Tag Archives: LocationBasedServices
Swarm’s latest update brings it closer to its Foursquare roots
The line between the Swarm and Foursquare City Guide apps just blurred a little more. Foursquare has released Swarm 6.0 for Android and iOS, and its tentpole features will feel familiar if you're more used to browsing places than checking in. Most no...
Apple acquires location-based data startup Locationary
Apple's gone shopping again, this time picking up Locationary, a small Canada-based company that deals in local business data and locations. The deal's been confirmed by Cupertino, although as is often the case, it told AllThingsD that it doesn't discuss the purpose or plans behind its buys. You'd imagine, however, that the small startup will most likely be involving itself in Apple's very own mapping software, which continues to make up for its messy launch on iOS. Locationary uses a large data exchange platform and crowdsourcing to constantly gather, merge and verify data and geographic points for local businesses -- hopefully meaning the next time you pop out to your nearest Best Buy, it'll still be there.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Apple
Source: AllThingsD
Japan’s Terra Motors to introduce electric scooter with iPhone connection
The Apple Maps fiasco excepted, we have it pretty good where location-based services are concerned. But in areas like South East Asia, that's not entirely the case. Which is why Japan-based Terra Motors is prepping to launch the A4000i, an electric scooter that also features an iPhone connector (compatible with the 3GS and up) for big data collection. The company's positioning the A4000i as a means of gathering location data -- useful for mapping -- as well as mileage and battery performance (a lithium cell rated for 50,000km) for that region of the world. There's no word on exactly when Terra plans to launch this scooter overseas, but when it eventually does, expect to see the A4000i retail for around ¥450,000 (about $4,500 USD).
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Internet, Software, Mobile, Apple
Foursquare brings a native tablet UI to Android, while iOS waits
While iOS has continued to tout its lead in native tablet apps over other platforms, there are a few cases where it lags and now Foursquare is one of them. A new update to the Android app features a new map browsing experience for tablets and large screen phones, plus improvements to the Explore feature. On the other hand, iPad users still have to deal with a stretched out version of the iPhone app for their check ins and discovery, although a fresh update there tweaks search suggestions and spellcheck in Explore. This isn't the first go round for a tablet optimized Foursquare experience on Android as the Sony Tablet S had its own app, although that was built by a third party and not fully featured.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Mobile
Via: About Foursquare
Source: Google Play, iTunes
TomTom pairs with TrafficLand to provide live roadside footage to devs
TomTom is looking to beef up its location based services portal by joining forces with TrafficLand to bring real time traffic video to its developers. TomTom's LBS will now incorporate TrafficLand's network of over 13,000 roadside webcams, enabling developers to integrate live footage into their location-enabled apps via the Traffic Camera API. TrafficLand's real-time video will join the other cloud-based location services TomTom provides to devs, like map content, routing and geocoding. For right now, TrafficLand covers only the US, UK and Canada, and it's not clear if the company plans to expand beyond those three countries anytime soon. For more information, you can take a gander at TomTom's full press release, embedded after the break.
Filed under: GPS
Square believes it can trump Foursquare in the local recommendations game
Square collects a lot of store info by virtue of its payment business, so you'd think it would be great at recommending where to shop. And you may soon be right, according to the company's Ajit Varma. While he doesn't have a schedule, he tells The Verge that Square will eventually customize its directory to suggest hot or newly opened stores based on our spending habits. Varma even believes that his company could beat Foursquare in the local recommendations field, and it's easy to see why when Square knows that we're willing to buy, not just that we've entered a given store. Of course, this is all contingent on both a ubiquitous Square presence and consumerist intentions. Foursquare is entirely willing to point us to both free landmarks as well as stores without Square readers, so it's doubtful that the two services will ever completely overlap.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Source: The Verge
Bloomberg: Facebook once more building a friend-tracking mobile app
Facebook briefly dallied last year with the idea of letting us track our friends while on the road, only to be spooked off for reasons unknown. It might have developed enough nerve for another shot, according to Bloomberg. The social network is purportedly building a smartphone app that would locate nearby contacts and, unlike last year's Find Friends Nearby, would run in the background where it's supported -- making it more useful, if not very comforting to privacy advocates. Not much else is mentioned besides features that would "help [Facebook] profit" from its growing mobile base. The company itself certainly isn't saying anything official at this stage. If the app arrives in mid-March as claimed, however, Apple's Find My Friends and Google's Latitude won't have our attention (and location) to themselves.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Facebook
Source: Bloomberg
TomTom unveils location based services, portal to help put developers on the map
Thanks to a certain fruit company and its cartographic woes, many folks are aware that TomTom provides mapping services to third-parties. Now the navigation company is offering cloud-based services like map display, routing, traffic and geocoding to all, alongside a developer portal with the tools to program them. That'll pit it against rivals like Nokia and Google in providing location data for fleet management, traffic planning or geolocation analysis apps, for instance. Naturally, there's a fee to be paid for all those goodies, but to get you hooked, the company's offering a 90 day free evaluation of its SDK and API. Need directions to the PR? Take the first left, then head after the break.
Continue reading TomTom unveils location based services, portal to help put developers on the map
Filed under: GPS
TomTom unveils location based services, portal to help put developers on the map originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsFoursquare for Android updated for more social check-ins, shares club-hopping with the world
There's a good reason Foursquare has an Overshare badge. Still, that hasn't stopped the location service from rolling out an update to Android users that simplifies broadcasting your position to the world. The Android check-in screen now matches that of the iOS app with a more streamlined appearance that more quickly shares updates with Facebook and Twitter; mentioning friends is easier as well. As long as your social circle doesn't mind knowing that you checked into three different dance clubs in one night, Foursquare's update awaits at the source.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Foursquare for Android updated for more social check-ins, shares club-hopping with the world originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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