Motorola snaps up location specialist Aloqa
Location-based services are a pretty hot topic right now -- though not necessarily for all the reasons Google would like -- and Android specialist Motorola is diving a little deeper this week with its acquisition of German firm Aloqa. For those of you not familiar with Aloqa's app (which is available on a pretty wide variety of platforms), it basically keeps track of local events and deals that you might be interested in based on your location (and on Aloqa's partnerships, of course). For its part, Motorola says that it's looking to integrate the company's technology with Blur , both proving that Blur isn't going anywhere any time soon and also suggesting that Aloqa's apps on competing platforms might be short for this world; no word on a launch timeline, though
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: aloqa, based, blur, entry, launch, launch-timeline, location, mobile
Skyhook: Google forced Motorola to drop our location service, delay the Droid X
We figured Skyhook's business interference and patent infringement lawsuits against Google would turn up some dirt, and we didn't have long to wait: the location-services company's complaint flatly alleges that Google's Andy Rubin ordered Motorola's Sanjay Jha to "stop ship" on the Droid X because it used Skyhook's XPS positioning system instead of Google Location Services, a tiff that ultimately delayed the phone's release while Moto reworked the software and dropped Skyhook entirely. Following that, Skyhook claims that Google then went after an unidentified "Company X" ( likely Samsung ) and forced it to drop XPS as well. Ouch
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: compliance, definition, digging-as-hard, droid, google location service, google-location, htc, legal, location, positioning, skyhook
Best Buy trials support for Shopkick iPhone app in 187 stores
As of today, Best Buy has started testing out support for Shopkick at 187 of its retail locations in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York with another 70 in Dallas, Minneapolis, and Miami coming online by October 1.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: bestbuy, black, engadget, human, iphone, location, Locations, mobile, press, shopkick, shopping, speakers
Samsung Galaxy S GPS-gate: two problems, not one (and what to do about it)
You may have noticed the update on our Epic 4G review from yesterday where we lauded the fact that Samsung seemed to have fixed the GPS problem plaguing every other Galaxy S flavor released thus far, but it turns out there are actually two distinct issues. One has a fix -- sort of -- while the other is hopefully what we're going to get next month .
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: accuracy, captivate, disabled, galaxy, location, phone, wireless
Apple responds over iPhone 4 reception issues: you’re holding the phone the wrong way
So, we just spoke with Apple and got the straight dirt on the reception issues that have been plaguing users today...
Categories: Mobile Phone, nexus one, Other Tags: after-the-break, degradation, interference, location, notch, performance, signal, thinking-it-too
iOS 4 privacy policy updated: Apple can anonymously collect location data, you can take away iAds’ cookies
It may not be a big deal -- Android's done it for years -- but some will no doubt be interested to learn that Apple can monitor your GPS. In the latest revision of its privacy policy, presumably updated for iOS 4 , it revealed the company can anonymously track the "real-time geographic location" of devices and is free to share that data with "partners and licensees" as well.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: apple-iphone, appleiphone, collection, doubt, location, privacy policy, privacypolicies, real, simply-navigate, time
Google ‘no longer investigating’ fix for Nexus One 3G issues, advises ‘changing your location’
Looking back through our archives, you'll find plenty of user dissatisfaction with the 3G reception on Google's Nexus One. Blamed alternately on T-Mobile's inferior 3G coverage and on software bugs, the problem was expected to be banished with an over-the-air update in early February
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone, nexus one, Other Tags: archives, connectivity, lingering-hopes, location, longer-working, nexus, nexus one, nexusone, problem, result, the-reception, www
MeeGo Gone Wild! Features detailed, companies come on board at IDF 2010
Wow, the MeeGo news is flying fast and furious today! Our first stop is the Intel Developer Forum , where a recent talk detailed feature lists for netbooks and handhelds running (presumably) 1.0. For the former, you can expect to see it rockin' Chrome (or Chromium), and overhauled social messaging, media, camera, email, and calendar apps. That's in addition to touch and gesture support.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: developer, flash, idf, instant, linux, location, maemo, meego, netbooks, networking, services, support
Garmin-Asus nuvifone A50 runs Android, knows where you are turn-by-turn
The long rumored Nuvifone jump to Android is here just as we get set to kick off Mobile World Congress next week. Garmin and ASUS claim that the A50 brings "more location technology than any other smartphone" with a plethora of location-aware apps making use of a highly sensitive (though unnamed) GPS receiver. Spec-wise, the A50 packs a 3.5-inch HVGA (that's 480x320 pixels, presumably) capacitive touchscreen with custom, finger-friendly UI, 4GB of internal storage with microSD expansion, and accelerometer for the usual portrait to landscape mode flip.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: barcelona, entry, location, microsoft, mobile, mwc, portal, smartphone
Sensorly aims to keep coverage maps honest
Say you're planning that next camping trip and you need to know whether you're going to be able to incessantly check your work email every 10 minutes -- do you trust a carrier's coverage map of unknown age, origin, and honesty, or real-world experience? If French firm Sensorly has its way, you'll soon be able to answer the latter thanks to the deployment of an app for your phone that continuously measures cellular and WiFi signal strength at your location and silently reports it back to the company's servers where it's compiled into color-coded maps predicting your ability to connect.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: available-right, coverage, coverage map, entry, french, iphone, location, maps-predicting, servers