geo-location
Latest
‘Jurassic World Alive’ update lets users feed their AR dinosaurs
You might not realize it, but you're living in a world full of dinosaurs. Since the augmented reality game Jurassic World Alive came out last year, it's been downloaded 17 million times. Players have unleashed 115 million dinosaurs and taken them to battle nearly one billion times. Now, the game is getting a few new features, including "sanctuaries," where users can feed, interact and play with their dinosaurs.
Intel to acquire Telmap, dole out easy to implement location APIs to AppUp developers
In case you weren't watching, Intel's Elements 2011 Keynote slipped in a sly acquisition announcement: the firm recently signed a deal to absorb Telmap, an Israel-based outfit whose location platform is the backbone of countless navigation apps. Intel's Peter Biddle says the navigation firm is to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel, and will help AppUp developers pack their apps with unique location capabilities via Telmap's standardized APIs. Biddle wraps it up simply enough: "New advanced capabilities with just a few lines of code." Details on the deal are scarce, but hit the source link below to see Biddle's full statement in Intel's AppUp wrap-up.
Locality app does location based search with a few twists
There's no shortage of location-based search apps. One of my favorites is Around Me, but there are plenty of others. Smith Micro has come up with its own search app that has some nice additions, and misses a few things too. The free app, called Locality, uses Google searching to find the nearest restaurants, pharmacies, hospitals, etc. It does that well, generating a list of places, or it can show them on a map. One nice feature is an 'Events' function, so you can see things that might be of special interest around you. Some things it found were local concerts, antique shows, and some commercial events like sales at local stores. The app also features a selection of geo-tagged photos. They are provided by Panoramio, and it's a nice addition to this compact little app. Sadly, the photos are only one way affairs. You can see submitted photos, but you can't submit them from the Locality app. (Panoramio has a free app that lets you do this from your iPhone.) You can email the photos, or the app can give you directions to where the photo was taken. which is a useful feature. I'd like to see it do the same with pictures from your own camera roll. %Gallery-104550%
Skyhook hones in on another partner, Samsung's Wave to geo-locate like no other
Skyhook Wireless seems to have located itself yet another major partner in its continued quest to pinpoint every single cellphone owner in the world. Sure, we're exaggerating a bit just to get you riled up, but there's no arguing the fact that the company fulfills "hundreds of millions of location requests every day across over 100 million handsets, netbooks and cameras." Or so it says, anyway. The latest company to buy into Skyhook's geo-locating promise -- which uses a mysterious combination of GPS, cellular and WiFi data to get a darn good lock on your current position in most any environment -- is Samsung, with the Bada-equipped Wave (S8500) first to tout it. As time goes on, even more Sammy phones will utilize Skyhook's technology, though we're left to wonder what exactly those models will be. Anyone up for educated guessing?
QSTARZ BT-Q1000 GPS data logger syncs with Google Earth
QSTARZ is taking its familiarity with GPS receivers and integrating a data logger to form the newfangled BT-Q1000. This two-faced device doubles as a Bluetooth GPS receiver to navigate your course and allows you to "record your routes" in order to plot points on Google Earth and disseminate the map to your envious pals. Moreover, you can use the device to more accurately tag where your travel photos were snapped along the way, and if you're in the fleet management biz, this here tool can keep your motorists from straying too far off the beaten path. Designed to last a whopping 32-hours without a recharge, the BT-Q1000 can make your next journey a whole lot more memorable for $119 when it lands later this month.
NTT DoCoMo's forward-looking video overlooks the present
We've seen prophets get their agendas past the marketing department a time or two before, but NTT DoCoMo's latest peek into the "future" seemingly forgets to look at what's actually available right now. The lengthy spot showcases how mobile phones will "one day" be even more tightly integrated into our everyday lives, and while the ideas of using mobile-based keychains and passwords, geo-locators, and video telephony are certainly novel, deeming them events of the future seems a bit ignorant. Additionally, it demonstrates the phone's ability to assist with grocery shopping, take care of hailing a cab, act as a tutor, and prevent children from straying too far away -- all of which have either already been implemented or are quite a ways along the development pipeline. Of course, the pen-sized handset with retractable holographic display certainly hasn't hit mainstream channels just yet, but otherwise it seems we're all way ahead of our time. The pseudo-futuristic video awaits you in the read link.[Via PSFK]
Robotic submersibles take on fish-like sensing abilities
Controlling your fish remotely is one thing, but utilizing fish sense to dictate the actions of an uncrewed submersible is an entirely different animal. Malcolm MacIver and colleagues at Northwestern University have created an "artificial electric-field sensing system that could ultimately give robotic subs the same additional sensory capabilities" as found in weakly electric fish. These particular sea-dwellers have an uncanny ability to sense electric fields, and can also generate their own to "help navigate, identify objects, and even communicate with other fish." The newfangled "electro-location" system could allow underwater bots big and small to more accurately maneuver and collect data, particularly in situations where precise movements and recognition of surroundings is important. Even the creators admit that it'll be quite some time before man made sensors can come close to mimicking those found in nature, but judging by the videos seen in the read link, they're certainly riding the right wave.[Via NewScientistTech]
Lodenfrey's io-Jacket utilizes GPSoverIP tracking technology
Utilizing hybrid GPS tracking technology to locate things whilst inside a building has wandered over into the commercial realm a few times before, but Germany's Lodenfrey is hoping you'll keep said technology overtly near and dear to your heart. The io-Jacket, which had one unit built to raise money for the "Humans for Humans" foundation, doesn't differ too much from other gizmo-laced jackets that have come before at first glance, but if you look beyond the built-in Bluetooth, integrated MP3 player, touch-sensitive control pads, and dashing good looks, you'll notice the compatibility with GPSoverIP. This functionality enables the wearer to upload "real-time tracking data" via their cellphone to a website, where a paranoid parent or mission commander could keep watch on the situation regardless of buildings. No word on future pricing or availability options just yet, but the one unit that was auctioned off for charity fetched €2,960 ($4,019) -- which is reportedly about €740 ($1,005) less than the cost of construction.[Via The Raw Feed]
Boeing working to provide tracking abilities sans GPS signals
No sooner than the Joint Forces Command announces an initiative to utilize hybrid GPS technology to get geo-tracking information to soldiers whilst inside buildings or otherwise obstructed from GPS range, DARPA has went and hired Boeing to do almost the same thing. The Robust Surface Navigation (RSN) program seeks to "exploit signals of opportunity to deliver precise location information to the US warfighter in GPS-denied environments," which could theoretically overcome any GPS jamming techniques that our enemies may try. Essentially, Boeing is looking to companies such as ROSUM to figure out how to provide tracking data via terrestrial broadcast signals and augmented broadcast signals instead of GPS. The 15-month Phase 1 concept development contract is just getting underway, and while no commercial plans have been cooked up just yet, we can't imagine this staying out of civilian hands for too awfully long.[Via Gizmag]
Underground / indoor GPS repeater maintains your position
Sure, there's a number of uber-sensitive GPS receivers out there that claim to maintain your position whilst under a bridge, in a tunnel, or cramped up in some thick-walled office building, but a recent patent application is looking to implement a repeater system to ensure the best possible geo-location data regardless of your surroundings. Rather than utilizing a WiFi / GPS hybrid method to keep track of objects, the GPS repeater system would require multiple GPS antennae to be setup atop buildings and other obstructions, which would be wired to an indoor RF repeater system that directional receivers could tap into. The indoor segment would not only repeat the signals, but it would reportedly amplify them as well to ensure a solid connection. While we've no idea if this admittedly bright idea will ever go commercial, we can't help but wonder how folks like Jack Bauer already seem to be taking advantage of it.
GPS-enabled wind chimes sound off while geo-tracking
If you think the Dandellas were outlandish uses of GPS technology, here's one that comes mighty close to one-upping even those. The GPS-enabled wind chimes have DIY written all over them, and while the chimes themselves where purchased (after a failed attempt at creating his own, notably), basically everything else that makes the system tick was homegrown. Utilizing Mologogo, servos, circuit boards, and a good bit of coding, the GPS chimes emit their music whenever the tracked individual's cellphone moves in a user-selected path, essentially acting as an alert that someone's headed to their domicile. Of course, the actual options here are a tad limited (albeit very intriguing), but the foundation of the project could indeed be used for a much broader geo-tracking scenario. Regardless, we know there are folks out there eager to give this a whirl, and thankfully for you, everything you need to know (including the oh-so-critical code) is just a Read link away.[Via MAKE]
