Earthcomber Launches Windows Mobile Version
Delivering Free Personal Navigation with Travel and Shopping Guides
February 19, 2006
Earthcomber, touted as "the ultimate personal navigator," is introducing
itself to users of Windows-powered PDAs and smartphones. This free service
has already generated substantial buzz among Palm-powered loyalists.
Earthcomber has been released for Windows Mobile devices. The free software offers a new way to shop, travel, and comb the surrounding area for anything they want, anywhere
they are.
To the naked eye, Earthcomber first appears like any other type of
navigation software - except that its GPS-enabled maps for all territories
in the U.S. are conspicuously missing a price tag. All maps, "Look Lists"
and "Community" features are entirely free, providing users with tremendous
new travel tools at no cost.
However, the power of Earthcomber is its unique exploration ability. Unlike
search-box style, web-dependent mobile search programs, Earthcomber's
trademark and patent-pending service lets people set up and automate the
equivalent of "play lists," then searches constantly for vast and diverse
personal interests as the user moves around the local landscape or distant
destinations.
Users can specify exact types of restaurants, shops, ATMs, hotels, landmarks
and plot them on a map - as well as join or create groups that let them
share or discover spots like where movies were shot, where crimes occurred,
sites of public art or places to spot wildlife or enjoy dog parks, pictures,
picnics, or freebies.
The new Windows Mobile version of Earthcomber includes a point-to-point
direction feature that requires a phone or Internet connection. Earthcomber
makes it easy to connect from a mobile device via the "WiFi hotspot
location" data set included with every Earthcomber map.
Even for basic PDAs that do not have any WiFi connection, cell service or
GPS capability, Earthcomber can still provide "combing" or sweeps of a
person's current surroundings via its touch-screen maps calibrated to figure
out distances. For instance, a person can simply plant their "X" by tapping
the screen on the intersection where they are, or by looking up an address.
Then Earthcomber reports any and all "hits," just as if a GPS signal spotted
the location on the map.
Users can also purchase a new breed of guidebook from publishers such as
Mobil Travel Guides, Avalon Publishing's Moon Metro Series, and Fairchild &
Gallagher's Where to Wear insider fashion shopping guides.
These "spot guides" feature un-abridged versions of the paper editions, but
empower them with GPS awareness and personalized search so that unlike the
bookshelf variety, they can produce instant results ordered on what is
nearby and interesting to each individual user.
"While Google can give you a zip-code full of what look like Chinese
restaurants, it can't tell you where the Kung Pao Chicken is excellent,"
said Jim Brady, Earthcomber CEO. "There is a huge difference between having
search-box access to millions of points-of-interest, and having a program
that looks through millions of POIs - constantly - for the 40 or 50 exact
things you actually care about."
The new Windows Mobile version of Earthcomber includes maps of every region
in the United States. The patent-pending technology maintains individual
privacy while constantly combing the area each person travels for anything
from an ATM to a waterfall, cup of coffee, museum, bistro, school, golf
course, bar or even local events.
Earthcomber Spot Guides range from free to $19.85. Spot Guides let users
customize their interests - and how far to search for each one - and then
alert them when they come within a certain distance or nearby any location
that has one or more of their personal favorites in food, shopping, public
places, natural features, historic sites or private pursuits.
The key difference between Spot Guides and their print version, other than
the entire content is stored on a compact handheld computer, is that a
person has the option of exploring the electronic guide through hot-linked
pages, special icons, photos and searches -- all within the context of a
book title. And, as the reader considers any place mentioned, Earthcomber
displays the distance from where the person is standing. As the person
moves, the distances are updated.
"Imagine your bookmarks tapping you on the shoulder and letting you know
that you are within a mile of a place that would make your trip complete,"
says Mr. Brady, a former Oprah exec, who came up with the concept for
Earthcomber during personal travels. "The idea is that life is so much more
interesting, and we get so much more out of every day, if only we can know
what's right around us."
Earthcomber supports devices based on Windows Mobile 2003 and newer
WindowsMobile versions. Spot Guides are available at publisher sites or on
www.earthcomber.com. Free Earthcomber software, service and mapping are
available at the Earthcomber.
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