Friday, November 20. 2009

Twitter Geo API Available

It went live yesterday (Twitter blog) and the Twittersphere was excited. The only challenge: it's an API so only developers, not end users, could do anything with it. Further, you can't take advantage of the API from the website, so, no cool location maps when using Twitter.com. But, those developers who build their own apps are already using the API: Birdfeed, Seesmic Web, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twidroid, Twittelator Pro. There's a nice best practices doc for developers, that's also valuable for end-users, I must say.

For us end-users on the site: for now, all you can do is turn the geotagging feature on or off (it's OFF by default). You do that via your settings where you can also delete your location history.

ReadWriteWeb has a nice overview of the kinds of apps the API may make possible.

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Social Networking at 07:33 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0) |

Thursday, November 19. 2009

Crossing the Border Safely, With LBS

b.a.n.g lab's Transborder Immigrant Tool is an LBS app built to run on an inexpensive cell phone designed to help Mexican immigrants safely cross the border.

From an interview with the team's Ricardo Dominguez:

We looked at the Motorola i455 cell phone, which is under $30, available even cheaper on eBay, and includes a free GPS applet. We were able to crack it and create a simple compasslike navigation system. We were also able to add other information, like where to find water left by the Border Angels, where to find Quaker help centers that will wrap your feet, how far you are from the highway--things to make the application really benefit individuals who are crossing the border.

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in LBS at 06:40 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Tuesday, November 17. 2009

Foursquare API Arrives

It's live. Mashable says the API is key to the company living up to its potential. The article goes on to align Foursquare with Twitter, a company that made its mark in large part from developers apps. Oh, and The Next Web suggests Facebook may buy Foursquare.

- Foursquare Blog

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Social Networking at 07:16 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Monday, November 16. 2009

Dutch to Tax Drivers Based on Driving Distance, Road Time using GPS

According to the Associated Press, the Netherlands will levy a tax based on the time spent driving in order to reduce congested highways. When the plan takes effect in 2012, a GPS monitoring system will track the distance, time, and place of drivers who will pay a few cents per kilometer. The tax replaces an annual road tax that amounts to approximately $900 per year for a mid-size car.

Posted by Joe Francica in Tracking, LBS, GPS, Sensors, Navigation, Routing, Tracking, Logistics at 01:17 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Friday, November 13. 2009

Update: TownMe: An LBS API

Update: Released.

- TechCrunch

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in LBS at 08:02 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) |

Another Biz Model for Cell Phones: Location-based Pricing

The technology is from Telecordia and called dynamic discount tariffing.

It was launched in Africa in September. There MTN, Vodacom and Safaricom offer between 45 and 95% discounts. It's now likely to be launched in India.

My question: how will you know the discounted areas? "Subscribers get information on the discounts through SMS or by an interactive voice response system." I guess it's just a form of "congestion pricing."

- Business Line (via Plugged.In)

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in LBS at 06:00 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |