It’s now easier than ever to create your own maps — and to pick exactly what you want to feature. That’s a good thing, says the founder of one mapmaking firm, because more creative maps will lead to more creative ideas.
Eight years after Google launched Maps as a beta product, the search giant is reinventing the map for a new data rich web that lives on fast broadband, and runs on computers with oomph to spare.
Dennis Crowley can bask in the positive reviews of Foursquare’s latest software release, but only briefly. Because that praise will soon fade away and once again, he’ll have to deal with the flurry of armchair critics.
Foursquare is making a major push toward local search and discovery, recognizing that getting people to check into locations isn’t enough to grow the business — it’s all about local commerce.
Foursquare and Open Table’s new partnership is just the latest in the location-based app’s moves into the local search arena, challenging popular resources like Yelp by aggregating user check-ins to provide personalized recommendations. Booking tables seems like the next step in these moves.
Google’s decision to buy hot French email startup Sparrow has seen reactions ranging from excited to bitterly disappointed. But while some critics are just hipsters who confuse selling up with selling out, there are plenty of reasons to worry about a purchase by the ‘Plex.
The true impact of the launch of the iPhone probably has as much to do with the software that was eventually created on Apple smartphone as much as that smartphone itself, thanks to developers who saw an opportunity and a revolutionary approach to mobile software.
When it comes to NYC’s tech scene, digital media and commerce companies get all the attention, but city’s big opportunity could very well be as the hub for the “data centric” economy. From startups to web giants, many are making a beeline for the Big Apple.
SXSW 2012 was all about location-based social interactions, with Highlight being the belle of the ball. But for all the hype ahead of the show, a number of people I ran into there didn’t seem to understand why they would even want to use these apps.
After trying to become a social network, the team behind Fab.com pivoted a year ago toward their current model as a design site because it was something the founders were passionate about. It’s another reminder that passion matters and can be what determines success.
