geolocation
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No need for an app with Sig Alert's maps
As TUAW's own Steve Sande noted, one of the neat features of Safari on iPhone OS 3.0 is its ability to leverage the HTML 5 geolocation API. One of the more prominent web-based services to use geolocation is Google's Latitude, which allows one to see where their friends are located and what they're currently up to. Whereas Latitude provides you updates on where your friends are and what they're up to, Sigalert.com provides you updates on what's holding up all the traffic at your current location (for California and Arizona only) as well as when you should be expecting it to loosen up. During a recent weekend afternoon drive from Los Angeles to San Diego, I was stuck in heavy traffic -- unusually heavy considering the day and time I was traveling. Sure, I could have relied on dedicated apps, such as iPhone's built-in map app or MapQuest 4 Mobile, to see exactly where the traffic would loosen up, but I wanted to know exactly what was causing the traffic. So I turned to sigalert.com instead.
Safari Browser 3.0 for iPhone is GPS-aware
One of the relatively unsung features of the upcoming iPhone 3.0 firmware is that the new version of Safari for iPhone will use geolocation. This means that the browser can request location information from the iPhone's GPS receiver, and can also provide that location information to websites that you're visiting.ComputerWorld's Seth Weintraub reports that the beta versions of the firmware are working well with sample web-aware websites. This capability is not only planned for the iPhone's implementation of Safari, but many upcoming browsers for Mac as well. Geolocation capabilities make it simple for developers to create web apps that no longer need to ask you for an address or zip code. Google, for instance, is planning on making their Latitude application a 3.0-only web app rather than a standalone application on the iPhone. Latitude will leverage the geolocation features of Safari by knowing exactly where you are at a particular point in time and sending that info to the Latitude servers, then returning the whereabouts of your friends while informing them where you are.For those of you who don't want your 3.0-enabled iPhone to let the world know exactly where you are, remember that you can always turn off Location Services in the General Settings or just answer "Don't Allow" when asked if Safari or a particular website would like to use your current location.
HearPlanet for iPhone now lets you see
HearPlanet Premium [App Store link] is a new and enhanced version of the free iPhone app HearPlanet. The premium version is U.S. $5.99. HearPlanet Premium gets your location from GPS, or you can enter any location manually. It then provides quite a bit of text information, generally sourced from Wikipedia. HearPlanet can tell you what is around you, like tourist locations, museums, geological features, and read the descriptions out loud, or you can read them yourself without the audio. The app has worldwide coverage. We took a look at the original HearPlanet and found much to like. Apparently, we weren't alone, as 300,000 copies of the travel app have been downloaded. One of the most requested features from users was maps, and now HearPlanet contains detailed maps of many locations. The maps are sourced from the Open Streets Map project, and are quite attractive to look at. Other similar apps can link you to Google Maps, but they throw you out of the program. HearPlanet Premium has everything in one place.When you find locations, there are often thumbnail images that go with an entry, but you can't enlarge them. One of my suggestions for the free app was the inclusion of phone numbers, pretty important in a travel guide, but since the source of much of the information is Wikipedia, there still aren't many phone numbers that I could locate. The developer says there are phone numbers, and as data sources are added the amount will increase.The maps allow you to zoom and pan, giving you a good idea of what is around you. You can reference the maps while the program is speaking, and the ability to look around while learning about a location is very nice. HearPlanet premium is a nice upgrade from the free version, which is still available at the app store. If you want the addition of maps, HearPlanet Premium is the way to go.HearPlanet and HearPlanet Premium both run on the iPhone or iPod touch. Of course the touch does not have GPS, but it can usually derive your location via Skyhook's WiFi capability.Check out a few screen shots in the gallery below:%Gallery-49056%
Motorola declares white space device testing successful
Motorola is claiming success in the latest round of FCC white space device testing, countering Microsoft's numerous failed attempts. "It worked as well as we said it would," said Motorola's Steve Sharkey. So there. Motorola's device is mostly based on its geolocation capabilities, which in addition to its "sensing" tech allow it to know where which spectrum is being used by digital TV in that particular area and avoid it proactively. Sharkey calls the tech "absolute, solid protection," which should make members of the white space coalition happy -- though we haven't heard positive word from Philips, Adaptrum and InfoComm yet, who were also testing devices alongside Motorola, but aren't using the geolocation technology. That, and the FCC has the final word on all of this, so we'll just have to wait for that word from on high before we start riotous, interference free partying in the streets.[Via dailywireless.org]
Twinkle: location-aware Twittter client for iPhone
According to Installer, Twinkle from Gogo Apps is "Twitter plus Location." It's a Twitter client that adds photos and geolocation as well as clickable URLs and Follow / Stop Following control within the app. With it, you can find people twittering near you -- in fact it seems to be using my findme utility to power its location-awareness. And no, I have no financial interest in this thing -- I gave permission for them to use the utility so long as the app remains non-commercial. I logged in, entered my Twitter account info (yes, the account information is stored in clear text in ~mobile/Library/Preferences) and within seconds, it found tweets within 50 miles of my location. You can tweet directly from Twinkle. Tap the pencil button at the top-right corner (it's the one that for quite a while I mistook for a mis-shaped lower-case "i"). From there, you can enter your tweet, specify whether to tag with a location and optionally snap a photo. Twinkle offers a professionally designed interface and good ease of use. The only negative occurred after I mistyped my password. I ended up in an infinite loop of authentication errors and had to force-quit the application. %Gallery-21217%
Kindle easter eggs: Google Maps cell-based location, picture viewer, and more
Apparently, Amazon's wondrous e-book reader, the Kindle, has more than meets the eye -- not unlike some fictional, alien, robotic characters which shall not be named. Users of the device have been plumbing its depths, and have uncovered a handful of easter eggs which will make current owners extra happy, and might push potential buyers over the edge. Amongst the hidden features are access to Google Maps coupled with CDMA-based location-finding, which also allows you to quickly locate nearby gas stations and restaurants (as well as your own custom searches). In addition to the GMaps integration, the Kindle also comes equipped with a hidden picture viewer and slideshow functionality, the ability to snap a screenshot, a clock quick-look, plus everyone's favorite time-wasting game: Minesweeper. Hit the read link to learn all about the unrevealed guts of the innocent little reader.[Via interface]
Joint Forces Command trialing hybrid GPS technology
Taking geo-location services to a level beyond what vanilla GPS can provide has been looked at a time or two before, and apparently, the Joint Forces Command is hoping to implement a similar system on the battlefield. In a partnership with L-3 Communications, the JFC hopes to "develop a hybrid tracking system using various navigation sensors and radio waves that could be used when GPS isn't available, such as inside buildings or underground in tunnels or caves." The objectives are twofold, as it hopes to assist "field commanders keep track of individual troops as they carry out missions," and moreover, to give soldiers the ability to accurately and consistently track their own in order to keep "friendly fire deaths" from occurring. If all goes as planned, several prototypes will be loosed on the Marine Corps by May of next year, and if this here technology adds a dash of omnipresence to the men and women in uniform, it could be deployed en masse shortly thereafter. [Via DefenseTech]
Inventor crafts GPS-equipped shoes, includes a panic button
We've seen some fairly interesting means of keeping track of your mischievous kids (or pets), but Sayo Isaac Daniel's latest invention takes top honors as the ultimate paranoid parent's must-have gizmo. Aside from the obvious tracking uses, Daniel's GPS footwear is actually intended to beam out a distress signal to a pre-selected recipient if the wearer hits a certain panic button. The GPS-equipped kicks would present the location of the violated victim to whoever is deemed that person's hero, and would hopefully give the rescuer enough time to arrive and lay down the law. Also, the patent explains an "alarm toe switch" that would be inserted within the shoe in order to give customers the ability to sound their alarm (intentionally or otherwise) without making any sudden movements. Reportedly, a company dubbed Quantum Satellite Technology plans to start selling the shoes "in March for around $350 per pair," but the GPS signal emanating from your soles won't do you much good if your kidnapper ditches your footwear before tossing you in the trunk.[Via The Raw Feed]
