Just picked up on this promotion being offered up by Seattle-based LizardTech… Now through April 30, 2007 they are running a GeoExpress promotion. When you purchase 1 copy of a GeoExpress encoding bundle or GeoExpress Unlimited, you will receive a FREE copy of GeoExpress Tools (a $1,500 value) OR a FREE floating license (a $1,000 value). To take advantage of this limited offer, contact a sales representative at 1-866-725-5211 or 206-652-5211 or blast an email to geosales @ lizardtech.com or jump to lizardtech.com (Source: LizardTales newsletter)
Archives for April 4, 2007
Nokia releases SDKs to ease the pain for C and Linux developers – migrate with ease to S60
For mobile application developers and those creating LBS apps this is huge! If you develop application and program in C or Linux then your gonna love the new SDKs just released by Forum Nokia. The Open C plug-ins have been developed to ease the migration pains typically experienced by developers looking to port their apps to a mobile environment. The tools enable C and Linux developers to port their apps to the Symbian OS (think World’s most popular mobile OS) all without any need for special programming skills etc… This comes from Nokia… “By making the Open C SDK Plug-In available, Nokia is helping to greatly broaden the potential pool of developers who will be essential in creating compelling applications for the next generation of smart phone devices,” said Lee Epting, vice president, Forum Nokia, Nokia’s global developer program. “Because Open C libraries are built on open-source projects, developers who need to design and implement large application bases to run on several operating systems, will now find it easier to write portable code for Symbian OS based devices. The increase in developer productivity from Open C will drive exciting new opportunities for S60 application development” For more info see http://www.forum.nokia.com/openc or see the full announcement at http://www.lbszone.com/content/view/1804/2/
New release of Live Maps provides performance updates, more 3D, RSS support and more
Yesterday, according to the VE blog, a new release of Live Maps was launched. Among the new feature items are a bunch of bug fixes, performance improvements and enhancements to existing functionality. Enhancements found in the latest update include:
Firefox support for 3D mapping
Ratings and Reviews of Business Listings
Subscribe to a Collection via RSS
Area Calculations and Drawing Enhancements
Traffic and Driving Directions Enhancements
Address-Only Geocoding
For developers, V5 of the Virtual Earth Map Control will be released in the near future.
For more see http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!2BBC66E99FDCDB98!8495.entry or jump directly to Live Maps at http://maps.live.com/
Firefox support for 3D mapping
Ratings and Reviews of Business Listings
Subscribe to a Collection via RSS
Area Calculations and Drawing Enhancements
Traffic and Driving Directions Enhancements
Address-Only Geocoding
For developers, V5 of the Virtual Earth Map Control will be released in the near future.
For more see http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!2BBC66E99FDCDB98!8495.entry or jump directly to Live Maps at http://maps.live.com/
A few comments and observations from CTIA Wireless
CTIA Wireless 2007 – there’s no doubt about it, content is still king… however, simplicity and ease of use are indeed “the killer app”. That was the message presented in sessions, demonstrations, panel discussions, and meetings at North America’s recent wireless industry convention. Some of the key impressions I took away from the event include the following:
– mobile content is king and the industry (and users) are craving more mobile content – in particular entertainment.
– Application developers have plenty of opportunities, although the competition is brisk. Simple to use, intuitive applications are what people want. Make it functional, entertaining, useful, and simple.
– Location-based services and applications are hot and in demand. Think about it, there were more than 340 entries in this year’s North American LBS Challenge. Looking to get your LBS app on a device? Think social networking, community building, entertainment, and gaming… these appear to be the LBS services that are of greatest interest (to carriers and end users)
– GPS-enabled devices are coming on strong.
– Developing applications for a variety of handsets, operating systems, and languages is still a challenge. It’s still quite amazing to see many applications that have been created to run solely on one application or even one device.
These are but a few of the topics that stuck out in my mind after taking in 3 days at CTIA. Here’s more samplings of items that got my attention and may get you thinking about the direction you want to take as you develop apps and services for the mobile space heading into 2008.
China – explosive usage – 25 new customers every second
US usage at about 75%
93% of mobile users surveyed by mywireless.org are satisfied with current service provider
68% believe government regulation on wireless will make services more costly
The new killer app… ease of use. Bringing together the 3 screens.
Demand for speed and data. Usage of data apps for business has soared $7.2 B usage in 2006… data usage is exploding. Today 1 in 5 users uses data. 45% of youth are mobile data users.
Mobile banking is also coming on and is in high demand.
48,000 hotspots in 79countries around the Globe.
40% of population frequently look for directions on web
Note: local search is expected to grow 282% in next 5 years. Great as only 15% of cell phone users use data services.
A tip to Developers, avoid navigation services (saturated) maybe look at social networking or location-based games as an option.
Location isn’t a service, it’s a service enabler!
Favorite tagline from the event… without the L it’s just BS! (Source: Tele Atlas)
Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability in North America
Here’s some details of an interesting event I ran into on an EDU discussion list… Presented by: Linda Mortsch, Environment Canada — The Working Group II contribution to the “Climate Change 2007” Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, www.ipcc.ch) will be released on April 6, 2007. The report assesses the latest literature on climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. The North America chapter outlines how climate change affects freshwater resources, ecosystems, coastal zones, natural resource sectors, human health, communities, tourism, energy, industry, and transportation. The chapter also examines adaptation practices, options, opportunities, and constraints. Key findings will be presented by Linda Mortsch, the Canadian Coordinating Lead Author of the North America chapter. Her presentation will be prefaced by Dr. Donald Lemmen (Natural Resources Canada) and Patti Edwards (Environment Canada), who will provide an overview of the report’s Summary for Policymakers. Event details – Friday, April 13, 2007, 1:30-2:30 – Camsell Hall, 588 Booth Street, Ottawa