LBSzone Alert, Dec 12, 2007 - A weekly update on mobile technologies and location-based services
Written by Spatial Media LLC
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Another LBSZone Alert has been released... enjoy this edition for the latest developments in LBS...
Since the last edition of the LBSZone Alert we've digested much of the
information gathered at last week's Nokia World. It as interesting to
hear the company's story and get a glimpse into the future (See this
cool video clip on the future of mobile sensors). Obviously, location has played a key role in Nokia's
success and will be HUGE moving forward. In mulling over some of the
numbers
tossed out in sessions and keynotes last week, it was good to hear that
Nokia is planning on rolling out some 10 new GPS-enabled mobile devices
in 2008 (there are currently 5 including the flagship, N95). I heard
over and over again how location adds context.. so what you might
think! Well, putting mobile services, apps and even advertising in a
better context (thanks to the user's location) is adding tremendous
value. We saw apps like Slifter (think GPS shopping) mentioned and show
on stage during keynotes (see image below) adding to the credibility
and value that Nokia has found from location. We saw fun and innovative
apps like the cool and fun Sports Tracker, born out of Nokia's research
labs. This application (a must have for any N95 user) has seen
tremendous success with hundreds of thousands of downloads to date. We
heard from the head of the developer labs, Bob Ianucci, who shared a story
of a user of the month called "Vegas" - a cute dog who walks around
with an N95 duck taped to his collar, his owner tracking him and
sharing the tracks via the new Sports Tracker website. Navteq had their
say at the event as well (see video clip),
describing the value that location-aware advertising provides to the
user... interesting to hear that many users, in addition to using the
ads, also see the mobile adverts as a service at times! Mark my word,
location-aware mobile ads will be HUGE! Speaking of location-aware ads,
Lat49
is a must-consider for any of you mashup developers out there, enabling
you to easily serve more location-sensitive ads within your mashups...
a bonus to developers and the advertiser. Finally, I'll leave off with
more on Navteq and a congrats to the company as just today it was
announced that Navteq shareholders have approved the merger, removing the final hurdle to
complete the buyout. For more images of Nokia World see
here, videos here, articles here. PS: Congrats to all the finalists of the Tele Atlas LBS Innovators Series!
Location-aware apps like Slifter (and the popular Nokia N95) we're mentioned on stage last week at Nokia World
Mobile Technology Feature - Top 10 Business Apps for Android - Android has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems
in the world due to advanced software, competitive manufacturers, and an
app market that is filled with exciting and useful applications. Read
on for this fine Top 10 List compiled by tech writer, Blake Sanders
The Really Big List of Mapping, Geo location Mobile developer resources, APIs and Tools - The Mobile Ecosystem... no question that mobile is huge and
the opportunity for developers, in particular, geo developers! There's
loads of developer resources on the web so to help the developer,
here's a listing of just some of the fine dev resources, blogs,
toolsets and more to consider when developing or porting your app to a
smartphone or Tablet.
ArcGIS.com Mashup Tutorial with Flickr and Foursquare data-
Here's a simple "how to" tutorial on working with the free ArcGIS.com
to easily import KML or RSS data from Flickr and foursquare into ArcGIS
to create your own custom map mashup. ArcGIS.com has some recent
updates including support for KML, be sure to check it out!
Most Users of Free Photo Apps Say Adding Cool Effects is Most Useful - Adding cool effects
to photos was rated as the most useful thing by more than halfof
consumers surveyed using free online photography services, according to
CatchFree a free
online service that helps people find the best free mobile and web applications
to perform useful tasks.
Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Up Close - No Replacement for the iPad But Pretty Darned Sweet - As could be
expected, speculation and blogging is rampant with many stories and
pseudo "reviews" coming out, many of them touting the next "iPad
killer".
Mobile Developer Resource - MapQuest & The Mobile Worker - Facility management companies, surveyors, multi-level marketing,
insurance claims, pipeline companies, water utilities; all have field
workers who would benefit from mobile applications. Not only checking in
to work sites, but keeping a record of the work done
Flickr GPS Photo Tag Tip - Here's a tip for Flickr users who want to share their GPS information
with their photos. note, in order to do this you'll need to be
capturing photos using a GPS-enabled or GPS-aware camera (see you're
smartphone hardware settings to ensure that GPS or location sharing is
turned "ON)".
Mobile data usage in Canada to triple between 2010 and 2012 - Some interesting, yet not terribly surprising, numbers on mobile
usage coming out of Canada. According to a report summarized on
Techvibes, mobile usage is soaring, in particular, the smartphone
segment
Social Location Directory
Do you have a location-aware application, social location service or other location-sensitive service that you'd like to share with us? Please browse this growing directory of Social location Services and feel free to leave a link to your favorite service! See the Directory HERE
Suggested Reading
The Underground Guide To The iPhone:
The iPhone is – if I may say so – one of the greatest mobile
revolutions of the past decade. More and more, mobile phones seem to
materialize out of our wildest dreams. Because of the tight integration
of third-party applications, you can do nearly everything with your
device — be it gaming, working, fooling around, and of course phoning.
Good Mobile Messaging: Executives and professional field forces spend an increasing amount of time on the road tending to business.
Mobile Apps - Native or Web?:
You probably have a plan to build a mobile app, but you've struggled
with the basic question - Should I build it using open web standards
such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or should I build it as a native app
for the devices I want to target?
iBike Coach App- a new “Always On” feature always gathers data
Nike+ GPS App- for sports tracking, recording and sharing
Featured Events
Content & Apps for Automotive Europe 2012 (18-19 April, Germany)
will give you key insights on how in-vehicle connectivity is being
revolutionised as OEMs integrate dynamic content to stay relevant
throughout the vehicle life cycle.
Location Intelligence for Enterprise - Europe 2012, January 16-17, London Hear from Google, Jones Lang LaSalle, Tesco, Willis, Oracle,
ESRI, Microsoft, PBBI and many more as they debate the best strategies
for business models and integration.
Consumer Telematics Show 2012 (Jan 9, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, USA) is the most prestigious and
dynamic consumer telematics focused meeting for the automotive industry.
Held in Las Vegas on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES),
this year's senior-level speakers will include General Motors, Audi,
Toyota, Panasonic, Continental, Hughes Telematics, Gartner, KIA,
Mercedes-Benz and many more
Esri Dev Summit - The
Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS
professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs,
CA
