Location-based Services

Would it bother you if you knew that online retailers priced their merchandise based on your location? According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, some online retailers are basing their pricing on "geolocation" and browsing history. But is this any different than what retailers do now...

Maps have always related and realigned our history; increasingly, we're ceding control of that history to the cold precision of the computer. With this comes great responsibility. Leading mapmakers used to be scattered around the world, all lending their distinctive talents and...

I noted that NORAD had switched from Google tech to Microsoft's Azure and Bing Maps as the backend to its Santa Tracker. Today comes word that Google will host its own version on Google Maps, as an alternative. While we’ve been tracking Santa since 2004 with Google Earth, this year a team of...

Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota is championing the cause of data privacy -- specifically, he wants to keep the smartphone locations of women and children a secret from stalkers and third-party companies. Franken's new bill, the Location Protection Privacy Act of 2012, would outlaw so-called...

If you are doing online shopping this year you are most likely taking advantage of offers for "free shipping." One of the major shipping carriers is obviously UPS. How your packages arrive in a timely manner is a function of proprietary algorithms and a home-grown mapping system. The man in...

I confess that I was not aware of the Nearby feature, but TechCrunch checked out the update. The new update for Android and iOS Facbook app users rolls out to 1% of users Monday and to others "soon." The update comes from the Gowalla team and focuses on local business discovery and TechCrunch...

Argos WebService API: The service provides tracking and monitoring of locations on the earth's surface by satellite processing of signals from a transmitter, either at a fixed station or mounted on a vehicle or other mobile platform. Applications of the satellite monitoring services include...

Back in September, after Apple released iOS 6 with Apple Maps, I suggested in an artcle that the fiasco was indicative of a lack of understanding of what it takes to do an Internet mapping application well and that Apple should acquire TomTom, it's mapping data provider. Since that time, Tim...

I learned that NORAD Santa is changing map platform providers via Pocket Lint and confirmed it in the Norad Santa partners list. Google is not listed but Microsoft, Bing Maps and Azure are! There's also a Windows Phone app this year. Why the change? The Seattle Times reports that while...

Yes, it's here: Google Map for iOS. It's in the Apple App Store. Who gets it? The new Google Maps app is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch (4th gen) iOS 5.1 and higher, in more than 40 countries and 29 languages, including Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese...