comment.
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