Verizon Wireless said it would open its network to outside devices and applications. As has been widely reported, Google and others have been pushing to break through what some see as the market expansion logjam resulting from carrier policies and practices that close their networks to outsiders. For location-based applications this is a win. The [...]

On Monday, Nokia said it is buying NAVTEQ, the provider of data for digital maps. Like the July announcement in which TomTom offered TeleAtlas for $2.5, a device maker is grabbing a provider of map data. Reportedly, some analysts are saying Nokia is overpaying for NAVTEQ. Perhaps, but these same analysts likely lack the understanding [...]

At the recent trendy Where 2.0 conference, Google and Microsoft announced new capabilities for their online mapping services, focused on three-dimensional photographic views of a few large U.S. cities. And Google just announced it would acquire Panoramio for linking photos to the geographic location at which they were taken. While interesting to look at, the [...]