Relocating the Hollywood Sign for GPS Navigation Purposes

To keep traffic from residential areas and to prevent drivers from getting lost, Garmin and Google have relocated it to route drivers to viewing areas.

- Contra Costa Times

Finding Naturist Areas and other LBS News

MapMuse today announced the 2012 release of its Nude Beach and Naturist Maps, a series of web maps and an accompanying iPhone app that plot the locations of nude beaches, nude resorts, nudist clubs, nudist colonies, and nude runs around the world.

- press release

Glassmap, an app (Android/iOS, Facebook log-in) to passively share your location with friends, has lauched. It started at Standord, where 10% of students use it and has launched at 10 other schools. The big improvement ovr other apps like this (Google Latitiude, Loopt)? It uses an order of magnitude less battery.

- ReadWriteWeb

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday proposed voluntary guidelines for [auto] manufacturers, including a recommendation that they design dashboards so that distracting devices are automatically disabled unless the vehicle is stopped and the transmission is in park.

Thankfully, backers understand that sometimes a passenger keys in an address to the in-car GPS or of course driver could use a phone not integrated into the dashboard for navigation. Maybe that's why this is voluntary.

- AP

Groupon has acquired Hyperpublic, a small company that develops location-based technology that can be integrated into other applications.

- PC World

Google has added "leaderboards" to Google Latititude, something many suggest means its going after Foursquare in a big way. You earn points for checking in and data is shared on Google +. So far the feature is only on the latest Google Maps for Android.

- PC Mag

Google to Show Off Indoor Mapping and other CES News

Google will be brining its "blue dot" to the buildings and floors of CES, the large consumer gadget show that launch Tuesday in Vegas. The folks at Slashgear say it works well.

The official CES showroom floor has all been indexed by Google Maps and can easily be pulled up and even saved to cache. No more mapping for the closest Hollister inside Mall of America instead get turn by turn directions to Samsung, NOKIA, and all the other booths at this years CES.

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Garmin Swaps Bing for Google, but Now offers both Maps to Connect Users

Let's see if I have this straight. Garmin Connect (the result of the Garmin Acquisition of MotionBased in 2005, press release) used to be built on Google Maps. Then a year ago Garmin switched to Bing Maps. Then the community got mad, mostly pointing at the poor terrain views in Bing Maps. So, now, Garmin offers a choice, which it's suggested, means it must pay both companies for their enterprise licenses.

Clearly, changing the map really bothers people. My favorite planning app for runs, GMaps Pedometer now offers Google and OSM.

- Programmable Web