More Random notes, cool technology, suggested apps and cool finds from CTIA wireless 2009 (Part 2)
Written by Glenn Letham
24 April 2009
More noteworthy things and down-right cool mobile “stuff” seen and heard at CTIA wireless 2009. Read on for a few cool things as seen at CTIA this spring in Las Vegas:
iBooster mobile amplifier – an idea add-on for field workers, the iBooster mounts easily within a vehicle, is charged by cigarette lighter and attached to exterior antennae. With cradles for iPhone, Blackberry and other common devices, the device amplifies your signal and helps prevent dropped calls and dead zones while in the field. See www.wilsonelectronics.com
Mapquest mobile on your blackberry – Mapquest mobile provides users with access to maps, directions, “myplaces”, a find me feature, local search and more. See mapquest.com/mq4m. Also, using Mapquest Navigator (for GPS enabled devices) users can access directions, routing, traffic info, city guides, voice guided directions, and more. See mapquest.com/mapquest-navigator
I’m not a current user of in-vehicle navigation via a PND, however, if I was I would be checking out the new Go 740 from Tom Tom. This sweet PND provides users with the latest from Tom Tom including traffic updates, fuel prices, local search, weather data, voice recognition and more. See www.tomtom.com
Shortcovers is a web service providing users with access to books, magazines and other popular content. Customizable mobile app for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android is available with clients for Winn Mobile and Symbian OS coming soon. See shortcovers.com.mobile. The company announced their new shortcovers SDK at cTIA, enabling developers to create their own apps using the company’s SDK. This gives developers access to the company’s content, storefront, reader and payment system. See shortcovers.com/developer/
Go2 College Guides – are you a frequent visitor to a College Campus or maybe you live near one? Go2 has rolled out guides for some 473 Colleges in the US. Users can access local information including movie showtimes, sports scores, and recommendations. See m.go2.com on your mobile.
Phanfare – online photofinishing and photo purchase direct from iPhone. Imagine ordering prints by mail direct from your iPhone. Photos are stored on the Phanfare server and can be uploaded from PC, Apple iPhoto, Google Picasa, or Apple Aperture. Phanfare Photon App is free from the iTunes Store.
SugarSync is an interesting service providing users with secure online backup, auto file synch, remote file access and file sharing. Sugarsync offers support for iPhone, Blackberry, or Windows mobile… other users cane easily access the service via the web. This is a very handy enterprise app and offers users a free, 45 day trial offer. Cool features include, remote file editing, photos archival, auto synch, music on the go. See sharpcast.com
Not exactly new but definitely cool… MizPee – a great mobile app providing users with mobile access to information about clean bathrooms nearby! The app helps find the closest restroom location and also tells users the distance and information like if there’s a requirement to purchase, info on baby changing, and hours of operation. See yojomobile.com
SpinVox got my vote for best booth at CTIA (no hired booth “babes” or huge giveaways needed at all) just a cool looking piece of eye candy for a booth - oh, and a GREAT product as well! Well done SpinVox and nice branding too! PS: try their mobile memo app - its amazing! See more including a cool video from SpinVox here http://blog.gisuser.com/?p=4281
An interesting product from WildCharge, ideal for anyone who frequently travels - This new adapter enables a wide range of mobile phones to charge wire-free with the patented WildCharger Pad and works with a variety of different cell phones, including many from major brands such as Blackberry (RIM), HTC, Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson. The WildCharge Universal Adapter for Cell Phones is available for US MSRP $39.99 and comes in three different bundles for Mini-USB, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson. The company is also offering a Universal Adapter Bundle, which includes the Universal Adapter, WildCharger Pad and wall adapter. This is available for US MSRP $79.99. See www.wildcharge.com
Another fine mobile product supplier is iGrip – developers of mobile device holding solutions. The company has a wide range of product designed to keep your mobile device in its place while on the road. iGrip mounts and holders have been designed specifically to hold popular smartphones, ipods, GPS and navigation devices etc… so they are secure while in the vehicle. See www.igrip.us of note, those interested in locating a supplier of other mobile supplies (batteries, chargers, cables, headsets etc…) might wish to check out the inventory provided by cellular-parts.com
Are you a gadget freak, always interested in having the latest gadget that your neighbor can only dream about? If so then the Garmin nuvifone G60 may be for you. The device is billed as the “all in one, LBS-centric premium mobile phone” by Garmin. The G60 is designed to be a simple to use, connected mobile for people who often find themselves asking “where am I?”, “where am I going?”, and “How do I get there?” connected services provided by Garmin provide the following information: traffic, local search, weather, flight tracking, local event information, fuel prices and more. The device is quad band, runs Linux mobile OS, and sports 4 GB of on-board memory, a 3 Megapixel camera with geotagging, MP3 and more. See Garmin.com
Do you have a website optimized for mobile devices? If so then you may be interested in securing real-time information about your mobile visitors. Bango (www.bango.com/analytics) monitors and tracks information about your website and visitors that are coming to it from mobile phones.
Interested in Local Search? If so, popular directory listing provider, Dex has rolled out a new mobile search via dexknows.com/mobile. Access the vast Dex POI database to access local search results, maps, and directions in your region. Dex mobile is also available as a new iPhone app. See also m.dexknows.com on your mobile handset.
Geo technology enthusiasts may be interested in the offerings of mykidssafe.com. The company provides a mobile or internet monitoring tool providing geo fencing, child location, notification, unwanted call blocking and monitoring, malicious content scanning and other services design for parents wanting added protection for their kids.
8 mega pixel cameras in your mobile will be plentiful and we’ll even be treated to some fine HD video enabled devices very soon (like the Samsung 8910 and Nokia N97) complement these devices with services like Twitter and Qik which will be supporting HD in the near future and you’ll be able to do some very cool stuff with your phone.
Some fine enterprise mobile solutions are here (or coming soon) like the very cool QuickOffice for iPhone - imagine, for just $20 you can have full MS Office-like functionality on your iPhone (they also support Blackberry and S60) enabling creation, sharing, editing or office documents ala mobile. See video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awWvrxmVolQ
For developers, Nokia will be rolling out their new marketplace at Ovi next month. This means consumers will have simple access to applications and more, while developers will have another sales channel putting their apps in front of millions of potential users. If you have an idea for a mobile app then you need to check out details of publishing on Ovi.
See http://www.symbianone.com/content/view/6205/
A cool or WOW technology seen recently at CTIA Wireless was this mobile being billed as the World’s first social mobile from INQ1. The device has been designed to be very affordable and very simple to use, integrated with your favorite social mobile applications. Users will have instant access to some of their favorite social media services like facebook, skype, Win Live messenger and others using this clever little device. See http://www.inqmobile.com/ The device was kicked off at GSMA and won first prize in the Global Mobile Awards!
CelleBrite is an interesting company with a fine application designed to do over the air data backup, restore, and media sharing – Cellesync. Using the app, a user can easily backup phone and SIM card content (imaging removing those large media files off your phone while on vacation); users also have access to a secure web portal for content viewing and data management. The service is also useful as a tool to provide rapid restoration of phone content during a device firmware update or purchase of a new device. See www.cellebrite.com – Cellesync is supported by J2ME, Symbian, Windows Mobile, BEW, iDen, and Blackberry devices.
Finally, a tip for those of you who frequently exhibit at events and need some marketing tools (you see loads of this cool stuff at the wireless events like CTIA)… AboveallAdvertising can put your company’s name on almost anything and specializes in conference advertising media. Imaging your company’s name on an inflatable blimp, custom inflatable (like a huge cell phone), tent, or advertising flag. See abovealladvertising.net
Top iPhone related GIS and Geo Tech news stories from 2009 - At the end of the year its always interesting for us to look at some of the stats and results to identify trends and more important, to see what our readers think is hot! In the "news" category it seems that iPhone related geo tech items were extremely popular.
Geo Social Location Checkin to Twitter from iPhone - With the cool SXSW event taking place Austin, TX, everyone who's anyone in social and social location seems to have rolled out updates this week, making your choice for how to check-in to your social media bookmarks even tougher to decide on!
10 Awesome GIS and Mapping apps for the iPhone - I recall last year at the ESRI UC when an iPhone was on stage showing a prototype app (think ArcPad on iPhone). It was then that I realized the iPhone platform is going to be BIG in mapping and there's a ton of opportunity for developers.
Nokia Booklet 3G, unboxing video and image gallery... Those of you in the USA who pop in to BestBuy occasionally, you may have seen a stand showing off the Nokia Booklet 3G. A sleek, 3G enabled, SIM slot (AT&T) sporting netbook.
Interesting Tweeple - 10 Geo Technology & Geo-Social Women of Twitter - given the growing love for geospatial and location-aware technologies, I’ve decided to hype 10 women that I feel make a significant contribution to the Geo-Twittersphere. If you’d like to add 10 knowledgeable and useful Twitter contacts to your Geo following list I highly suggest the following: (in no particular order)
10 Geo Social Location-Aware Apps Making Waves... With Twitter's opening of their location API to developers there's going to be a ton of third party apps that will enable Twitter users to share location-aware information via their Twitter accounts.
Signs that indicate you may be a GeoGeek (aka. GeoNerd) and some suggested Geo blogs - Chances are good that if you are a Geo Geek then you already know it and likely refer to yourself as one. However, there’s many of you out there that may be on the fence and wondering… “am I a Geo Geek?" Read on for a comprehensive list of signs you might be a GeoGeek followed up by some suggested Geoblog reading.
Real-time GPS Mapping and GIS Solution Aids Efficient Disaster Management - Saturday, February 7, 2009 will forever be known as Black Saturday in the State of Victoria, Australia. In the midst of a 10-year drought, a record breaking heat wave descended upon the state, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees C (110-120 deg F), breaking all-time record highs in some cities - Victoria Police Use Trimble Juno SC Handhelds to Speed Assessment of Damage Caused by Bush Fires.
2010 ESRI Federal User Conference February 17-19, 2010, Washington D.C. Walter E. Washington Convention Center - The FedUC is the largest geospatial conference for federal agencies. Connect with other leaders, decision makers, and GIS professionals.
The International LiDAR Mapping Forum 2010 - Tenth Anniversary Event! ILMF 2010 will be held from March 3 - 5, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
The NAVTEQ 2010 Global LBS Challenge Awards Ceremony will be held during Ignite at O'Reilly Where 2.0. Be among the first to hear as NAVTEQ announces the winners for the North America region. Participants will be competing for a global prize pool of $10 million and growing by showcasing pre-commercial location-enabled apps using NAVTEQ map data & products. March 30, 2010, during Ignite Where, 7:30pm - 9:00pm, at the Marriott San Jose, CA
WHERE2.0 2010 - Now in its sixth year, the Where 2.0 Conference is where the grassroots and leading edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. For 15% use Discount Code: whr10lbs
See more 
