Skip to Content

Submit your nominations for the Luxist Awards' Best in Decor
AOL Tech

geolocation posts

Filed under: Developer, Web services, Search, Web

Find out GPS co-ordinates with Get Lat Lon

by Nik Fletcher Oct 3rd 2009

For the last few months I've been working on a small side-project away from Download Squad that requires the use of GPS co-ordinates. Whilst the system I'm using has some default co-ordinates built-in, I really needed a way to find out the latitude and longitude for a few other locations around the world to give my little project a test. After wrangling with Google Maps URLs, and trying to extract the GPS data from their URLs - admittedly a little unsuccessfully - I finally came across Get Lat Lon - a super-easy mash-up that lets you search for (or locate on a map) the place you're wanting the location data for.

It's arguably a niche tool - however if you're looking for a quick and easy way to find out the latitude or longitude of a place on the globe, Get Lat Lon is just the ticket.

Tags: Geolocation, Google Maps, GoogleMaps

Filed under: Social Software, Microblogging

Twitter gets ready to add geolocation features

by Jay Hathaway Aug 21st 2009

Location-based Twitter projects are tough to pull off, because whatever's in the location field of a user's profile could be completely made up, if the user enters anything at all. There's no reliable way to know where a tweet is coming from. Twitter wants to change that, though, and they've got a geolocation team working on an API that will let app developers map your tweets.

Before anyone gets too worked up, let me point out that allowing apps to use your location will be strictly opt-in, meaning it's off by default. One of the advantages Twitter foresees with this location API is the ability to read local tweets. Most people agree that Twitter's public timeline is useless, but I would definitely read a location-aware local timeline. No word on when the new service will be ready, but it will roll out to developers well before it hits the Twitter website, so there should be time for your favorite Twitter app to get ready.


Tags: api, geolocation, location, twitter

Filed under: Social Software, Mobile, Android

Glympse offers fine-tuned control over mobile location sharing

Androidby Jay Hathaway Jun 8th 2009


Sharing your location via a mobile device is a great way to let friends and family know where you are, and encourage people you know to meet up with you. The challenge is in making it as easy as possible for the right people to see your location while hiding it from random Internet strangers. Glympse is a clever new approach to the problem, allowing location-sharing on a time limited person-by-person basis.

Using Glympse is as simple as picking a contact and a duration. Your contact will be able to see your location from their mobile device or computer for that duration of time. It's the simplest solution imaginable to a pretty complex problem. Right now, Glympse is only available for Android devices, but it's coming soon to Windows Mobile phones, iPhones and Blackberries.

Tags: android, geolocation, glympse, location, mobile, social-networking

Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Social Software, Browsers

On the cutting edge of geolocation with Mozilla Labs' Geode

by Jay Hathaway Oct 12th 2008

geode

If you've been waiting for a browser than natively supports location-based services, here's your first taste. Firefox 3.1 is all set to include geolocation based on a new WC3 standard, but you can test it out now with a Firefox add-on called Geode, from Mozilla Labs. Geode lets websites request your location the same way they request to install add-ons or open blocked popups. The possibilities for this technology are immense -- mobile devices are already taking advantage of it, so why not laptops?

The first services to be compatible with Geode are the social network Pownce, Yahoo!'s location-management product Fire Eagle, and a demo food finder from Mozilla. Geode gets your location via wifi, using Skyhook's Loki technology, and you can pass it to a website as a city, a neighborhood, or an exact location. I'm looking forward to seeing the other uses developers come up with for this technology before it goes mainstream in the next version of Firefox.

Tags: Firefox, geolocation, location, location-based, location-based services, Location-basedServices, Mozilla, Mozilla labs, MozillaLabs

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures
Microsoft Security Essentials
Chromium Pre-Alpha on CrunchBang Linux
Safari 4 Beta
10 Firefox themes that don't suck
IE8 RC1
Download Squad at the Crunchies After-Party
Download Squad at the Crunchies
WordPress 2.7
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals
Windows 7 Hands On
Comodo Internet Security
Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store
Android First-look: Twitroid
Google Reader Android
Android Hands-On
Twine 1.0
Photoshop Express Beta
Mozilla Birthday Cake
Palm stuff
Adobe Lightroom 1.1

 


Follow us on Twitter!

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

Most Commented On (7 days)

Recent Comments

More Tech Coverage

AOL Radio