ZoneTag
ZoneTag Highlights
Two-click upload to Flickr
Get your photos uploaded to Flickr in merely two clicks. No more searching for your photo to MMS to your friends or copying them to your computer first.
Find your photos by location
ZoneTag can automatically tag your photos with the location they were taken at.
Real-time privacy controls
You can specify on your phone who sees each photo you upload. You can also choose if you want location tags added to each photo.
Real-time tagging
You can tag your photos on your cameraphone as you take them.
Easy setup
Your first photo will be on Flickr in five minutes. We'll take you through our quick and easy setup step-by-step.
Monday, February 27, 2006
geocoder.us: a free US address geocoder: "New! City, State, and ZIP code Geocoding
Geocoder.us now supports geocoding on ZIP code, or city and state. Read about city/state and ZIP code geocoding. This code is in Beta status, which means it probably works, but I don't yet have the programmer courage to label it 'done.'
New! Commercial Services!
Locative Technology is proud to offer licenses to use our web services for commercial or for-profit purposes.
Sign up for an account
Purchase 20,000 lookups for $50
Read the Documentation to Integrate your application (for both the free and pay services)
Log in to see your account status
Interested in development-free bulk geocoding? Learn how we have taken the work out of geocoding, and then contact our data bureau at databureau@geocoder.us.
Affordable for many different applications!
Get 4 lookups per 1�!
What is geocoder.us?
Geocoding is the process of estimating a latitude and longitude for a given location. Geocoder.us is a public service providing free geocoding of addresses and intersections in the United States. The geocoding service relies on Geo::Coder::US, a Perl module available for download from the CPAN.
How does it work?
The US Census Bureau provides location data for nearly every street and highway in the US in the form of the TIGER/Line data set, which runs to over 24 gigabytes uncompressed. Geo::Coder::US condenses the 2004 TIGER/Line data set down to a 750 megabyte BerkeleyDB database. A given address or intersection is parsed into its components, and the matching address range is searched for in the database. The address is then interpolated between the endpoints of the matching address range to estimate its latitude and longitude. For urban addresses, the coordinates given by Geo::Coder::US can be within 10 or 15 meters of t"
Geocoder.us now supports geocoding on ZIP code, or city and state. Read about city/state and ZIP code geocoding. This code is in Beta status, which means it probably works, but I don't yet have the programmer courage to label it 'done.'
New! Commercial Services!
Locative Technology is proud to offer licenses to use our web services for commercial or for-profit purposes.
Sign up for an account
Purchase 20,000 lookups for $50
Read the Documentation to Integrate your application (for both the free and pay services)
Log in to see your account status
Interested in development-free bulk geocoding? Learn how we have taken the work out of geocoding, and then contact our data bureau at databureau@geocoder.us.
Affordable for many different applications!
Get 4 lookups per 1�!
What is geocoder.us?
Geocoding is the process of estimating a latitude and longitude for a given location. Geocoder.us is a public service providing free geocoding of addresses and intersections in the United States. The geocoding service relies on Geo::Coder::US, a Perl module available for download from the CPAN.
How does it work?
The US Census Bureau provides location data for nearly every street and highway in the US in the form of the TIGER/Line data set, which runs to over 24 gigabytes uncompressed. Geo::Coder::US condenses the 2004 TIGER/Line data set down to a 750 megabyte BerkeleyDB database. A given address or intersection is parsed into its components, and the matching address range is searched for in the database. The address is then interpolated between the endpoints of the matching address range to estimate its latitude and longitude. For urban addresses, the coordinates given by Geo::Coder::US can be within 10 or 15 meters of t"
IBM Targets University Crowd With Mobile App | February 24, 2006: "The MobileU application will enable students to track busses. Students ask 'What time will the next bus arrive?' into their cell phones. Global Positioning Satellite devices inside buses use general packet radio service (GPRS) to transmit location to servers on campus and to students through mobile phones, which responds with audio. "
AskJeeves Fires Its Butler, Speeds Up Web Search February 27, 2006: "The new Ask.com features a toolbox that helps users refine more types of searches with the first click of their mouse for maps, images, dictionaries, weather, or documents stored on their computers.
By Reuters
InformationWeek
Feb 27, 2006 08:02 AM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The loyal butler is gone.
AskJeeves.com said on Monday that it has retired Jeeves, its mascot servant, and will now answer the door simply as Ask.com, adopting a self-service approach for users looking for a focused way to search the Web beyond guessing keywords.
The new Ask.com features a slick, do-it-yourself toolbox that helps users refine more types of searches with the first click of their computer mouse for maps, images, dictionaries, weather, local info or documents stored on their computers.
Users can select from up to 20 different types of specialized search tools Ask.com has developed. Later this year, Ask will encourage outside developers to build tools to perform more specialized searches, the company said.
More popular rival search sites from Google, Yahoo or MSN require multiple clicks to reach such specialized information.
'Other engines just do 10 blue links and ads around them. We have really gone a lot further,' Jim Lanzone, general manager of Ask.com, said in an interview.
'Users are going to experience a search engine that does more for them faster than any other search engine they use.'
AskJeeves, the fourth most popular U.S. Internet search site, started out in 1996 by promising concrete answers to questions posed by Web users. Jeeves, the butler character, was meant to symbolize this theoretically better form "
By Reuters
InformationWeek
Feb 27, 2006 08:02 AM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The loyal butler is gone.
AskJeeves.com said on Monday that it has retired Jeeves, its mascot servant, and will now answer the door simply as Ask.com, adopting a self-service approach for users looking for a focused way to search the Web beyond guessing keywords.
The new Ask.com features a slick, do-it-yourself toolbox that helps users refine more types of searches with the first click of their computer mouse for maps, images, dictionaries, weather, local info or documents stored on their computers.
Users can select from up to 20 different types of specialized search tools Ask.com has developed. Later this year, Ask will encourage outside developers to build tools to perform more specialized searches, the company said.
More popular rival search sites from Google, Yahoo or MSN require multiple clicks to reach such specialized information.
'Other engines just do 10 blue links and ads around them. We have really gone a lot further,' Jim Lanzone, general manager of Ask.com, said in an interview.
'Users are going to experience a search engine that does more for them faster than any other search engine they use.'
AskJeeves, the fourth most popular U.S. Internet search site, started out in 1996 by promising concrete answers to questions posed by Web users. Jeeves, the butler character, was meant to symbolize this theoretically better form "
Vodafone shares hit three-year low: "Mark Tran and agencies
Monday February 27, 2006
Shares in Vodafone today came under pressure after the mobile phone operator said its assets were overvalued by up to �28bn.
Vodafone fell by as much as 6.4% - a three-year low - as it admitted its revenue growth was likely to slow. It later recovered some of the losses.
The world's biggest mobile phone operator said it was writing off between �23bn and �28bn on the value of its operations in Germany, Italy and possibly Japan.
Article continues
It said most of the write-down was attributable to its German operations.
Vodafone acquired its German assets as a result of the controversial �178bn (�121.2bn) hostile takeover of Mannesmann in 2000, when telecoms shares were at their peak.
'We see the recent changes to the competitive landscape in Germany as more pronounced against our historic expectations than for any of our other major markets,' Arun Sarin, the chief executive, told reporters.
In other bad news for Vodafone shareholders, the company lowered its revenue forecasts.
It predicted mobile revenues growth - excluding acquisitions and disposals - of between 5% and 6.5% in the year to March 31 2007, compared with forecasts of 6% to 9% for the current financial year.
Vodafone also blamed tougher regulation for cuts to termination rates - the price mobile phone firms charge each other and landline operators for putting callers through to their customers.
Today's news will put further pressure on Mr Sarin, who has come under fire after Vodafone shares dropped steadily in the past year. However, he said he had the full support of the board.
He has come under heavy criticism for holding on to the company"
Monday February 27, 2006
Shares in Vodafone today came under pressure after the mobile phone operator said its assets were overvalued by up to �28bn.
Vodafone fell by as much as 6.4% - a three-year low - as it admitted its revenue growth was likely to slow. It later recovered some of the losses.
The world's biggest mobile phone operator said it was writing off between �23bn and �28bn on the value of its operations in Germany, Italy and possibly Japan.
Article continues
It said most of the write-down was attributable to its German operations.
Vodafone acquired its German assets as a result of the controversial �178bn (�121.2bn) hostile takeover of Mannesmann in 2000, when telecoms shares were at their peak.
'We see the recent changes to the competitive landscape in Germany as more pronounced against our historic expectations than for any of our other major markets,' Arun Sarin, the chief executive, told reporters.
In other bad news for Vodafone shareholders, the company lowered its revenue forecasts.
It predicted mobile revenues growth - excluding acquisitions and disposals - of between 5% and 6.5% in the year to March 31 2007, compared with forecasts of 6% to 9% for the current financial year.
Vodafone also blamed tougher regulation for cuts to termination rates - the price mobile phone firms charge each other and landline operators for putting callers through to their customers.
Today's news will put further pressure on Mr Sarin, who has come under fire after Vodafone shares dropped steadily in the past year. However, he said he had the full support of the board.
He has come under heavy criticism for holding on to the company"
SanDisk Announces 4 Gigabyte Memory Stick PRO Duo Cards
SanDisk Corporation has announced the 4 Gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO Duo card. The addition of this card to its high-speed SanDisk Ultra II line of flash memory cards represents a doubling of its highest capacity card in this card format.
The Ultra II cards are primarily targeted to advanced digital photographers with high-resolution digital cameras that require fast, large-capacity digital film cards to quickly shoot many high resolution images.
Each SanDisk Ultra II card features a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec. These fast write speeds are designed to take advantage of advanced digital camera features such as rapid fire, continuous-shooting modes or to capture digital video clips.
The SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO Duo comes in models ranging from 512MB to 2GB, and the 4GB model will be available in March 2006, with an expected retail price of US$239.99.
SanDisk Corporation has announced the 4 Gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO Duo card. The addition of this card to its high-speed SanDisk Ultra II line of flash memory cards represents a doubling of its highest capacity card in this card format.
The Ultra II cards are primarily targeted to advanced digital photographers with high-resolution digital cameras that require fast, large-capacity digital film cards to quickly shoot many high resolution images.
Each SanDisk Ultra II card features a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec. These fast write speeds are designed to take advantage of advanced digital camera features such as rapid fire, continuous-shooting modes or to capture digital video clips.
The SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO Duo comes in models ranging from 512MB to 2GB, and the 4GB model will be available in March 2006, with an expected retail price of US$239.99.
Memory-Map Topo PC and Pocket PC Software Review
This is such a cool package for map lovers and gadgeteers alike. It provides mapping and GPS integration capabilities for both PC and Pocket PC, with simple and almost seamless integration between the two. It also provides very powerful 3D explore and fly-through capability for the PC.
Both the PC software (Navigator) and the Pocket PC software (Pocket Navigator) can be used on their own to simply view and mark-up multiple map layers, and for route tracking and navigation with stand-alone GPS devices, as well as card, Bluetooth, or otherwise connected GPS receivers.
Memory-Map is comprised of map viewing software for the PC and Pocket PC, and a selection of maps and map layers, depending on which version of the product you purchase. Memory-Map sell a variety of map editions targeting specific interests such as boating and aviation, but the “Topo” edition reviewed here should cater for most land-based activities.
Memory-Map has products for many countries, and the quality, detail, and style of maps and imagery available in each country will vary. The New Zealand editions of Topo come with 7 distinct layers – each with different levels of detail and scale:
Streets – all streets labeled. With full searchable street index
1:50,000 Topographic Series map with contours and walking tracks. All streets, some labeled
Landsat satellite imagery
1:250,000 Terrain Series – all locations, most roads, relief shading
1:1,000,000 all New Zealand Base Map
1:3,000,000 all New Zealand Base Map
World map
All maps are calibrated to allow you to view the same location in many different ways. All the maps are bitmap scans of real maps and images and are generally stored in a proprietary QuickChart format. Maps are broken up into sections depending on the type of map, and will vary in size from about 400Kb for a simple section of the streets layer to 2,8Gb for the 1:50,000 South Island topographical map.
The standard software package comes with a “Discovery” license, which basically means you can view QuickChart maps only. They also offer an upgrade path to a “Professional” license (an extra $200US), which adds advanced overlay import/export (including ESRI Shapefiles), large-format printing and real-time tracking of remote parties.
With the onset of products like Google Map, our expectations for satellite imagery are getting higher every day. I must admit the satellite imagery on the Landsat layer was a bit disappointing, but still helpful, especially for 3D fly-throughs.
Memory-Map satellite imagery is still pretty low resolution
Memory-Map Topo maps for New Zealand are broken in 6 regions, with a single region, covering all the map layers, costing around NZ$68 all the North or South Island for NZ$170, or the whole country for NZ$297.
The PC Navigator software in itself is packed full of enough features to make this pricing a bargain, but with the inclusion of the Pocket PC Pocket Navigator software with all editions, it pretty much sets this package apart from most other consumer mapping systems around.
Both Navigator and Pocket Navigator have a very similar set of functionality, with the Navigator only really having a few extra features such as split/sync screens and 3D exploration.
You can move around and zoom in and out on any map, and change the view scale to go to a more detailed or less detailed map layer (if loaded).
You can create and manage overlay elements such as routes/tracks, marks (“Mark & Sue”), found locations (“Franklin Road, Auckland”), and long text/paragraph labels.
You can import and export recorded GPS data from/to an external GPS unit, and between the PC and Pocket PC, and you can track you location and movements live when connected to a GPS device. You can plan routes (a collection of linked points) or hand draw tracks over any map layer, and review recorded track information, including speed and elevation profiles. You can even set warning zones around parts of the map you wish to avoid or be notified of, and attach files of any type to a waypoint or mark.
The PC & Pocket PC versions can show satellite and fix information, as well as speed and elevation profiles of tracks. Importing from a non-Pocket PC GPS such as the Garmin 76CS was a breeze
The software supports on PC and Pocket PC a wide variety of GPS devices
Whilst the software cannot give street by street driving instructions, it will guide you along a pre-defined route you have entered, or keep an arrow pointed at a specified mark, which would be useful for both driving and hiking situations.
I did find it surprising and a tad annoying that there was no way, once configured, to stop the software (PC or Pocket PC) from listening for the GPS device, to stop it from recording. This would result in a warning dialog, on both versions, every time I would launch the application without a GPS.
Both Navigator and Pocket Navigator have a night colour mode, which meant that my eyes did not need to adjust when looking from the road to the map and back.
Pocket PC Pocket Navigator Integration
If you had a large enough storage card (7GB!), you could export all the NZ maps for use on a Pocket PC. But as this is not overly practical, you can choose to send out just portions of maps to the Pocket PC connected over ActiveSync, or to a storage card connected to your PC.
Sending a 2GB map to a PDA or storage card may be overkill, so you can just send the section you care about.
You can send maps to your Pocket PC if connected, or to a local storage card. Once I sent a few portions of a few maps to my Pocket PC, I plugged in my GlobalSat BC-337 compact flash GPS unit, and with a few minutes I was up and running, recording my travels.
The software plots the current location (the circle), records a track of movements, and gives a vector arrow indication of speed and direction (red line). I had entered a mark of the location of the house of a friend of mine, and selected to “Go to mark”. The big fat arrow indicator then showed up, and as long as I was moving, the software could calculate my current direction and indicate the direction to my destination.
You can interchange all overlay details between PC and Pocket PC, and export all place name database information to Pocket Navigator, allowing for full street searching on the Pocket PC. So I can enter information on either PC or Pocket PC and the information can be retained.
PC Navigator only features
Memory Map on the PC allows you to have a split screen for viewing different map scales and zoom levels, and the software will keep these in sync. It also allows you to view any map in 3D, including overlay elements, and can do 3D fly-throughs along routes and tracks. Very cool.
You can look around during a fly through by dragging the view with the mouse or using the arrow keys, letting you see something similar to what you would see if you were actually doing the route. You can even change the direction of the light source! You can combine the 3D fly through with the split screen, and other track analysis information for a fairly informative set of views.
You can split your viewing over two completely different map layers which keep in sync automatically
How about a quick trip across the Tararua Ranges' Southern Crossing - without even leaving your chair!
A synchronized 3D fly-throughs along the Southern Crossing track showing elevation profile information as we move. Note the red dot on both the elevation profile and on the bottom map showing where we are in our fly-through
The fly-through was very impressive, and I could pause, fast-forward, and rewind through the experience, and I could set some basic settings to try to achieve optimal rendering during the fly-through. However there wasn’t any way to slow down the speed of the fly through… not such a problem with long trips like the Southern Crossing, but a short fly through of a track I drove from my house to a mates only a few kilometers away sped past with not much chance to take in the sights so to speak!
I noticed sometimes on a fly through with tracks/routes visible, these sometimes have gaps in them. I was using a laptop which doesn’t have the hottest video card, so this probably had something to do with it. The rendering also varies depending on the angle and height you set your “viewpoint”, but in most situations, the effect is pretty good.
Navigator allows you to save any 3D fly-through as a standard uncompressed AVI file. Using video editing tools such as Microsoft’s Movie Maker (Free with Windows XP SP2), you can compress this down to a reasonable size, allowing you to share planned or past adventures with others. I found this feature a little rough around the edges as the rendering was very slow, the file sizes huge, and the fly-through would pause whenever the window lost focus, meaning I couldn’t leave this running as a background task. But I’m sure with a bit of patience and a better video card, a useful outcome could be achieved.
Using the 3D view you can see that our place is up a wee hill
Overall, I give this package 8 out of 10 for functionality, 8.5 out of 10 for coolness and ease of use, and 9 out of 10 for value for money.
The whole experience of using and configuring the software on both PC and Pocket PC was painless and fairly intuitive.
There’s a lot more to this software than what is covered here… I’ve only scratched the surface as to what it could do. I was particularly impressed with the barely reduced feature set provided within Pocket Navigator, and it was hard not to be impressed with the 3D capabilities on the PC.
If you like maps, combine this with any type of GPS receiver, and you’ll certainly be in for a fun time… and are unlikely to get lost!!
Memory-Map in New Zealand is distributed buy ampro.co.nz and can be purchased through at most outdoor adventure shops and online at efrontier.co.nz More information at memory-map.co.nz.
Pros
A feature-packed package for both PC and Pocket PC
Easy interchange of map, GPS, and other data between PC and Pocket PC, and integration with most GPS devices.
Easy route planning and impressive track analysis.
Quick map loading and scrolling.
Great 3D viewing and fly-throughs of any of the maps.
Synchronized split screen
Excellent inbuilt help.
Great value for money.
Cons (“Discoverer” license only).
Not true “navigation” software for driving
No vector maps.
Satellite layer not very detailed.
No easy way to turn GPS device on/off
No way to slow down the fly-throughs.
Video rendering process “delicate”.
Proprietary map format. Currently no other maps available, and cannot create your own map layers.
location based services LBS
This is such a cool package for map lovers and gadgeteers alike. It provides mapping and GPS integration capabilities for both PC and Pocket PC, with simple and almost seamless integration between the two. It also provides very powerful 3D explore and fly-through capability for the PC.
Both the PC software (Navigator) and the Pocket PC software (Pocket Navigator) can be used on their own to simply view and mark-up multiple map layers, and for route tracking and navigation with stand-alone GPS devices, as well as card, Bluetooth, or otherwise connected GPS receivers.
Memory-Map is comprised of map viewing software for the PC and Pocket PC, and a selection of maps and map layers, depending on which version of the product you purchase. Memory-Map sell a variety of map editions targeting specific interests such as boating and aviation, but the “Topo” edition reviewed here should cater for most land-based activities.
Memory-Map has products for many countries, and the quality, detail, and style of maps and imagery available in each country will vary. The New Zealand editions of Topo come with 7 distinct layers – each with different levels of detail and scale:
Streets – all streets labeled. With full searchable street index
1:50,000 Topographic Series map with contours and walking tracks. All streets, some labeled
Landsat satellite imagery
1:250,000 Terrain Series – all locations, most roads, relief shading
1:1,000,000 all New Zealand Base Map
1:3,000,000 all New Zealand Base Map
World map
All maps are calibrated to allow you to view the same location in many different ways. All the maps are bitmap scans of real maps and images and are generally stored in a proprietary QuickChart format. Maps are broken up into sections depending on the type of map, and will vary in size from about 400Kb for a simple section of the streets layer to 2,8Gb for the 1:50,000 South Island topographical map.
The standard software package comes with a “Discovery” license, which basically means you can view QuickChart maps only. They also offer an upgrade path to a “Professional” license (an extra $200US), which adds advanced overlay import/export (including ESRI Shapefiles), large-format printing and real-time tracking of remote parties.
With the onset of products like Google Map, our expectations for satellite imagery are getting higher every day. I must admit the satellite imagery on the Landsat layer was a bit disappointing, but still helpful, especially for 3D fly-throughs.
Memory-Map satellite imagery is still pretty low resolution
Memory-Map Topo maps for New Zealand are broken in 6 regions, with a single region, covering all the map layers, costing around NZ$68 all the North or South Island for NZ$170, or the whole country for NZ$297.
The PC Navigator software in itself is packed full of enough features to make this pricing a bargain, but with the inclusion of the Pocket PC Pocket Navigator software with all editions, it pretty much sets this package apart from most other consumer mapping systems around.
Both Navigator and Pocket Navigator have a very similar set of functionality, with the Navigator only really having a few extra features such as split/sync screens and 3D exploration.
You can move around and zoom in and out on any map, and change the view scale to go to a more detailed or less detailed map layer (if loaded).
You can create and manage overlay elements such as routes/tracks, marks (“Mark & Sue”), found locations (“Franklin Road, Auckland”), and long text/paragraph labels.
You can import and export recorded GPS data from/to an external GPS unit, and between the PC and Pocket PC, and you can track you location and movements live when connected to a GPS device. You can plan routes (a collection of linked points) or hand draw tracks over any map layer, and review recorded track information, including speed and elevation profiles. You can even set warning zones around parts of the map you wish to avoid or be notified of, and attach files of any type to a waypoint or mark.
The PC & Pocket PC versions can show satellite and fix information, as well as speed and elevation profiles of tracks. Importing from a non-Pocket PC GPS such as the Garmin 76CS was a breeze
The software supports on PC and Pocket PC a wide variety of GPS devices
Whilst the software cannot give street by street driving instructions, it will guide you along a pre-defined route you have entered, or keep an arrow pointed at a specified mark, which would be useful for both driving and hiking situations.
I did find it surprising and a tad annoying that there was no way, once configured, to stop the software (PC or Pocket PC) from listening for the GPS device, to stop it from recording. This would result in a warning dialog, on both versions, every time I would launch the application without a GPS.
Both Navigator and Pocket Navigator have a night colour mode, which meant that my eyes did not need to adjust when looking from the road to the map and back.
Pocket PC Pocket Navigator Integration
If you had a large enough storage card (7GB!), you could export all the NZ maps for use on a Pocket PC. But as this is not overly practical, you can choose to send out just portions of maps to the Pocket PC connected over ActiveSync, or to a storage card connected to your PC.
Sending a 2GB map to a PDA or storage card may be overkill, so you can just send the section you care about.
You can send maps to your Pocket PC if connected, or to a local storage card. Once I sent a few portions of a few maps to my Pocket PC, I plugged in my GlobalSat BC-337 compact flash GPS unit, and with a few minutes I was up and running, recording my travels.
The software plots the current location (the circle), records a track of movements, and gives a vector arrow indication of speed and direction (red line). I had entered a mark of the location of the house of a friend of mine, and selected to “Go to mark”. The big fat arrow indicator then showed up, and as long as I was moving, the software could calculate my current direction and indicate the direction to my destination.
You can interchange all overlay details between PC and Pocket PC, and export all place name database information to Pocket Navigator, allowing for full street searching on the Pocket PC. So I can enter information on either PC or Pocket PC and the information can be retained.
PC Navigator only features
Memory Map on the PC allows you to have a split screen for viewing different map scales and zoom levels, and the software will keep these in sync. It also allows you to view any map in 3D, including overlay elements, and can do 3D fly-throughs along routes and tracks. Very cool.
You can look around during a fly through by dragging the view with the mouse or using the arrow keys, letting you see something similar to what you would see if you were actually doing the route. You can even change the direction of the light source! You can combine the 3D fly through with the split screen, and other track analysis information for a fairly informative set of views.
You can split your viewing over two completely different map layers which keep in sync automatically
How about a quick trip across the Tararua Ranges' Southern Crossing - without even leaving your chair!
A synchronized 3D fly-throughs along the Southern Crossing track showing elevation profile information as we move. Note the red dot on both the elevation profile and on the bottom map showing where we are in our fly-through
The fly-through was very impressive, and I could pause, fast-forward, and rewind through the experience, and I could set some basic settings to try to achieve optimal rendering during the fly-through. However there wasn’t any way to slow down the speed of the fly through… not such a problem with long trips like the Southern Crossing, but a short fly through of a track I drove from my house to a mates only a few kilometers away sped past with not much chance to take in the sights so to speak!
I noticed sometimes on a fly through with tracks/routes visible, these sometimes have gaps in them. I was using a laptop which doesn’t have the hottest video card, so this probably had something to do with it. The rendering also varies depending on the angle and height you set your “viewpoint”, but in most situations, the effect is pretty good.
Navigator allows you to save any 3D fly-through as a standard uncompressed AVI file. Using video editing tools such as Microsoft’s Movie Maker (Free with Windows XP SP2), you can compress this down to a reasonable size, allowing you to share planned or past adventures with others. I found this feature a little rough around the edges as the rendering was very slow, the file sizes huge, and the fly-through would pause whenever the window lost focus, meaning I couldn’t leave this running as a background task. But I’m sure with a bit of patience and a better video card, a useful outcome could be achieved.
Using the 3D view you can see that our place is up a wee hill
Overall, I give this package 8 out of 10 for functionality, 8.5 out of 10 for coolness and ease of use, and 9 out of 10 for value for money.
The whole experience of using and configuring the software on both PC and Pocket PC was painless and fairly intuitive.
There’s a lot more to this software than what is covered here… I’ve only scratched the surface as to what it could do. I was particularly impressed with the barely reduced feature set provided within Pocket Navigator, and it was hard not to be impressed with the 3D capabilities on the PC.
If you like maps, combine this with any type of GPS receiver, and you’ll certainly be in for a fun time… and are unlikely to get lost!!
Memory-Map in New Zealand is distributed buy ampro.co.nz and can be purchased through at most outdoor adventure shops and online at efrontier.co.nz More information at memory-map.co.nz.
Pros
A feature-packed package for both PC and Pocket PC
Easy interchange of map, GPS, and other data between PC and Pocket PC, and integration with most GPS devices.
Easy route planning and impressive track analysis.
Quick map loading and scrolling.
Great 3D viewing and fly-throughs of any of the maps.
Synchronized split screen
Excellent inbuilt help.
Great value for money.
Cons (“Discoverer” license only).
Not true “navigation” software for driving
No vector maps.
Satellite layer not very detailed.
No easy way to turn GPS device on/off
No way to slow down the fly-throughs.
Video rendering process “delicate”.
Proprietary map format. Currently no other maps available, and cannot create your own map layers.
location based services LBS
GeoVISTA Center
e conduct and coordinate integrated and innovative research in GIScience, with strong emphasis on geovisualization. Our goal is to develop powerful human-centered methods and technologies that make it possible for scientists and decision makers to solve scientific, social, and environmental problems through computer-supported, visually-enabled analysis of the growing wealth of geospatial data.
Department of Homeland Security names Penn State a Regional Visualization and Analyitics Center
UCGIS Congressional Breakfast
Research Scientist/Postdoctoral research opportunity in (Geo)Information Science
location based services LBS
e conduct and coordinate integrated and innovative research in GIScience, with strong emphasis on geovisualization. Our goal is to develop powerful human-centered methods and technologies that make it possible for scientists and decision makers to solve scientific, social, and environmental problems through computer-supported, visually-enabled analysis of the growing wealth of geospatial data.
Department of Homeland Security names Penn State a Regional Visualization and Analyitics Center
UCGIS Congressional Breakfast
Research Scientist/Postdoctoral research opportunity in (Geo)Information Science
location based services LBS
MapChart presents new solutions for Business-GIS Outsourcing
Published on openPR 02-27-2006 06:01 pm - CET
Screenshot of the MapChart Geomanager (X-large mode)
Save picture in big size (openPR) - The MapChart GmbH will present it’s portfolio for web-based spatial applications at the CeBIT 2006, the leading global IT-fair, in exhibition hall 4 booth F 60.
This year the focus of the MapChart participation is upon system-based solutions for spatial questions in the field of marketing, distribution and location based services (LBS). Instead of the need for high investments in an obsolete desktop GIS application, IT-decisions makers are able to use the clever web based services of MapChart.com especially for outsourcing of business geographic information systems and processes.
Only one year after the official start the MapChart business idea, which was rewarded in the context of the business plan competition “futuresax 2005”, has evolved into a growing success story. The potential of growth for such business mapping services is resulting from the equity of available geo- and attribute data and the demand for online based GIS-solutions, which experts estimate to be around eight billion Euro in Germany alone.
Overview of the presented product innovations and modules
MapChart Geomanager with new extended features
MapChart.com, the web-geomanagement system of the MapChart GmbH, is based on the idea, to provide, publish and analyze spatial market research data and socio-demographic data (geodata), online, transparent and „easy-to-use“. The online-platform is including appropriate tools, to visualize market and business data in digital maps. By the evaluation, the perception and the analysis of the data, decision makers can detect spatial complexities and market potentials faster. Therefore strategic decisions based on spatial market knowledge are more reliable and easier to realize. For example marketing professionals can visualize their customers (turnover, scoring, value) in a business map, can localize their target group and can join these received information for an optimized media campaign planning. MapChart.com is an one-of-a-kind decision guidance for spatial questions in respect of business planning and controlling.
MapChart EarthAtlas available
MapChart EarthAtlas (http://earthatlas.mapchart.com) is the new interactive atlas for statistics – provided as a free online service.
Users can benefit of a permanent increasing library of statistical and geographical information, which are provided as thematic maps for almost all countries and regions. They can find out more about topics like demography, environment, economy, health and many more. Thanks to the unique web-mapping technology of MapChart.com, the EarthAtlas could also be implemented into individual web applications. Of course these solutions are converted into the clients corporate identity.
Modules for mobile tracking solutions – MapChart Fleetpoint
MapChart Fleetpoint is the innovative online application for visualization of position information of mobile objects (people, cars). The digital cartographic basis includes current road maps (vector based) for Europe, provided by the map specialist TeleAtlas. MapChart Fleetpoint can be conveniently integrated in existing vehicle tracking solutions. By using open interfaces the online mapping service is adaptable according to individual system requirements.
About the MapChart GmbH:
The claim the online GIS solution provider MapChart GmbH (Germany) is:
Just rent the software, don’t buy the whole application! The up-to-date ASP- approach features clear advantages for the clients: The detailed pan-European TELE-ATLAS streets maps, latest databases, competitive handling, fast communication, optimized marketing offer an increased benefit to all users of spatially based businesses.
Business Mapping on demand – that’s our focus!
More information: www.mapchart.com
------------------
Sebastian Mitter (PR & Marketing)
MapChart GmbH
Werdauer Straße 1-3
01069 Dresden
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 1 80 / 5 00 95 50
info@mapchart.com
Published on openPR 02-27-2006 06:01 pm - CET
Screenshot of the MapChart Geomanager (X-large mode)
Save picture in big size (openPR) - The MapChart GmbH will present it’s portfolio for web-based spatial applications at the CeBIT 2006, the leading global IT-fair, in exhibition hall 4 booth F 60.
This year the focus of the MapChart participation is upon system-based solutions for spatial questions in the field of marketing, distribution and location based services (LBS). Instead of the need for high investments in an obsolete desktop GIS application, IT-decisions makers are able to use the clever web based services of MapChart.com especially for outsourcing of business geographic information systems and processes.
Only one year after the official start the MapChart business idea, which was rewarded in the context of the business plan competition “futuresax 2005”, has evolved into a growing success story. The potential of growth for such business mapping services is resulting from the equity of available geo- and attribute data and the demand for online based GIS-solutions, which experts estimate to be around eight billion Euro in Germany alone.
Overview of the presented product innovations and modules
MapChart Geomanager with new extended features
MapChart.com, the web-geomanagement system of the MapChart GmbH, is based on the idea, to provide, publish and analyze spatial market research data and socio-demographic data (geodata), online, transparent and „easy-to-use“. The online-platform is including appropriate tools, to visualize market and business data in digital maps. By the evaluation, the perception and the analysis of the data, decision makers can detect spatial complexities and market potentials faster. Therefore strategic decisions based on spatial market knowledge are more reliable and easier to realize. For example marketing professionals can visualize their customers (turnover, scoring, value) in a business map, can localize their target group and can join these received information for an optimized media campaign planning. MapChart.com is an one-of-a-kind decision guidance for spatial questions in respect of business planning and controlling.
MapChart EarthAtlas available
MapChart EarthAtlas (http://earthatlas.mapchart.com) is the new interactive atlas for statistics – provided as a free online service.
Users can benefit of a permanent increasing library of statistical and geographical information, which are provided as thematic maps for almost all countries and regions. They can find out more about topics like demography, environment, economy, health and many more. Thanks to the unique web-mapping technology of MapChart.com, the EarthAtlas could also be implemented into individual web applications. Of course these solutions are converted into the clients corporate identity.
Modules for mobile tracking solutions – MapChart Fleetpoint
MapChart Fleetpoint is the innovative online application for visualization of position information of mobile objects (people, cars). The digital cartographic basis includes current road maps (vector based) for Europe, provided by the map specialist TeleAtlas. MapChart Fleetpoint can be conveniently integrated in existing vehicle tracking solutions. By using open interfaces the online mapping service is adaptable according to individual system requirements.
About the MapChart GmbH:
The claim the online GIS solution provider MapChart GmbH (Germany) is:
Just rent the software, don’t buy the whole application! The up-to-date ASP- approach features clear advantages for the clients: The detailed pan-European TELE-ATLAS streets maps, latest databases, competitive handling, fast communication, optimized marketing offer an increased benefit to all users of spatially based businesses.
Business Mapping on demand – that’s our focus!
More information: www.mapchart.com
------------------
Sebastian Mitter (PR & Marketing)
MapChart GmbH
Werdauer Straße 1-3
01069 Dresden
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 1 80 / 5 00 95 50
info@mapchart.com
Archives - All Points Blog
Monday, February 27. 2006
Maps at Ask.com
Ask Jeeves, now just Ask.com relaunched today and updated its mapping tools to Ask Maps & Directions 2.0. It's worth a look to explore:
- driving and walking directions
- ability to add destinations along the route by pointing (it geocodes for you, then it adds it onto existing route; it doesn't reroute to them, so far as I can tell)
- imagery from GlobeXplorer
- mixed maps (known as Hybrid in Google Local)
- AJAX app
- play movie of the directions
- no advertising and no "local" features
Karma for this article: ++ | + | 0 | - | --
Posted by Adena Schutzberg at 08:06 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)
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A quick test for my drive from work to home in Toronto revealed map-markers on top of broken-image icons. The drive directions correctly specified the most direct route, but the distances were in miles. (We use kilometres here.)
#1 Gary Wood on 2006-02-27 09:54 (Reply)
A quick check (through a map of my neighborhood, of course) revealed that once you zoom in beyond a certain threshold, the GlobeXplorer imagery gives way to (at least in New Jersey) the more detailed imagery acquired by the state in 2002, which is also used by Google (Google converted the infrared imagery to "natural color.")
#2 Atanas Entchev (Link) on 2006-02-27 14:14 (Reply)
1) There may be driving directions, but I wasn't able to find walking directions anywhere on the site.
2) There is definitely advertising to the right of the page.
3) Tab function is a bit awkward to use when switching fields.
#3 Matthew Shiel (Link) on 2006-02-27 14:19 (Reply)
Matthew,
Driving/walking are tabs on left side, under the start location - you can switch between them once you indicate start/end places on maps.ask.com.
Re: ads - I meant this is not a local search - with ads. I see no ads at all on maps.ask.com Perhaps you mean in the search pages?
I had no issues with tabs - but I use them all the time in forms.
#3.1 Adena Schutzberg (Link) on 2006-02-27 14:46 (Reply)
Add C
Monday, February 27. 2006
Maps at Ask.com
Ask Jeeves, now just Ask.com relaunched today and updated its mapping tools to Ask Maps & Directions 2.0. It's worth a look to explore:
- driving and walking directions
- ability to add destinations along the route by pointing (it geocodes for you, then it adds it onto existing route; it doesn't reroute to them, so far as I can tell)
- imagery from GlobeXplorer
- mixed maps (known as Hybrid in Google Local)
- AJAX app
- play movie of the directions
- no advertising and no "local" features
Karma for this article: ++ | + | 0 | - | --
Posted by Adena Schutzberg at 08:06 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)
A quick test for my drive from work to home in Toronto revealed map-markers on top of broken-image icons. The drive directions correctly specified the most direct route, but the distances were in miles. (We use kilometres here.)
#1 Gary Wood on 2006-02-27 09:54 (Reply)
A quick check (through a map of my neighborhood, of course) revealed that once you zoom in beyond a certain threshold, the GlobeXplorer imagery gives way to (at least in New Jersey) the more detailed imagery acquired by the state in 2002, which is also used by Google (Google converted the infrared imagery to "natural color.")
#2 Atanas Entchev (Link) on 2006-02-27 14:14 (Reply)
1) There may be driving directions, but I wasn't able to find walking directions anywhere on the site.
2) There is definitely advertising to the right of the page.
3) Tab function is a bit awkward to use when switching fields.
#3 Matthew Shiel (Link) on 2006-02-27 14:19 (Reply)
Matthew,
Driving/walking are tabs on left side, under the start location - you can switch between them once you indicate start/end places on maps.ask.com.
Re: ads - I meant this is not a local search - with ads. I see no ads at all on maps.ask.com Perhaps you mean in the search pages?
I had no issues with tabs - but I use them all the time in forms.
#3.1 Adena Schutzberg (Link) on 2006-02-27 14:46 (Reply)
Add C
Mobile downloads pick up speed
If you have ever downloaded a ringtone or game to your mobile phone, you know that it can be a slow and frustrating experience.
Similarly the glacial pace of browsing the web on a current generation handset stands in stark contrast to the ever faster speeds most enjoy in the home and office.
Every mobile operator acknowledges that upping the speed of mobile data is hugely important and several technologies are coming that could mean the end of those frustrations.
What mobile operators are aiming for is to get response times from the network below 100 milliseconds. This is the point at which humans stop noticing a delay.
Achieving such response times is tricky on the second generation (2G) networks most people use today.
This is true even when the data handling abilities of these networks are improved using technologies such as the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (Edge) technology.
GPRS has been in use on many mobile networks for years but Edge as a technology is only seriously starting to be introduced now, in both networks and handsets.
The next generation
Despite the improvements to the second generation networks, all operators agree that newer third-generation (3G) networks will do a far better job of shuffling data around and hitting the critical response times.
It is widely accepted, though, that the basic 3G technology itself will need a boost if it is to match the expected data demands of future customers.
This is partly because the basic data rate available with 3G technology, 384 kilobits per second (Kbps), is not that much higher than can be achieved with Edge technology, which maxes out at just under 300kbps.
Upgrades to mobile phone technology could take some time
Mark Smith, a spokesman for the GSM Association, said operators were happy about upgrading and recognised the need even though many had spent billions buying licences and building their 3G networks.
The technology likely to provide the bandwidth upgrade goes by the catchy name of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access.
"The HSDPA upgrade is not a switch out of old technology," said Mr Smith. "It's just an upgrade that allows much greater bandwidth."
"It's really no different to how they rolled out GPRS," he said.
Once in place, HSDPA networks offer speeds up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) while on the move and future versions much more than that.
Mr Smith said the first HSDPA networks are starting to appear and the first complete HSDPA network was likely to be in the US.
Handsets that can take advantage of HSDPA speeds are also now making an appearance.
Wireless methods
The data handling abilities of 3G phone networks do not stop improving with HSDPA, however.
On the horizon is a technology called 3G-LTE (Long Term Evolution) which could give bandwidths of up to 100Mbps.
Mark Heath, research director at Sound Partners, and author of a report into 3G futures, said such a technology might be needed if mobile TV took off and operators had to ship shows to lots of people at the same time.
Operators are more likely to plump for network hardware upgrades because they can exert control over them, rather than go wholeheartedly for rival technologies such as wi-fi or Wimax.
Angelo Lamme, spokesman for hardware firm Symbol, said that wi-fi was complementary to mobile networks as it was a hotspot technology and was not going to be a serious rival for such systems.
While Wimax could be more of a threat because it offers high bandwidth over large areas, he said a lot of work had yet to be done on roaming standards between Wimax zones or from mobile networks to Wimax zones and back again.
"Wimax has been seriously overhyped," said Mr Lamme.
The future then does seem to lie with the mobile technologies but users face frustration as the upgrades, like those games and ringtones, take time to arrive.
If you have ever downloaded a ringtone or game to your mobile phone, you know that it can be a slow and frustrating experience.
Similarly the glacial pace of browsing the web on a current generation handset stands in stark contrast to the ever faster speeds most enjoy in the home and office.
Every mobile operator acknowledges that upping the speed of mobile data is hugely important and several technologies are coming that could mean the end of those frustrations.
What mobile operators are aiming for is to get response times from the network below 100 milliseconds. This is the point at which humans stop noticing a delay.
Achieving such response times is tricky on the second generation (2G) networks most people use today.
This is true even when the data handling abilities of these networks are improved using technologies such as the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (Edge) technology.
GPRS has been in use on many mobile networks for years but Edge as a technology is only seriously starting to be introduced now, in both networks and handsets.
The next generation
Despite the improvements to the second generation networks, all operators agree that newer third-generation (3G) networks will do a far better job of shuffling data around and hitting the critical response times.
It is widely accepted, though, that the basic 3G technology itself will need a boost if it is to match the expected data demands of future customers.
This is partly because the basic data rate available with 3G technology, 384 kilobits per second (Kbps), is not that much higher than can be achieved with Edge technology, which maxes out at just under 300kbps.
Upgrades to mobile phone technology could take some time
Mark Smith, a spokesman for the GSM Association, said operators were happy about upgrading and recognised the need even though many had spent billions buying licences and building their 3G networks.
The technology likely to provide the bandwidth upgrade goes by the catchy name of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access.
"The HSDPA upgrade is not a switch out of old technology," said Mr Smith. "It's just an upgrade that allows much greater bandwidth."
"It's really no different to how they rolled out GPRS," he said.
Once in place, HSDPA networks offer speeds up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) while on the move and future versions much more than that.
Mr Smith said the first HSDPA networks are starting to appear and the first complete HSDPA network was likely to be in the US.
Handsets that can take advantage of HSDPA speeds are also now making an appearance.
Wireless methods
The data handling abilities of 3G phone networks do not stop improving with HSDPA, however.
On the horizon is a technology called 3G-LTE (Long Term Evolution) which could give bandwidths of up to 100Mbps.
Mark Heath, research director at Sound Partners, and author of a report into 3G futures, said such a technology might be needed if mobile TV took off and operators had to ship shows to lots of people at the same time.
Operators are more likely to plump for network hardware upgrades because they can exert control over them, rather than go wholeheartedly for rival technologies such as wi-fi or Wimax.
Angelo Lamme, spokesman for hardware firm Symbol, said that wi-fi was complementary to mobile networks as it was a hotspot technology and was not going to be a serious rival for such systems.
While Wimax could be more of a threat because it offers high bandwidth over large areas, he said a lot of work had yet to be done on roaming standards between Wimax zones or from mobile networks to Wimax zones and back again.
"Wimax has been seriously overhyped," said Mr Lamme.
The future then does seem to lie with the mobile technologies but users face frustration as the upgrades, like those games and ringtones, take time to arrive.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Google Maps Mania: More Google Maps Creation Tools and Resources
Google Maps Creation Tools:
JoeMap
Ning
Google Map Maker
CSV2Map - Converts csv into Google Maps API html page and Google Earth kml
Web 2.0: Introduction to Mash-ups
Google Maps Course (Chinese) (Use BabelFish page translator)
GeospatialTraning.com Google Maps Training CD
More Creation Tools are here
Odds and Ends:
HowStuffWorks.com - How Google Earth Works
Talk Maps - Lets you to inform other Google Talk users where you are
Send your Google Earth location by email - Simple web app to send a message to someone with a Google Earth (KML) file attached
Extensions, Scripts & Plugins:
Geotagging Flickr with Google Maps and Greasemonkey Part 2
GMaps Big Red Dot - This script helps you point out little details dumping a Big Red Dot in the viewport's center
TorontoMLS Google Maps - Highlight addresses in TorontoMLS for Google Maps
Firefox PhotoMap Plugin
TReND MLS Script - Wraps TReND MLS addresses with a link to Google Maps.
GeoRSS Extension - Integrates basic GeoRSS support directly into Google Maps
MapIT Firefox extension - Mapit puts an option in your context menu that comes up when you right click on a web page
Google Maps Module - for Xoops.com
Google Maps Module - for CommunityServer.org
Related to the Google Maps API:
Google Maps API Blog Posts:
Revision 2.38 of API v2
Another update on the upcoming API v2
Update on the upcoming API v2
Google Maps API Google Group: Coming soon to Google Maps: SVG support - "Goodbye polyline tiles, hello SVG graphics for Firefox and other standards based browsers"
Blog Post: Google Maps v2 to Support SVG
Blog Post: Google Maps Gotchas
Blog Post: Upcoming cool things with google maps v2
Demo of SVG in action on google maps - While the render speed on IE between SVG and VML is pretty much the same you can see the benefit in using SVG on Firefox 1.5. Crank Number of segments up to 2000 and you'll see the difference
Other previous Creation Tools posts: [Post1], [Post2], [Post3]
Other related sections here on Google Maps Mania: Google Maps Creation Tools/How-Tos
Technorati Tags: [Google Maps API], [mashup], [Google Maps Mashup], [Google Maps Mania], [Google Local], [Google Maps]
location based services LBS
Google Maps Creation Tools:
JoeMap
Ning
Google Map Maker
CSV2Map - Converts csv into Google Maps API html page and Google Earth kml
Web 2.0: Introduction to Mash-ups
Google Maps Course (Chinese) (Use BabelFish page translator)
GeospatialTraning.com Google Maps Training CD
More Creation Tools are here
Odds and Ends:
HowStuffWorks.com - How Google Earth Works
Talk Maps - Lets you to inform other Google Talk users where you are
Send your Google Earth location by email - Simple web app to send a message to someone with a Google Earth (KML) file attached
Extensions, Scripts & Plugins:
Geotagging Flickr with Google Maps and Greasemonkey Part 2
GMaps Big Red Dot - This script helps you point out little details dumping a Big Red Dot in the viewport's center
TorontoMLS Google Maps - Highlight addresses in TorontoMLS for Google Maps
Firefox PhotoMap Plugin
TReND MLS Script - Wraps TReND MLS addresses with a link to Google Maps.
GeoRSS Extension - Integrates basic GeoRSS support directly into Google Maps
MapIT Firefox extension - Mapit puts an option in your context menu that comes up when you right click on a web page
Google Maps Module - for Xoops.com
Google Maps Module - for CommunityServer.org
Related to the Google Maps API:
Google Maps API Blog Posts:
Revision 2.38 of API v2
Another update on the upcoming API v2
Update on the upcoming API v2
Google Maps API Google Group: Coming soon to Google Maps: SVG support - "Goodbye polyline tiles, hello SVG graphics for Firefox and other standards based browsers"
Blog Post: Google Maps v2 to Support SVG
Blog Post: Google Maps Gotchas
Blog Post: Upcoming cool things with google maps v2
Demo of SVG in action on google maps - While the render speed on IE between SVG and VML is pretty much the same you can see the benefit in using SVG on Firefox 1.5. Crank Number of segments up to 2000 and you'll see the difference
Other previous Creation Tools posts: [Post1], [Post2], [Post3]
Other related sections here on Google Maps Mania: Google Maps Creation Tools/How-Tos
Technorati Tags: [Google Maps API], [mashup], [Google Maps Mashup], [Google Maps Mania], [Google Local], [Google Maps]
location based services LBS
Chinese Mobile Phone Subscribers Top 400 Million | February 23, 2006
During the past year, China has added between 3 million and 4 million subscribers each month, according to a government agency.
By Antone Gonsalves
TechWeb News
Feb 23, 2006 03:42 PM
The number of cellular-phone subscribers in China has reached 400 million, a record for the world's largest mobile-phone market, the Chinese government reported Thursday.
At the end of January, the nation had 398 million mobile subscribers, including 5.4 million added that month, or twice the increase of fixed-line users, the Ministry of Information Industry said.
Over the last 12 months, China has added between 3 million and 4 million subscribers each month, the government agency said. Assuming the trend continued in February, the number of mobile subscribers has reached 400 million.
The number of Chinese mobile subscribers surpassed fixed-line subscribers in October 2003, the agency said. China imported its first wireless telecom facility in 1987, and led the world in the number of mobile subscribers for the first time in 2001.
Meanwhile, the volume of short message traffic via mobile phones climbed 65.7 percent in January, compared with a year ago, to 33.7 billion, the government said. China's total telecom revenue in January reached $6.9 billion, up 10.8 percent.
E-Mail This Article | Print This Article | Discuss This Article | License This Article
location based services LBS
During the past year, China has added between 3 million and 4 million subscribers each month, according to a government agency.
By Antone Gonsalves
TechWeb News
Feb 23, 2006 03:42 PM
The number of cellular-phone subscribers in China has reached 400 million, a record for the world's largest mobile-phone market, the Chinese government reported Thursday.
At the end of January, the nation had 398 million mobile subscribers, including 5.4 million added that month, or twice the increase of fixed-line users, the Ministry of Information Industry said.
Over the last 12 months, China has added between 3 million and 4 million subscribers each month, the government agency said. Assuming the trend continued in February, the number of mobile subscribers has reached 400 million.
The number of Chinese mobile subscribers surpassed fixed-line subscribers in October 2003, the agency said. China imported its first wireless telecom facility in 1987, and led the world in the number of mobile subscribers for the first time in 2001.
Meanwhile, the volume of short message traffic via mobile phones climbed 65.7 percent in January, compared with a year ago, to 33.7 billion, the government said. China's total telecom revenue in January reached $6.9 billion, up 10.8 percent.
E-Mail This Article | Print This Article | Discuss This Article | License This Article
location based services LBS
Patent Dispute Ericsson Files Vs. Samsung, Alleges Patent Violation
Samsung's licenses for mobile phones based on Ericsson GSM, GPRS, and EDGE technologies expired on Dec. 31, Ericsson says.
By Reuters
InformationWeek
Feb 24, 2006 08:50 AM
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Mobile network equipment giant Ericsson has filed suit against mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd <005930.KS> alleging patent infringement, Ericsson said on Friday.
"We have filed a lawsuit against Samsung for patent infringement in the U.S., UK, Germany and the Netherlands," said Ericsson spokeswoman Ase Lindskog.
"The reason is that we have had extensive negotiations with Samsung over a renewal of licenses because their agreement with us expired on December 31 last year," she added. "They are using mobile phone patents which no longer have licenses."
A spokeswoman for Samsung in Seoul declined to comment.
Patent infringement and other legal battles can be quite common in the tech sector, where companies spend heavily on research and development.
Ericsson was among companies which last year complained to the European Union about Qualcomm Inc. , which they said was stifling competition in the mobile phone chip market. Qualcomm later filed a GSM patent suit against Nokia Oyj
.
Lindskog said the technologies over which Ericsson had filed suit against Samsung were GSM, GPRS and EDGE.
"This is an unfortunate action but we must protect our shareholders and investors as we have invested large amounts in research and development over the years," she said.
location based services LBS
Samsung's licenses for mobile phones based on Ericsson GSM, GPRS, and EDGE technologies expired on Dec. 31, Ericsson says.
By Reuters
InformationWeek
Feb 24, 2006 08:50 AM
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Mobile network equipment giant Ericsson has filed suit against mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd <005930.KS> alleging patent infringement, Ericsson said on Friday.
"We have filed a lawsuit against Samsung for patent infringement in the U.S., UK, Germany and the Netherlands," said Ericsson spokeswoman Ase Lindskog.
"The reason is that we have had extensive negotiations with Samsung over a renewal of licenses because their agreement with us expired on December 31 last year," she added. "They are using mobile phone patents which no longer have licenses."
A spokeswoman for Samsung in Seoul declined to comment.
Patent infringement and other legal battles can be quite common in the tech sector, where companies spend heavily on research and development.
Ericsson was among companies which last year complained to the European Union about Qualcomm Inc. , which they said was stifling competition in the mobile phone chip market. Qualcomm later filed a GSM patent suit against Nokia Oyj
.
Lindskog said the technologies over which Ericsson had filed suit against Samsung were GSM, GPRS and EDGE.
"This is an unfortunate action but we must protect our shareholders and investors as we have invested large amounts in research and development over the years," she said.
location based services LBS
Google Exec Concedes Privacy Could Be A Problem
The company's "Search Across Computers" feature does pose potential security risks, a Google exec admits, but he says it's an issue for which IT, and not the vendor, is responsible.
By Paula Rooney
CRN
Feb 24, 2006 01:28 PM
Google's "Search Across Computers" feature could pose a security threat but corporations are on the hook for securing their own data, one executive from the search giant said on Friday.
At at a tech conference in Philadelphia, Google Senior Product Manager Matthew Glotzbach said the new feature in Google Desktop 3 for Enterprise beta -- released earlier this week -- could compromise privacy and cause data leaks. The feature automatically stores copies of data on multiple computers.
But he said this is an issue for corporate security officials and IT administrators to solve, not technology providers. The beta was released earlier this week.
"Users' wants are driving a lot of IT direction," Glotzback told a few hundred people gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for a panel on search technologies. The speech was part of the annual technology conference sponsored by University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Buisness. "But it is still the prerogative and goal of business to make decisions on their security … and get a security strategy," he said.
"At the end of the day, if a user wants to subvert those policies and push information outside that enterprise, they probably will," Glotzbach added. "Companies need to ensure that they have a strategy they're comfortable with."
He said corporate management must build security walls and set policies to guard internal data, and that requirement is growing as the line between personal and corporate search blurs.
"The line between personal and work is going away," said the Google executive. " It's consumerization of enterprise IT. More and more consumers are driving what user expectations are in the enterprise."
The feature has raised eyebrows at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Gartner Group which called the feature an unacceptable security risk. and advised coprorate administrators to turn it off.
Google, for its part, notes that Google Desktop 3 for Enterprises allows administrator to disable the feature and is disabled by default.
E-Mail This Article Print This Article Discuss This Article License This Article
InformationWeek
location based services LBS
The company's "Search Across Computers" feature does pose potential security risks, a Google exec admits, but he says it's an issue for which IT, and not the vendor, is responsible.
By Paula Rooney
CRN
Feb 24, 2006 01:28 PM
Google's "Search Across Computers" feature could pose a security threat but corporations are on the hook for securing their own data, one executive from the search giant said on Friday.
At at a tech conference in Philadelphia, Google Senior Product Manager Matthew Glotzbach said the new feature in Google Desktop 3 for Enterprise beta -- released earlier this week -- could compromise privacy and cause data leaks. The feature automatically stores copies of data on multiple computers.
But he said this is an issue for corporate security officials and IT administrators to solve, not technology providers. The beta was released earlier this week.
"Users' wants are driving a lot of IT direction," Glotzback told a few hundred people gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for a panel on search technologies. The speech was part of the annual technology conference sponsored by University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Buisness. "But it is still the prerogative and goal of business to make decisions on their security … and get a security strategy," he said.
"At the end of the day, if a user wants to subvert those policies and push information outside that enterprise, they probably will," Glotzbach added. "Companies need to ensure that they have a strategy they're comfortable with."
He said corporate management must build security walls and set policies to guard internal data, and that requirement is growing as the line between personal and corporate search blurs.
"The line between personal and work is going away," said the Google executive. " It's consumerization of enterprise IT. More and more consumers are driving what user expectations are in the enterprise."
The feature has raised eyebrows at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Gartner Group which called the feature an unacceptable security risk. and advised coprorate administrators to turn it off.
Google, for its part, notes that Google Desktop 3 for Enterprises allows administrator to disable the feature and is disabled by default.
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location based services LBS
Handster Releases Embedded Payment Solution for Pocket PC Software
Handster has released a solution for integration of payment into shareware programs for Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices. Integrated programs have a 'Buy' button in the menu and show a "Buy/Try" screen on startup.
On clicking the "Buy" button in the program the user can enter credit card information directly on the PDA. A secure SSL transaction is executed via GPRS (if available) or via ActiveSync when the PDA synchronizes with an Internet-connected desktop PC. Once the payment is completed, the application gets unlocked automatically.
The company sees this as time saving feature for end-users. There is no need for registration codes to be entered because the program is unlocked automatically once the payment is processed. This eliminates the risk of registration e-mails getting lost because of spam filters.
If the program trial is expired, users can the credit card information and use the program for some additional time. Once the handheld is connected to the Internet, the payment is automatically completed and the program is unlocked for unlimited time.
location based services LBS
Handster has released a solution for integration of payment into shareware programs for Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices. Integrated programs have a 'Buy' button in the menu and show a "Buy/Try" screen on startup.
On clicking the "Buy" button in the program the user can enter credit card information directly on the PDA. A secure SSL transaction is executed via GPRS (if available) or via ActiveSync when the PDA synchronizes with an Internet-connected desktop PC. Once the payment is completed, the application gets unlocked automatically.
The company sees this as time saving feature for end-users. There is no need for registration codes to be entered because the program is unlocked automatically once the payment is processed. This eliminates the risk of registration e-mails getting lost because of spam filters.
If the program trial is expired, users can the credit card information and use the program for some additional time. Once the handheld is connected to the Internet, the payment is automatically completed and the program is unlocked for unlimited time.
location based services LBS
GPS firm sees more location-based services in phones - Computerworld
Home > Browse Topics > Development
GPS firm sees more location-based services in phones
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> GPS firm sees more location-based services in phones
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FEBRUARY 24, 2006 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. plans to release a software platform for phone operators later this year that it hopes will accelerate the use of location-based services in mobile phones, the company's president and CEO said.
SiRF sells chips and software for use in consumer Global Positioning System (GPS) products. It thinks 60% of mobile phones will include GPS capabilities in the next three years or so, but a key challenge is getting operators to offer location-based services to their subscribers, SiRF CEO Michael Canning said in an interview this week. Fewer than 10% of phones have GPS capabilities today, he estimated.
Location-based services had several false starts because the technology wasn't accurate enough and applications were poor, according to Canning. But he said interest is building this year from mobile operators that are looking for new ways to generate revenue.
To help drive the market, SiRF is creating a platform on which third-party developers can write applications for operators. The platform will not be dependent on a particular cellular technology and will work with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and other standards, Canning said.
The San Jose-based company is also offering a developer environment called SiRFstudio, which includes application programming interfaces and tools. It also offers developers an online testing environment for precommercial trials.
The client applications available today are mainly for mobile phones with a lot of memory, said Ashu Pande, vice president of marketing for the wireless segment at SiRF. They include a child-locator, for helping parents keep track of their children. The application is being offered by SK Telecom Co. in Seoul, Korea, in a child's phone made by Bellwave Co., also in Seoul.
SiRF's strategy is to integrate other functions into its GPS chips that are often available in mobile devices but typically require separate chips. Last month, it introduced its SiRFLinkI chip, for example, which combines GPS and Bluetooth capabilities.
About a dozen radio technologies could potentially go into mobile phones, including FM broadcast, GPS, Wi-Fi and WiMax. The opportunity for SiRF is to incorporate these into its GPS chips, which would reduce power consumption and the cost of making phones, Canning said.
If the company wants to add capabilities like Wi-Fi and digital video to its chips, it would have to acquire companies with the technology, Canning said. "If it is a key thrust for you, you need to acquire, otherwise you find yourself in a cost model where licensing fees can be a nuisance," he said.
In December, SiRF acquired Impulsesoft Pvt., a Bluetooth embedded software company in Bangalore, India. It also bought Kisel Microelectronics AB last year, a Stockholm-based company that specialized in radio frequency circuit design.
Subscribe to our Mobile/Wireless e-mail newsletter: E-mail
Also in the Development Knowledge Center
News | Discussions | Buyers' Guides | Resource Links | White Papers | Mobile Channel | E-mail newsletters
> Development XML Feed > XML Feed FAQ
Reprinted with permission from
For more news from IDG visit IDG.net
Story copyright 2005 International Data Group. All rights reserved.
Home > Browse Topics > Development
GPS firm sees more location-based services in phones
Related to this topic
> IBM tests mobile speech applications
> GPS firm sees more location-based services in phones
> JBoss buys German services partner Objectone
Additional Resources
Development White Papers
Developing a Mobile Wi-Fi Application - Case Study of the NCDOT
This article describes a Wi-Fi mobile application built by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and explains how database and synchronization technology ...
More Development white papers
Development Webcasts
Service-Oriented Architecture Primer
Want to get up to speed on SOA? This webcast gives a brief introduction to SOA and related concepts, including Web services and loosely coupled connections. (Source:...
More Development webcasts
Development Briefings
Sold on SOA
It's the hot technology for most large companies, but business, technical and cultural issues must be addressed for a successful SOA implementation. Get the whole ...
More Development briefings
News Story by John Ribeiro
FEBRUARY 24, 2006 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. plans to release a software platform for phone operators later this year that it hopes will accelerate the use of location-based services in mobile phones, the company's president and CEO said.
SiRF sells chips and software for use in consumer Global Positioning System (GPS) products. It thinks 60% of mobile phones will include GPS capabilities in the next three years or so, but a key challenge is getting operators to offer location-based services to their subscribers, SiRF CEO Michael Canning said in an interview this week. Fewer than 10% of phones have GPS capabilities today, he estimated.
Location-based services had several false starts because the technology wasn't accurate enough and applications were poor, according to Canning. But he said interest is building this year from mobile operators that are looking for new ways to generate revenue.
To help drive the market, SiRF is creating a platform on which third-party developers can write applications for operators. The platform will not be dependent on a particular cellular technology and will work with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and other standards, Canning said.
The San Jose-based company is also offering a developer environment called SiRFstudio, which includes application programming interfaces and tools. It also offers developers an online testing environment for precommercial trials.
The client applications available today are mainly for mobile phones with a lot of memory, said Ashu Pande, vice president of marketing for the wireless segment at SiRF. They include a child-locator, for helping parents keep track of their children. The application is being offered by SK Telecom Co. in Seoul, Korea, in a child's phone made by Bellwave Co., also in Seoul.
SiRF's strategy is to integrate other functions into its GPS chips that are often available in mobile devices but typically require separate chips. Last month, it introduced its SiRFLinkI chip, for example, which combines GPS and Bluetooth capabilities.
About a dozen radio technologies could potentially go into mobile phones, including FM broadcast, GPS, Wi-Fi and WiMax. The opportunity for SiRF is to incorporate these into its GPS chips, which would reduce power consumption and the cost of making phones, Canning said.
If the company wants to add capabilities like Wi-Fi and digital video to its chips, it would have to acquire companies with the technology, Canning said. "If it is a key thrust for you, you need to acquire, otherwise you find yourself in a cost model where licensing fees can be a nuisance," he said.
In December, SiRF acquired Impulsesoft Pvt., a Bluetooth embedded software company in Bangalore, India. It also bought Kisel Microelectronics AB last year, a Stockholm-based company that specialized in radio frequency circuit design.
Subscribe to our Mobile/Wireless e-mail newsletter: E-mail
Also in the Development Knowledge Center
News | Discussions | Buyers' Guides | Resource Links | White Papers | Mobile Channel | E-mail newsletters
> Development XML Feed > XML Feed FAQ
Reprinted with permission from
For more news from IDG visit IDG.net
Story copyright 2005 International Data Group. All rights reserved.
It is Predicted That 3G Will Reach Mass Market with 184 Million Subscribers by 2010
DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2006--Research and Markets has announced the addition of The Rise of 3G in Europe - Case Study: Ireland to their offering. In Western Europe critical mass (i.e., 20 percent of the installed base owning 3G phones) will occur at the end of 2007, whereas mass market (i.e., the 50-percent mark) will not happen until 2010. With comparatively more dynamic and competitive markets, countries such as the UK, Sweden, and Italy will equal or pass this mark by 2009. Through aggressive pricing strategies 3 has captured 74% of the European 3G market.
");
//-->
');
//-->
var tf_clickURL = 'http://a.tribalfusion.com/h.click/RQILTIMRCHMSMRORRNQRVEBRMLHVPRPRJBLFGPMFLIBEKEVVVJNKJSLOMFMLPKPGKHRHUMVQJMJQIA/http://www.essentialblackberry.com.au?source=703';
var tf_flashfile = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/455746/tribal1_300x250.swf';
var tf_imagefile = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/455746/tribal1_300x250.gif';
var tf_width = 300;
var tf_height = 250;
var tf_background= '#ffffff';
var tf_click_command = 'CLICK';
var tf_ignore_fscommand_args = 0;
var tf_use_embedded_flash_url = 0;
var tf_append_fscmd_args_to_click = 0;
var tf_use_flash_wrapper = 1;
var tf_id = '479881018';
var tf_click = 'http://a.tribalfusion.com/h.click/RQILTIMRCHMSMRORRNQRVEBRMLHVPRPRJBLFGPMFLIBEKEVVVJNKJSLOMFMLPKPGKHRHUMVQJMJQIA/';
var tf_wmode = 'transparent';
var tf_frame = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/common/flash/frame2.swf';
var tf_button = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/common/flash/button2.swf';
function TFclick479881018_DoFSCommand(command, args){ if (command == tf_click_command479881018 && tf_use_embedded_flash_url479881018 == 1) { window.open(tf_click479881018+args,'_blank'); } else if (command == tf_click_command479881018 tf_ignore_fscommand_args479881018 == 1) { window.open(tf_clickURL479881018,'_blank'); } }
on error resume next
ShockMode = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.5")))
Sub TFclick479881018_FSCommand(ByVal command, ByVal args)
call TFclick479881018_DoFSCommand(command, args)
end sub
HREF="http://a.tribalfusion.com/h.click/RQILTIMRCHMSMRORRNQRVEBRMLHVPRPRJBLFGPMFLIBEKEVVVJNKJSLOMFMLPKPGKHRHUMVQJMJQIA/http://www.essentialblackberry.com.au?source=703"
TARGET="_blank">We predict that 3G will reach mass market in 2010. Subscribers of 3G will grow from 9.6 million in March 2005 to 184 million by 2010. In total across Ireland, Comreg has awarded four 3G licences to Vodafone, 3, O2 and Smart Telecom. The main 3G services on offer include video calling, high speed picture messaging, location based services, mobile TV, high speed downloads, email and high speed internet access. According to us mobile operators must increase their share of non-SMS data revenues to recoup heavy investments in 3G. Mobile operators will thus have increasing difficulty relying on SMS as a cash cow, while the 3G market matures. They must instead look at other messaging and premium data services. Topics Covered 1 OUTLINE 2 MASS MARKET PENETRATIONS 3 THE EUROEPAN 3G MARKET 4 THE IRISH 3G MARKET 5 A MATURING MARKET 6 CONCLUSIONS For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33414
DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2006--Research and Markets has announced the addition of The Rise of 3G in Europe - Case Study: Ireland to their offering. In Western Europe critical mass (i.e., 20 percent of the installed base owning 3G phones) will occur at the end of 2007, whereas mass market (i.e., the 50-percent mark) will not happen until 2010. With comparatively more dynamic and competitive markets, countries such as the UK, Sweden, and Italy will equal or pass this mark by 2009. Through aggressive pricing strategies 3 has captured 74% of the European 3G market.
");
//-->
');
//-->
var tf_clickURL = 'http://a.tribalfusion.com/h.click/RQILTIMRCHMSMRORRNQRVEBRMLHVPRPRJBLFGPMFLIBEKEVVVJNKJSLOMFMLPKPGKHRHUMVQJMJQIA/http://www.essentialblackberry.com.au?source=703';
var tf_flashfile = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/455746/tribal1_300x250.swf';
var tf_imagefile = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/455746/tribal1_300x250.gif';
var tf_width = 300;
var tf_height = 250;
var tf_background= '#ffffff';
var tf_click_command = 'CLICK';
var tf_ignore_fscommand_args = 0;
var tf_use_embedded_flash_url = 0;
var tf_append_fscmd_args_to_click = 0;
var tf_use_flash_wrapper = 1;
var tf_id = '479881018';
var tf_click = 'http://a.tribalfusion.com/h.click/RQILTIMRCHMSMRORRNQRVEBRMLHVPRPRJBLFGPMFLIBEKEVVVJNKJSLOMFMLPKPGKHRHUMVQJMJQIA/';
var tf_wmode = 'transparent';
var tf_frame = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/common/flash/frame2.swf';
var tf_button = 'http://cdn5.tribalfusion.com/media/common/flash/button2.swf';
function TFclick479881018_DoFSCommand(command, args){ if (command == tf_click_command479881018 && tf_use_embedded_flash_url479881018 == 1) { window.open(tf_click479881018+args,'_blank'); } else if (command == tf_click_command479881018 tf_ignore_fscommand_args479881018 == 1) { window.open(tf_clickURL479881018,'_blank'); } }
on error resume next
ShockMode = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.5")))
Sub TFclick479881018_FSCommand(ByVal command, ByVal args)
call TFclick479881018_DoFSCommand(command, args)
end sub
HREF="http://a.tribalfusion.com/h.click/RQILTIMRCHMSMRORRNQRVEBRMLHVPRPRJBLFGPMFLIBEKEVVVJNKJSLOMFMLPKPGKHRHUMVQJMJQIA/http://www.essentialblackberry.com.au?source=703"
TARGET="_blank">We predict that 3G will reach mass market in 2010. Subscribers of 3G will grow from 9.6 million in March 2005 to 184 million by 2010. In total across Ireland, Comreg has awarded four 3G licences to Vodafone, 3, O2 and Smart Telecom. The main 3G services on offer include video calling, high speed picture messaging, location based services, mobile TV, high speed downloads, email and high speed internet access. According to us mobile operators must increase their share of non-SMS data revenues to recoup heavy investments in 3G. Mobile operators will thus have increasing difficulty relying on SMS as a cash cow, while the 3G market matures. They must instead look at other messaging and premium data services. Topics Covered 1 OUTLINE 2 MASS MARKET PENETRATIONS 3 THE EUROEPAN 3G MARKET 4 THE IRISH 3G MARKET 5 A MATURING MARKET 6 CONCLUSIONS For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33414
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