driving directions posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows Mobile, Productivity, Web services, BlackBerry, Search

Windows Live Search for Mobile update adds business photos and reviews

by Simon Kerbel Dec 27th 2007

Microsoft has pushed out an update to their browser-based local search and mapping site.

Enhancements include:

1-click directions for all businesses and street addresses in U.S. This is sweet; you can see directions to the particular location depending on where you are coming from: north, south, east or west. You also have the option to specify a starting location.
Additional details for U.S. businesses, including neighborhood, business category, cuisine (restaurants) and hours of operation.
Photos and reviews for U.S. businesses. The photos are nice; you can check out whether the place is a dive. Are the lights burnt out on the neon sign outside? Chances are the food is suffering as well. The reviews are also extremely helpful.
Improved movie show times Instant Answers (they now show critics rating; one thumb or two?)
Added interactivity to all maps (clicking on maps now zooms in/out to predefined levels, or advanced to the next waypoint for routing maps)
Traffic & map Instant Answers
Mobile search for the China market. Scopes offered are local (no maps, but coming soon), web, images, news and Spaces.

All in all, it's a very feature rich update, and it should make life in the fast lane a little easier to navigate.

Point your mobile browser to http://m.live.com/ for the experience. Don't forget, Windows Mobile Live Search also includes weather, web search, stock quotes, and more.

[Via SolSie.com]

Tags: blackberry, driving directions, DrivingDirections, handheld, mobile, mobile search, MobileSearch, updates, windows

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services

TinyMaps : Create and share maps

by Emily Price Feb 16th 2007

You've heard of TinyURL now check out Tiny Map. TinyMap is a web service designed for users to create maps that they can then share with their friends.
The site is pretty simple in design, using Google Maps to create a detailed map of any area your choose. One you've located your area of choice you can draw a map to a particular location by highlighting streets in pink, as well as place different colored markers along the route to indicate turns, landmarks, or places to pick up a pizza. The site also gives you the option of typing a brief description for any point on the map so you can write things like "Turn right here, you will see a Burger King" or "Get me a Whopper."

Once you have completed your map you can get your own Tiny Map URL formed to be easy to send party guests, friends from out of town, or anyone else who needs directions. If you like this, check out PubWalk which allows you to create your own Pub Crawl map and send it to friends or your mobile phone.

Tags: create directions, create maps, CreateDirections, CreateMaps, driving directions, DrivingDirections, online directions, online mpas, OnlineDirections, OnlineMpas, tiny maps, TinyMaps

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

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