When I was a newbie in the industry the "big news" was a utility switching from one vendor to another. Smallworld wins were a big deal, for example and press announcements the way to tell the story. Now the turf is the Web and Microsoft is touting, via blog (and one PR), switching Yellowbook off MapQuest onto Virtual Earth and Windermere's real estate tool Property Point 3 moving off an ESRI/Google solution onto the platform. I'm guessing, but don't really know that the dollars were much bigger back in the "utility flip" days.

- Virtual Earth/Live Maps Blog

This time it's MAPSource, which had its big store in appropriately named, Town 'N Country FL. The dealer filed for bankruptcy Jan. 28, three months after its three stores and printing plant closed.

Ok, I think we get that print map stores are going out of business. This is the last such story I'll cite.

- Carollwood News and Tribune

Switched implies a sex offender mapping website was to blame for arson nearby. A message telling the offender to get was found on a trailer full of carpet cleaning materials. The source of the story is a very short story from the AP - it doesn't suggest how the arsonists found the location.

CBS announced Wednesday some "serious experiments" using LBS advertising. CBS Mobile will deliver ads to its websites that are set up for mobile use based on GPS-enabled phone's locations. Loopt is providing the location tools, along with relationships with carriers.

- New York Times

Athletes use GPS receivers to track their speed, distance and more. Now, doctors are using it to test for the extent of peripheral artery disease. The normal test uses a treadmill to track how long a patient can walk until pain stops them. The treadmill can measure quite a few things at one, but since the test is done only once, there's no way to average over a few days. Using GPS and letting patients stroll in the park offers what might be better data.

- Washington Post