Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Mobile Google Maps in the train

I filmed Mobile Google Maps in action during my train ride to work.
The Nokia N95 is on KPN's network and the TyTnII (MDA Vario III) on T-Mobile's.
Apparently it only works well when the phones are set to use the GSM instead of the UMTS network.
What surprises me is how well it works.
Most mobile operators considering location based services are thinking in terms of checking every several minutes.
Whereas this product seems to check every one or two seconds. And in effect notice every hop from cell-tower to cell-tower.


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Mobile Google Maps works shockingly good

This will make it harder for Mobile operators to do their own Location Based Services: Google just launched version 2.03 of their mobile maps application.
'Into Mobile' article about another blogger's experience with pictures
No GPS needed.
Apparently Google gained access to or accumulated themselves the location of Cell towers.
The video below explains it in plain English.
What strikes me most is that it works so smooth and local search works like a breeze too.
This app proves to me we will soon see a really cool buddy finder function.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

an interesting day

While I did a micro-lecture about Location Based Services at the Waag Society in Amsterdam, Yme Bosma presented at The Hague Telecom.
Too bad I can't be in two places at once, but luckily there's cell phones, mail and RSS feeds.
Anyway, Hyves' anounced cooperation or should I say compatibility with Google's OpenSocial is something really interesting.

Yme's post in Dutch

A KPN/Hi Location Widget seems only natural now.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

My own AdSense account

About two weeks ago I filled out the AdSense application form. Just to see how it works. I didn't really expect it, but I received an email from Google today stating that I have my own AdSense account now. Amazing. Thanks LarryAndSergey. It must be the subjects, because traffic on this blog is not exactly spectacular.
Anyway, by now you should see relevant ads showing up somewhere on the page.
I'll probably have to tweak the colours a bit so visitors will see the difference between blog posts and advertising.

The AdSense configuration and monitoring pages are fascinating.
It's ready for mobile advertising for example.
I just might create some mobile webpages just to see how the ads will show up.
And I can add a local search button.
And I can recommend stuff.
One would almost forget to post something interesting ;-)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Olivia will be an astronaut

Olivia apparently likes 'Google Earth'-ing.
Completely absorbed by what she sees, she initially doesn't respond to me asking her where she's going.
Eventually she says 'I'm going home'
But when she doesn't get home quickly enough she decides to to go up, saying 'I'm going into space now!'

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Friday, October 05, 2007

RSS for dummies

Google Reader is out of the lab. (I've been using it for about two years already). The brilliant short movie below explains what RSS is.
A must-see for people who are not using RSS readers yet:




(Eirik made me aware of this movie through his blog that I read with Google Reader even before Google posted it on their own blog, even adding more credibility to the message in the movie :-)

Friday, September 21, 2007

The Police at Amsterdam Arena, sept 13

Great to finally see the band live on stage.

I filmed the complete opening song ´Message In A Bottle´ with my Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ1

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Getting serious about it

Just changed the sub-title of my blog:
'How technology can change your life'
It's very broad, but a good description of what drives me.
I'm fascinated by how things like radio, plastic, aircrafts, telephony, television, mobile telephony, and maybe most of all: Internet have changed our lives.
And continue to do so.
At an increasing speed (You don't have to read Ray Kurzweil's books to see that).
My posts to follow will be about news and developments of which I believe will have an impact on how we live.
How will it make life easier, cheaper or more fun?
What should you use and why?
(For the people who don't know me: I'm an optimist :-)
Topics that are currently on my mind:
- Google: automating everything from mail to pictures to blogs to infoporn
- the apparent breakdown of Digital Rights Management, at least for music
- mobile solutions, what should you want to squeeze in your cell-phone?
- home entertainment: my personal struggle to build the ultimate Home Theater multimedia experience.

Interested?
Hit the RSS button and find out.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

even een posting per mail

Vandaag komt Harry.
Ik zal hem laten zien wat er allemaal mogelijk is met websites en blogs.