Location-based Services

As we move into 2013, Directions Magazine will deliver many more options for readers who want choices in how they get their news. See what's coming!

Surprise! The path to the mobile future is ... Maps! Who says that? Rolfe Winkler, writing in today's Wall Street Journal (WSJ), says that whoever has the best mobile maps "will be an important driver of shares in tech giants such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook and help determine who...

The two changes take effect Jan 28, 2013: 1) Instead of using just a first name, last initial (e.g. Adena S.) to indicate check-ins publicly, on that date, full names will be used (Adena Schutzberg). Foursquare says the old way is confusing, but explains any user can change their full name if...

Cellid API: The service provides geolocation information by detecting the nearest cellular phone access point and marking its location. It was developed to provide location to a phone's systems without the need to access a global positioning system (GPS) signal. After identifying an antenna,...

Until Wednesday only the Chinese government and military had access to the interface to use the signal from the Beidou constellation. Then the interface was made public. To be technical: an official version of the complete interface control document [pdf] (ICD) for the nation’s BeiDou...

Consumer Reports makes very clear which brands might be keepers: In years past, there were numerous brands competing in the portable navigator space. Now there are essentially three main players: Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. All others are truly fringe players and their products should...

Executive Editor Adena Schtuzberg picked out some the top articles from outside of Directions Magazine from the last three months. If you missed them the first time around - here's an opportunity to catch up!    

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...

Executive Editor Adena Schtuzberg picked out some the top government resourcesfrom the last three months. If you missed them the first time around - here's an opportunity to catch up!

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...