Nokia navigation software downloads reach one million

Nokia's Ovi Maps have been downloaded 1.4m times overall since the free application became available on January 21 2010, the company claims. The BBC reports.

It has been most popular in China, Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain
The service provides different direction information for drivers and pedestrians in 74 countries and 46 different languages.

"We're averaging a download a second, 24 hours a day," said Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's executive vice president.

Read full article.

Nokia offering free turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones globally

Nokia will offer free navigation on its smartphones that give turn-by-turn directions in 74 countries in 46 languages. You can download it here.

[via engadget]

Google demonstrates "Near Me Now" feature (video)

Engineers Caitlin Johnson and Phil Genera demonstrate the new Near Me Now feature of Google Search for mobile, which makes it fast and easy to find out more about a place in your immediate vicinity.

This feature is currently available in the US for iPhone (OS 3.x) or Android-powered devices with version 2.0.1 or later.

[via Google Mobile Blog]

Woman suing Australian Government for incomplete Emergency SMS alert

A woman whose partner lost his NSW property to bushfire has attacked the Rural Fire Service's new emergency warning text message system for failing to provide enough details about the approaching blaze. The Australian reports.

Ms Jackson and Mr Liepin received an emergency text message from the RFS at about 6pm on Thursday, saying: "Immediate threat to Tinderry Rd, Jerangle Rd, Calabash Rd. Seek shelter, protect yourself from the fire, listen to local radio."

... "The text message doesn't really tell you anything, because the area they are talking about is really huge," she said. "I spent all night trying to find out information about it and it was next to impossible. The 1800 phone numbers they give you are just recorded messages of the same information on the website and I just found it totally frustrating.

RFS assistant commissioner Rob Rogers said as the fire situation was changing quickly, it was difficult to give precise locations.

He also said the text messages were limited to 160 characters, so using specific addresses or even GPS co-ordinates would mean less information in the messages. "Specific addresses could change minute by minute, making GPS or map co-ordinates inaccurate. Also, GPS co-ordinates may not be clear to many people."

Read full article.

Guide to iPhone GPS Navigation Apps

Art of the iPhone has published a (very useful) Guide to iPhone GPS Navigation Apps, including their expert opinion on which two are the best: Navigon MobileNavigator and MotionX GPS Drive.

In their own words:

The App Store is cluttered with iPhone GPS apps, and sorting through them is a daunting task. This guide is designed to cut through the clutter, gather all relevant info in one place, and aid you in making the best choice. We also take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of iPhone GPS vs personal navigation devices, and examine the new elephant in the room, Google Maps Navigation.

Google adds free GPS to cellphones

Internet giant Google unveiled a free navigation system for cellphones on Wednesday in a move seen as a potential challenge to the makers of standalone GPS navigation devices.

[via IOL]

iPhone cycling app: heads-up display shows map while riding

A glimpse of the future. Watch!

The ARIder Bicycle Navigation System is a helmet-mounted display that plugs into the iPhone. It consists of a mount on the helmet to attach the phone, and a small flip-out unit which displays a map in front of one of the cyclist’s eyes, like a fighter pilot’s HUD.

[The Telegraph via Wired Gadget Lab]

New Zealand to Ban Cell Phone GPS Features While Driving

New Zealand is taking their cell phones-while-driving-ban beyond text messaging and calling, prohibiting the use of GPS, reports Cellular News.

Under the new law, that would be illegal, according to Transport Ministry spokesman John Summers: "The Road User Amendment Rule 2009 means drivers will not be able to look at a navigation aid on a mobile phone when driving, even if it is mounted on the dashboard.

"You can use a mobile phone held in a cradle while driving, but only to make, receive or terminate a phone call. You cannot use them in any other way, such as reading a GPS map, reading email or consulting an electronic diary."

The restriction will only apply to navigation systems with mobile phone functionality.

Growing Presence in the Courtroom: Cellphone Data as Witness

The pivotal role that cellphone records played in two prominent New York murder trials this year highlights the surge in law enforcement’s use of increasingly sophisticated cellular tracking techniques to keep tabs on suspects before they are arrested and build criminal cases against them by mapping their past movements. The New York Times reports.

... In what would be the highest-level court decision on the issue so far, a federal appeals court in Pennsylvania is expected to rule this summer on whether search warrants are required for the most basic cellphone tracking data — the electronic footprints that cellphone users leave behind in company records, often without realizing it.

In March, Google announced that it would require search warrants before releasing GPS data that pinpoints the movements of customers who use its mapping applications — like Latitude, which lets people see where their friends are — on their phones.

But phone and Internet companies want Congress to clarify the laws so that they are clear about their legal responsibilities.

Civil libertarians do not oppose using cellphone surveillance to solve crimes or save people in emergencies, but they worry that the legal gray area is enabling it to happen without much scrutiny or discussion.

'Indoor GPS' means your phone can always find you

According to New Scientist, finding your way around big shopping centres or airports may soon get a lot easier.

An indoor positioning system, similar to GPS, is being tested by visitors to the Kamppi shopping centre in Helsinki, Finland. GPS doesn't work in buildings because the satellite signals it uses can't get through walls. In this system, developed by Nokia, a cellphone can use nearby Wi-Fi transmitters instead of satellites. It triangulates their signals to calculate its position, which it then displays on a map.

It is not the first indoor system but the others have mostly been for specialist uses, such as helping firefighters find colleagues in smoke-filled buildings. The Nokia system will work with existing infrastructure and handsets.

Bluetooth Shoe for social networking with your feet

The Isaac Daniel Group has just announced BLUE GPS, a gps enabled shoe that can be tracked via the wearers cell phone with bluetooth intergration. It is also being tagged as "Social networking with your feet" due to the ability for it to be tracked on Facebook and other social networking sites.

[via the Examiner]

Related, sort of:

-- These Shoes Are Made for Talking - To Your Phone

-- Nike shoes and cell phone tie-in

-- Apple details next-gen Nike+ system with GPS, wear sensors

GPS system 'close to breakdown'

It has become one of the staples of modern, hi-tech life: using satellite navigation tools built into your car or mobile phone to find your way from A to B. But experts have warned that the system may be close to breakdown. The Guardian reports.

US government officials are concerned that the quality of the Global Positioning System (GPS) could begin to deteriorate as early as next year, resulting in regular blackouts and failures – or even dishing out inaccurate directions to millions of people worldwide.

The satellites are overseen by the US Air Force, which has maintained the GPS network since the early 1990s. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year.

Read full article.

Japanese using mobile phones to find nearest toilet

We've seen text messaging services and iPhone apps that guide mobile users to the nearest restroom, but this Japanese mobile phone software takes the search to another level, according to The Telegraph.

The Check A Toilet program, created by the software company Access Co, enables mobile phone users to search for maps highlighting the nearest public toilet to their location.

From train stations and beaches to department stores and parks, the software lists thousands of maps highlighting the location of public toilet, including details of their facilities such as baby changing areas, according to reports in Mainichi Daily News.

Read full article.

Image from Earth First Japan.

Daughter Uses Cellphone GPS to Find Mother Cheating, Father Kills All Kids

A man and his oldest daughter used the GPS locator feature on the wife's phone to track her down and discovered she was cheating. That night, the man shot his five kids ages 7 to 16, most of them in their beds, then turned the gun on himself.

[via Gizmodo]

Civil liberties groups oppose gov't mobile-phone tracking

Three civil liberties groups have asked a U.S. appeals court to strike down a U.S. government request to obtain stored mobile-phone location tracking information without showing probable cause. NetworkWorld reports.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have filed a brief asking the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's request that courts give permission for it to obtain historical mobile-phone tracking information without a court-ordered warrant showing probable cause.

Several courts have ruled against the government obtaining real-time mobile-phone tracking information without a warrant, but this is the first case dealing with stored tracking information, said Jennifer Granick, EFF's civil liberties director.

EFF Urges Court to Block Government's Ploy for Cell Phone Location Information - EFF press release.

Image from mediabistro and Crunch Gear.

Advertisers Get a Trove of Clues in Smartphones

The millions of people who use their cellphones daily to play games, download applications and browse the Web may not realize that they have an unseen companion: advertisers that can track their interests, their habits and even their location. The New York Times reports.

Cellphones have a much higher potential for personalized advertising than Web sites, especially when they use applications with GPS to identify a person’s location, right down to the street corner where they are standing.

Eswar Priyadarshan, the chief technology officer of Quattro Wireless, which places advertising for clients like Sony on mobile sites, says he typically has 20 pieces of information about a customer who has visited a site or played with an application in his network. “The basic idea is, you go through all these channels, and you get as much data as possible,” he said.

The capability for collecting information has alarmed privacy advocates.

Read full article.

Mobile Spouse Snooping is illegal

Monitoring a cheating partner may be possible but it also could be illegal in Australia - and elsewhere. Mark Russell reports for the The Sydney Morning Herald.

A mobile phone monitoring service using GPS satellite technology is being promoted by private investigators as an easy way to catch out cheating spouses, but the Australian Consumers' Association warns it is illegal.

Association spokesman Christopher Zinn said the "target" had to give their consent before being tracked.

He urged consumers to be wary of any private investigators offering mobile monitoring services because they did not accept liability.

Under the Surveillance Devices Act, anyone caught using tracking devices or spy cameras without consent faces a maximum penalty of two years' jail and a $26,429 fine.

An Australian company, Spousebusters, which claims to be "specialists in busting cheating spouses", offers clients "mobile phone monitoring software" for Series 60 (Nokia, LG and Samsung), Blackberry and Windows mobile devices.

Read full article.

Privacy fears over Google tracker

Google's Latitude service which allows users to share their locations with elected friends, is drawing fire from a privacy watchdog, reports the BBC.

The "opt-in" Latitude service uses data from mobile phone masts, GPS, or wi-fi hardware to update a user's location automatically. Users can also manually set their advertised location anywhere they like, or turn the broadcast off altogether.

The service has raised a number of security concerns, as many users may not be aware that it is enabled.

Industry watchdog Privacy International argues that there are opportunities for abuse of the system for those who may not know that their phone is broadcasting its location.

Read Privacy international's Statement.

Google launches software to track mobile users

US Internet search company Google Inc has released software that allows users of mobile phones and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends.

Users in 27 countries will be able to broadcast their location to others constantly, using Google Latitude. Controls allow users to select who receives the information or to go offline at any time, Google said on its Web site.

[via Stuff]

The Freedoms That Technologies Help Bring

The Egyptian government has demanded that Apple disable the phone’s global-positioning system, arguing that GPS is a military prerogative. If Apple complied, it did so without any public acknowledgment, reports The New York Times.

Video: GPS cell phones plot, predict traffic

With the popularity of GPS-enabled cell phones, it makes sense to use that mapping technology to plot traffic speeds. A new UC Berkeley and Nokia pilot program tests out the tech in the San Francisco Bay Area, where CNET's Kara Tsuboi gives it a spin on News.com.

Judge Limits Searches Using Cellphone Data

The government must obtain a warrant based on probable cause of criminal activity before directing a wireless provider to turn over records that show where customers used their cellphones, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, in the first opinion by a federal district court on the issue, reports The Washington Post .

"Judge Terrence F. McVerry of the Western District of Pennsylvania rejected the government's argument that historical cellphone tower location data did not require probable cause.

The ruling could begin to establish the standard for such requests, which industry lawyers say are routine as more people carry cellphones that reveal their locations. Around the country, magistrate judges, who handle matters such as search warrants, have expressed concern about the lack of guidance. "

Cell phones tracking nightlife activity

Citysense is software for Blackberry phones (and soon the iPhone) which shows you where the wild things are happening in your own town. Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trend reports.

Citysense uses advanced machine learning techniques to number crunch vast amounts of data emanating from thousands of cell-phones, GPS-equipped cabs and other data devices to paint live pictures of where people are gathering. Citysense is available today in San Francisco before being soon deployed in Chicago and five other U.S. cities.

But read more...

Los Angeles Trafic Cam spotter for cell phones

NBC4 has partnered with 3rd Dimension, Inc. to launch NBC Los Angeles Traffic Cam, a free service for mobile phone users providing live, up-to-the-second traffic information for Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

The advertising supported service is designed to help millions of daily commuters view traffic tie-ups on their mobile devices before leaving home, office or school. With access to a network of 270+ live, roadside cameras, NBC Los Angeles Traffic Cam can help data-enabled cell phone users plan their commutes more carefully and avoid gridlock areas.

Starting Tuesday, people with selected phone models can download the application, then click and pick from more than 270 cameras aimed at the city's streets and highways to view.

[e-mail Press release]

GPS gadgets can reveal more than your location

Here's a scary thought. Researchers at Microsoft are developing new ways for GPS gadgets to know - not only where you are - but what you are doing too.

According to New Scientist, "the researchers say such new uses of the technology could help people analyse and improve their own lifestyles, and share useful data with others.

Phones and other gadgets with GPS capabilities built in are becoming ubiquitous. But they are typically used for little more than revealing a person's current whereabouts on a map."

Nokia to bring real time traffic updates to phones

electronista reports that "Nokia has just announced it will team up with ARC Transistance, the European automobile club network, to provide users of its phones with Real Time Traffic Information.

The service will be offered as an option with a subscription fee in Nokia Maps 2.0 and any newer Nokia software. "

S Korean police seek to equip GPS system to cell phone users

South Korean police are pushing a controversial plan to have all new mobile phones equipped with a chip that can locate the user through satellite-based positioning technology, reports China View.

"The new proposal is submitted in a bid to combat the increasing incidence of kidnapping and other crimes against women and children, the police said.

The measure will risk infringing on the privacy of mobile users and raise the prices of cell phones, the Chosun Ilbo reported on Thursday.

In addition, the system does not work well indoors, where satellite signals are blocked."

Related: - Wireless carriers in the US are rolling out services for people-tracking, made possible by GPS. (WSJ)

Sports,Tracked by Phone

Japanese mobile operator KDDI/AU offers a Smart Sports service, enabling users to to track their exercise route and sync their music. Image left is an ad for the service at Shibuya station.

Nokia offers something similar on their N-Series phones, enabling users to download Sports Tracker beta :

Information such as speed, distance and time are automatically stored to your training diary, and on this site you can store and share your workouts and routes.

[via everyone's favorite Jan Chipchase for Future Perfect]

Korea GPS phone comes with virtual golf caddy

KTF will help golfers to aim their tee-shots better with its phones equipped with a virtual golf caddy program. New Launches reports. "The option allows its users to measure the distance from the tee box to their current positions or from their current positions to the cup.

The phones carry the geographic information of some 250 golf courses in Korea and receive real-time data from satellites.

According to KTF he system has a 5-meter accuracy range in most cases. It also shows the location of fairways, greens, sand bunkers and water hazards. Only two models are currently available but more will come to the market soon."

Satellite Phones on TV's 'Lost' Can't Be Real

ABC's LOST is getting some flack for showing fictitious satellite phones. Live Science reports.

"The spiritually-tested castaways struggle with the arrival of newcomers who can actually communicate with the outside world. They carry something resembling a large cell phone with a touch-screen face, like a long narrow Apple iPhone, with no visible antenna. A spokesman for the LOST production company confirmed to LiveScience that the devices are, indeed, supposed to be satellite phones.

In the real world they couldn't possibly be satellite phones.

"No satellite phone handset that I am aware of has any form of touch screen available to the user," said a spokesman for Globalstar Inc., a satellite phone network.

Meanwhile LOST characters are depicted as tracking each other's locations using the handsets' screens, which can apparently deliver high-resolution, full-motion video.

.... Oh well—it is fiction, after all. ABC was not able to supply any out-takes of the phone's screen, because, apparently, it's a computer-generated special effect, indicated the LOST spokesman."

[via TV Tattle]