ExploreThe Earth With Earthcomber - Local, Mobile Search Done Right!
Written by Glenn Letham
Friday, 16 November 2007
Nokia N95 Suggested Application... I recently added a nifty location-aware search application to my mobile
device (Nokia N95) which I discovered via the Nokia Content Discoverer
... aka. content downloader application. Earthcomber enables local
search and takes advantage of the built-in GPS that comes with the
Nokia N95. Read on for more on this cool, must-have mobile application.
Earthcomber is one of those pleasant surprises that winds up on
your deck and after several uses you have to wonder how you got along
without it! I first heard about Earthcomber by updating the Nokia
content download application that comes embedded on most new Symbian
S60 devices from Nokia. Content downloader is another great channel to
market that Nokia reserves for the best of the best... you update the
available content, and Nokia provides suggested applications from
select developers and business partners... only the best apps ever see
the light of day on the Content Downloads.
Compatible with leading Nokia handsets based on S60 and Series
40, Nokia Content Discoverer is embedded as an on-device portal in
eight Nokia handset models comprising millions of devices currently in
the marketplace through leading mobile operators and retail outlets
worldwide. An additional six handset models carrying the embedded Nokia
Content Discoverer client are slated to ship to global markets by
end-2006.
What's rather cool about getting Earthcomber on your S60 device
is that browsing the company's website doesn't seem to provide you with
any information that leads you to believe that there's an S60 version.
The company recently announced an iPhone compatible version and also
supports other devices running Windows Mobile. No need to fret
though... S60 devices (like the N95) are indeed supported)
Earthcomber has been designed to enable the user to spot things
and people around them. Locate cool places, events, see the results on
a map, get directions, and even keep in touch with friends that are
using Earthcomber. Users can set their location, or, what's very cool
is the application is location-aware and will take advantage of your
position if you happen to be using a Nokia N95, Nokia Navigator, E90,
or the new Nokia N82... all of which are GPS-enabled.
Once you have the application installed, Earthcomber will be setup
based on your location... this can be set based on the location
provided via GPS. Then, searching becomes a local experience, providing
you with search results and mapping/routing based on your location...
imagine heading out on the road to a city you aren't familiar with...
now you can easily get routed to anything you need! Big deal you might
think.. indeed, perhaps this has been done before but what sets
Earthcomber apart is the very simple UI, the fantastic results, and the
intuitive search. As a bonus most results are only a couple of clicks
away, the pre-defined search categories are excellent, and the community feedback rocks!
Start the application, you'll first be asked if the application
can use your positioning information and send/receive data. The the
main screen is displayed along with navigation aids to help locate
nearby favorites and what they call "peeps". The initial tab is where
your favorites are stored... these seem to be hits based on your recent
and most frequent searches... my favorites are turning up places near
me that provide coffee, gasoline, and free wi-fi. Because I have no
friends nearby using the application I can't take advantage of any of
the friend finder utilities... too bad! Changing location is easily
done using the change location tab.. you can enter a new one or get an
update via GPS fix. The heart of the app is the Spot Things tab where a
detailed category list is provided, enabling quick access to popular
destinations - categories include fun, outdoors, events, let's eat and
many other useful categories. For example, I might be looking for
coffee.. I simply enter on the coffee tab and results are displayed
according to distance from me (nearest are first). I can easily see
that there's a Starbucks only 2.7 miles away, clicking on that entry
provides the address and then a detailed description. Finally, clicking
the options tab I can then show the store on a map, get directions
(based on my current location)... very useful, smart, and simple. The
images below show the application and it simple UI - shots captured
using Nokia N95 (first edition).
Starting Earthcomber on the N95
Use the Spot Things Tab to locate interesting places near you
A number of useful categories are provided
2 Starbucks are near me
Additional descriptions are provided
Viewing the location on a map is one click away as is routing and directions!
Earthcomber for PC
I met with a company rep at CTIA Wireless
IT in October and he informed me that the company is also rolling out
Earthcomber web, a PC friendly version of the application. Indeed it is
available (Beta) and can be found at
http://mobile.earthcomber.com/webcomber/com.earthcomber.WebComber/WebComber.html.
Users of the web version can optionally register and assign their
location (it is smart enough to detect roughly where you are based on
IP). Signing up enables you to keep track of your friends if they are
using the app and you can share your locations and other cool pieces of
information. The application uses the Google Maps API to provide a very
pleasant and friendly UI. Once you set your home location you can then
easily toggle on popular search categories like Bank ATMs, Cafes, Gas
Station, Pizza, Night spots, or what have you... the results are very
accurate and the community provided content is very accurate and
relevant. Once you have the detailed information for a place of choice
you can then easily get directions (click get directions and get routed
there on the map) and print the results.
Using the web version you set your location and create a free account... this can interact with your mobile client also.
Getting Earthcomber on your mobile is a snap. You can explore
the Nokia Content downloader or simply jump to
http://mobile.earthcomber.com/ where you will then specify your carrier
and then retrieve the application - Note: the mapping currently only
supports the USA.
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