Archive for February, 2009

Gmail adds location

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Google is rolling out an option in Gmail to add your location to your e-mail signature. It’s IP based so it’s not all too exact, but if you install Google Gears it can get the Wifi access point name and get a better fix. This comes right after they introduce Latitude. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Next we may see an option which automatically updates your location on Latitude, every time you send an email from Gmail.

If you’ve got Gears installed, or this Firefox geolocation extension or the Mozilla Geode extension (or Firefox 3.1), you could try out the beta Mapanui version, where I’ve been playing with the geolocation API (though nothing fancy just yet).

Interview with Fire Eagle’s Tom Coates

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Interview Yahoo! Geo Technologies blog has an interview with their own Tom Coates from Fire Eagle:

“Pretty much every site on the internet would be improved if it was able to respond to where a user was in some way.”

Great insight into where they are coming from, and where they are going with Fire Eagle.

Start integrating geolocation into your own projects. Use microformats to geo-enable your own websites, and interact with your visitors. It’s easy: use Mapanui to create your own virtual geo-enabled address card. Soon geo/location-aware search will become more important and microformats help people find your site. Additionally, add an ICBM meta tag at the top of your web page, and register at GeoURL.