All Points Blog

Update: TomTom: If you can't beat 'em, cut the price

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:06:00 -0600

Today TomTom added another incentive to get folks buying PNDs: turn in an old one for a discount on a full price new on at TomTom.com. While the "trade in" prices are considered generous by Consumer Reports (some up to 50% of current sale prices for ...Read more
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Update: California "Cool Car" Regs May Mean no GPS, Radio, Cell phone Signals in the Vehicles

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:43:00 -0600

The California Air Resources Board released a report (pdf) this month revealing what it learned in very limited tests of GPS devices and cell phones used in cars that had the coating on the front windshield. The results: (1) Cell phones used in c...Read more
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Walmart Offering Store Specific Indoor Maps of Black Friday Specials

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:11:25 -0600

Here's an example from a Massachusetts store. It's really a "treasure hunt" as the plasma tv offering is in the "food" dept of the store and a laptop is in home and garden. But, I suppose that spreads out the chaos... I expect an iPhone app fo...Read more

Update 6: AT&T Sues Verizon over "Map for That" Map Ads

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:01:00 -0600

Now, Apple joins the fray with two ads touting iPhone features not available in the Motorola Droid, which runs on Verizon. The catch phrase: "Can your phone and your network do that?" - Gizmodo ...Read more
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Quote of the Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:41:11 -0600

"The benefits of GIS technology, if any, may not be easy to see." From an editorial in the Democrat Herald on the newly printed Oregon official map. The writer cites smaller fonts and missing POIs in comparing the map to a previous, apparently non...Read more

Podcast: Implications for Twitter's Geolocation API

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0600

Last week Twitter released its geolocation API, an interface for developers to tack on, and gain access to the point locations from which tweets are sent, so long as users turn it "on." What are the possibilities for a giant, near-real time set of 14...Read more

Quote of the Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:09:58 -0600

"Our teachers are not requesting (maps) anymore. They're saying, 'Please take them away. They're cluttering up our space.' " - Oak Brooks' Butler School District 53 (Illinois) Superintendent Sandra Martin explaining how teachers in her district o...Read more

Johannesburg "Closing off" its Geodata

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:32:42 -0600

EE Times reprints an article by Heather Ford originally from Brainstorm Magazine addressing the conflict between Joberg, South Africa attempting to become a "world-class" city and its old fashioned city geodata licensing....Read more

Apps.gov Prices for Google API: Nearly $1million

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

Ever wonder how much Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are worth? John Foley took a look at Apps.gov to find out. Google's Maps API comes in at just under $1 million. It's available from Onix Networking for $966,448. That covers unlimited si...Read more

One of my favorite Google Map Apps Adds OSM!

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

I guess I missed the addition (late August 2009) because I'd just finished my ultra training. I used Google Maps Pedometer regularly until then to plan running routes for the Somerville Road Runners Unofficial Saturday Morning Davis Square Long Runs....Read more

Update: Foursquare API Arrives

(Adena Schutzberg) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:09:00 -0600

And, now you can see what developers have built in the gallery! That was fast. With the Foursquare API and Twitter's geolocation API now available, I can better understand how the two are in competition. And, Foursquare has an edge: built in reasons ...Read more
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Podcast: A Hallway Conversation with Jay Tilley, Senior VP, Sanborn

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:33:00 -0600

Adena Schutzberg interviewed Jay Tilley, Sanborn's Senior Vice President about why 3D data is important and how the industry is overcoming challenges such as cost, data fusion and the integration of real time data. Tilley also speaks to the future gr...Read more

Computerworld on CloudMade

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:33:07 -0600

Actually, it was MacWorld (both IDG pubs) that caught up with Nick Black, CloudMade founder, to explore why the company and OSM can change the world. - Computerworld...Read more

Seen During Geography Awareness Week IV

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:15 -0600

""The woman requested that the deputies Google Earth her house and keep it on satellite surveillance overnight," [Sgt] Dawes said." - A Lake Forest (CA) resident called local police to as for a watch on her house after she heard noises, as report...Read more

SimpleGeo: AWS for Location

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:43:53 -0600

Former Digg Chief Architect Joe Stump and Social Thing founder Matt Galligan are now offering a private beta of SimpleGeo, a "new infrastructure for location based services." Per TechCrunch: SimpleGeo is akin to an Amazon Web Services for locat...Read more