Just announced minutes ago, Bing is a new brand from Microsoft – from Microsoft… Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today’s search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business. Internet search has become the No. 1 avenue for finding information and getting things done. But with more than 200 million Web sites online (and counting), most search engines are ill-equipped for the task. Not Bing. What about maps?? Microsoft’s mapping platform, Virtual Earth, will now be branded as Bing Maps for Enterprise.See more in this Announcement or see also http://www.discoverbing.com/behindbing/
Archives for May 28, 2009
LBS, Mobile tech, and location-technology recap
From this week’s LBS round-up… Some big news from Finland this week as Nokia rolled out their response to the mobile application marketplace – Ovi Store. Expectations have been very high so as you can expect, the criticism has been pretty harsh. Ovi has been a long time coming and when the big day finally came, delays, technical issues etc… were being reported although in time things seemed to get up and running. As luck would have it I managed to find Ovi Store using my Nokia N95 8GB right here in the USA (via T-Mobile) and downloaded several free apps. Read on for more as well as some Twitter feedback on the launch – in time I’m sure it will evolve nicely and hopefully become all this is expected of it. Other topics of interest this week include a very cool application launch for iPhone users in the UK – AutoAlert an iPhone Congestion Charge Application which allows you to check whether you are in the London Congestion Charging Zone and then pay via your phone. If you forget to pay, a reminder text message is sent to your phone at the end of the day. This is exciting and can’t you just imagine using this app on the US TollWays to replace the transponders? Last week at WHERE2.0, Nokia used the event to officially announce their Ovi Maps Player API – a simple way to embed the rich and dynamic Ovi Maps experience into any compatible website using basic JavaScript. This opens the Ovi Maps service and technology for third parties wishing to add greater contextual innovation to their websites for a deeper level of integration, sharing and collaboration with their audiences. Finally, a field mapping/GIS solution was announced by SpatialWave in their Field Mapplet 2.0 – a spatially-enabled mobile application framework designed to automate utility workflows between the office and the field. The core Field Mapplet framework includes: dispatching, custom workflows, navigation, routing, facility atlas viewing, as-built and engineering drawing access, and redlining of GIS data. See more HERE
Workshop – Applications of Commercial Synthetic Aperature Radar
Event of interest – Workshop – Applications of Commercial Synthetic Aperature Radar (June 5, Reston VA) The workshop includes three interactive sessions designed to facilitate audience participation with question and answer opportunities. There is ample time for networking with leaders and principal data providers — both airborne and satellite. Who Should Attend? Imagery analysts and scientists, AGI analysts, intelligence managers and any other stakeholders within the SAR community. See Details HERE
AutoAlert for iPhone Alerts drivers entering London Congestion Charge Zone
Don’t you just love mobile apps that are down-right useful?? Check out what AutoAlert has created for UK drivers.. imagine and app that warns you when you’ve entered the London Congestion charge zone… enter AutoAlert for iPhone. Details… iPhone Congestion Charge Application which allows you to check whether you are in the London Congestion Charging Zone and then pay via your phone. If you forget to pay, a reminder text message is sent to your phone at the end of the day. The application is available for download through iTunes. Alternatively, a small AutoAlert vehicle tracking unit can be used instead of an iPhone.See Details HERE