Official Google Blog: We knew the web was big...

Why is it important for businesses to get listed as POI's in the databases that drive maps & GPS devices?

The web has 1 trillion pages...

Official Google Blog: We knew the web was big...:

"We knew the web was big...
7/25/2008 10:12:00 AM

We've known it for a long time: the web is big. The first Google index in 1998 already had 26 million pages, and by 2000 the Google index reached the one billion mark. Over the last eight years, we've seen a lot of big numbers about how much content is really out there. Recently, even our search engineers stopped in awe about just how big the web is these days -- when our systems that process links on the web to find new content hit a milestone: 1 trillion (as in 1,000,000,000,000) unique URLs on the web at once!"

From GPS Business News: Over 260M Off-deck LBS Apps Downloads in 2010

Over 260M Off-deck LBS Apps Downloads in 2010:

From GPS Business News

"Over 260M Off-deck LBS Apps Downloads in 2010"

In a new report, ABI Research expects off-deck LBS application downloads to increase to more than 260 million in 2010 and to reach almost two billion by 2014.

“The main drivers of this off-deck LBS revolution are the sudden rise in popularity of a new generation of touch-screen GPS-enabled smartphones, combined with a wide range of application stores launched by handset and mobile operating system vendors,” says ABI Research practice director Dominique Bonte."

Berg Insight: 88 percent of PNDs sold in 2015 will have integrated cellular connectivity

Berg Insight:

"2009-11-20
Berg Insight says 88 percent of PNDs sold in 2015 will have integrated cellular connectivity
According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, global shipments of Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) will peak at about 50 million units per year in 2012 and slightly decline thereafter. Growing shipments in emerging markets are not likely to fully compensate for the decline in Europe and North America, where higher adoption of handset-based navigation services will become the primary navigation solution for occasional users. Nevertheless, multiple navigation solutions and device types are likely to co-exist also in the future. Most PNDs and in-car navigation systems still provide a better user experience than many handset-based navigation services. Moreover, handset navigation services are also well suited as a complement to other solutions, especially for use outside the car. PND vendors are increasingly looking at value-added services enabled by new devices with wireless connectivity to combat slower market growth, increasing competition and commoditisation of entry-level devices. Berg Insight forecasts that 88 percent of PNDs shipped worldwide in 2015 will have integrated cellular connectivity. “The connected PND segment has had a slow start, but now seems to be on-track as business models have been refined”, said Andre Malm, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight." Read more...

Official Google Mobile Blog: Get mobile coupons through Local Search

Official Google Mobile Blog: Get mobile coupons through Local Search: "Get mobile coupons through Local Search"

Monday, November 23, 2009 9:55 AM

Since we launched printable coupons on Google Maps a few years ago, people are increasingly using their mobile phones to find local information when they're away from a computer. With more of you going mobile to search for this information, it makes sense for coupons to go mobile too."

Everyman Offers New Directions in Online Maps - NYTimes.com

Everyman Offers New Directions in Online Maps - NYTimes.com: "Online Maps: Everyman Offers New Directions

By MIGUEL HELFT
Published: November 16, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — They don’t know it, but people who use Google’s online maps may be getting directions from Richard Hintz.

Mr. Hintz, a 62-year-old engineer who lives in Berkeley, Calif., has tweaked the locations of more than 200 business listings and points of interest in cities across the state, sliding an on-screen place marker down the block here, moving another one across the street there."......

The Four Corners Of Local Search | Small Business Trends

From: Lisa Barone @ Small Business Trends: The Four Corners Of Local Search | Small Business Trends: "One of the sessions that really stood out for me was the Local Search and Mobile Optimization panel. During the presentation, one of the speakers, William Leake, identified four important areas for local search that I thought may be worth sharing. Together they make up the four corners of local search...."

Official Google Blog: Fifty states of Street View

Official Google Blog: Fifty states of Street View: "Fifty states of Street View

11/09/2009 05:10:00 PM

In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state admitted to the union. Today, 50 years later, we're including Hawaii as the 50th state in Street View on Google Maps. With our imagery of Oahu and Maui, you can now take a virtual vacation to white sandy beaches, revisit special places from your honeymoon, or plan your next getaway. We've worked with the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau to create collections in our new Street View Gallery featuring Hawaii's best beaches...

Google LatLong: Street View gets down to business

Google LatLong: Street View gets down to business:

"Street View gets down to business
Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 1:50 PM

Finding a business with Street View just became easier. For example, if you search for 'thai restaurants near mountain view' on Google Maps, and click on a search result, a bubble pops up with various links, including a link to 'Street View'.



You can click on the 'Street View' link to see the restaurant marked directly in Street View with a 3D marker just like the one you'd find on the map. Clicking the marker displays more details about the restaurant without leaving Street View."

Augmented Reality Goes Mobile - BusinessWeek.com- msnbc.com

Did you know iphone users can look through the iphone camera at your business and see POI information and reviews of your business on the screen?

Augmented Reality Goes Mobile
- BusinessWeek.com- msnbc.com:

"It was the shake heard 'round the world. On Aug. 27, 2009, berblogger Robert Scoble uncovered a hidden software feature buried within an iPhone application that provides access to Yelp.com reviews.

The secret, it turns out, was that users needed to shake the phone to activate the capability, known as Monocle. In the wake of Scoble's discovery, shared publicly via FriendFeed, iPhone users far and wide could be seen shaking their iPhones to get access to the new feature. Yet the frenzy was about more than the novelty of how to open it, or even the trove of Yelp.com reviews.

The bigger prize was in how that information shows up on the phone. Once Monocle is activated, users looking through the iPhone camera can see reviews and other information about restaurants, stores, and other businesses in the direction the camera is pointing. Monocle was one of the first smartphone applications in the U.S. to use a technology known as augmented reality, which meshes digital information with actual images of the subject of that data."

GPS U.S. Household Penetration (GPSmagazine.com)

Big growth in Navigation. Handsets with navigation growth from (2009) 2.6 million units to (2013) 14.2 million units in the US.

Businesses can't ignore this booming technology...

GPS U.S. Household Penetration (GPSmagazine.com)

There's a map for that: GPS or smartphone? | Circuit Breaker - CNET News

There's a map for that: GPS or smartphone? | Circuit Breaker - CNET News: "There's a map for that: GPS or smartphone?
by Erica Ogg

Garmin is making both smartphones and dedicated GPS devices now.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)
As mobile phones become more powerful and GPS information easier to get, it's getting to the point where we have to wonder if buying a standalone personal navigation device makes sense anymore.
Personal nav devices were the hot gift item for the holidays just two years ago, but things have changed pretty drastically in the last year. Prices on GPS devices are dropping and while they're very reasonable, almost any smartphone sold today comes with some sort of GPS or mapping feature. So which is a better choice? Separate GPS device or smartphone with mapping software?"

Lost? Don't Google Gillette - The Sun Chronicle Online - News

Even the New England Patriots need to take ownership of there location information....

Lost? Don't Google Gillette - The Sun Chronicle Online - News