Special Announcement
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Monday, December 31. 2007
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The Google mashup does just what you'd expect: it finds local businesses and reveals - wait for it - their hours!
The writer at Local Tech Wire (WRAL - Raleigh/Durham, NC) notes it looks pretty good for his known orbit of coffee shops, but points out his favorite mexican places don't show up in searches for burritos. I searched for "coffee" in "modesto" and learned about the Coffee Family Dental. Also annoying: hours do not seem to be day of the week dependent. I bet that dentist's office is not open on Sunday, for example. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for more data in local search; this is just a small step forward, however. I expec this sort of specialty solution (data or service) to be gobbled up by the big guys once its of real value.
You can confirm, edit or flag results - and add listings - if you register.
The service, now beta, is available for the US, Europe and China and boasts iPhone and soon, Android support.
Business model? Unknown. Funding? Self. Data sources? Unknown.
- LocalTechWire
Wednesday, December 26. 2007
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I've been keeping tabs on how online journalists have been using maps to offer more features. See for example what MetaCarta offers in that realm. Others are going a different route: geotagging stories and asking registered readers to key in addresses to deliver neighborhood news. Recently, Chi*town Daily News did just that. It's a citizen journalist run news site for Chicago. Luckily, I know the neighborhoods there and could regsiter with an old college address. When I log in I see map centered on that address with local news stories linked off a Google Map.
Equally interesting, per MediaShift/IdeaLab, is the deal for advertisers.
For advertisers this represents an amazing opportunity to pay for ads that reach people in a particular neighborhood. And they're cheap -- $50 to get started.
There's more. It's not just that we're matching users with ads near them. We're pairing content with nearby ads, too.
This is a way new media can potential "jump" traditional media and hopefully attract funding via advertising.
Thursday, December 20. 2007
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Kanwar Chadha is interviewed by Joe Francica on his views about LBS in 2007 and beyond. "Having native location technology on the device allows consumers to get much more benefit from different kinds of applications than if location was sort of an add-on feature,” says Chadha. "There can be a broad range of services like social networking that can be brought up on a platform if you assume that location is native. So, if you look at it like, why should I add GPS and it costs me money, you reverse the paradigm, and say, if I have location, I have multiple ways of making money through services, through advertisements, etc." Chadha also provides his perspective on the hype surrounding LBS applications and whether it is for real? Chadha says, "The fact that location is native into all of these emerging platforms is a very strong indicator that people are serious about enabling multiple applications with location…there are some things that are fundamental to the nature of your business or your life in a mobile world…and location is one of those core elements."
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Monday, December 17. 2007
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The Internet-connected DASH is now available for pre-order. That means all the techies are showing off their reviews and sharing pricing.
Some tidbits:
Compared to your usual, run of the mill GPS, whole connected navigator experience was not dissimilar from the jump between going from a VCR to a TiVo -- which is why we think maybe, just maybe, people might actually want to pay for service with this thing.
- engadget
The big news today is that the eagerly anticipated Dash Express is available for pre-order for $599 with three months of free two-way GPRS information and traffic service. After that, the service will cost $10 to $13 monthly on top of that. Pricey to be sure, but the newly unveiled features solidify the Dash's reputation as a turn-by-turn GPS navigator unlike anything seen before...
- Gizmodo
And although it is by no means the most expensive GPS system out there, it is indeed a device that reflects the true spirit of Web 2.0. ...I didn’t necessarily want to do a review of Dash, but it’s allowed me to point out something that is being forgotten in the mad scramble that is Web 2.0: The Internet is not just about the browser, but rather it is about data and how one can use it to build clever products. I think Dash, much like Amazon’s Kindle and RCA’s Small Wonder video camera, is part of a movement that is breaking Web 2.0’s browser shackles. - GigaOm
Also of note - "Mark from Dash" chimes in regularly on blog comment threads to answer questions posed by readers. This is the way to support marketing and outreach being done by bloggers. That's another sign Dash gets Web 2.0.
Wednesday, December 5. 2007
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Navneet Kaushal reviews the panel on The Direction Of Local Search at SES Chicago 2007 (that's Seach Engine Strategies for those who don't follow the search arena). Reps from Ask.com (regular source for this blog Gary Price, with his Ask hat on), Yahoo and Urban mapping, among others seem to be challenging us to "think different" about local search.
- SearchNewz
(Page 1 of 1, totalling 5 entries)
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