Alberta Business Marketing

The Samsung Galaxy Tab, Acer Iconia Tab, Eee Pad Transformer, Kindle Fire and HTC Flyer enter the tablet market Continue reading →

Tags: android, iPad, tablets, Tech Essentials, technology
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Google Maps has had a somewhat chequered history until recently.  An example of a high visibility problem was that the Golden Ears Bridge in BC only appeared on Google Maps some 9 months after the bridge had been open and almost 3 years after construction started.

MapQuest, the competitor owned by AOL, was only a little better but that was no excuse for this less than stellar performance. 

Despite this, Google Maps has been showing reasonable growth.

On the Web, Google Maps drew 67.3 million unique views in February, according to Nielsen, while MapQuest tallied 24.7 million. Yahoo Local (YHOO) was third at 13.1 million.

Now in a major initiative, Google Maps has taken a commanding lead by taking Google Maps indoors.

 

A walkthrough of Google maps outlines what this offers

Go Indoors

Maps aren’t only for cities and countries — they’re useful inside buildings, too. Next time you’re running through an airport or shopping in a mall, use Google Maps on your mobile phone to find a specific place or discover cool spots nearby.

The Fortune article explains why Google Maps is headed indoors

By including indoor spaces to the Android version of its Maps service, Google is positioning itself to take advantage of two concurrent trends: the spread of mobile communications and the increasing privatization of public space.

As yet only a handful of indoor venues are included: stores such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's (M) and Home Depot (HD); airports in Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco; transit centers and other spaces in Japan; and malls including the Mall of America outside Minneapolis.

Any other private indoor space can provide the information to be included and the maps are 3-dimensional so it is possible to find your way around on any floor of a multi-floor building.  Clearly this will meet a real need since you can identify where you are in a building via your smartphone.  As yet it is only available on Android phones but an iPhone application cannot be long in coming.

Chapeau, Google, indoor Google Maps will prove to be a real winner without a doubt.

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Indoor Google Maps

Technorati Tags: android, indoors, interior, iPhone, maps

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Tags: android, google, indoors, interior, iphone, local SEO, maps
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Find out about the popularity, the usability and the latest funny commercial involving this open source mobile operating system

Tags: android, cellphones, Industry Reports - Information Technology and Telecommunications, Mobile, tablets
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In this alberta@noon column on CBC Radio One with guest host Holly Preston and I talk about the BlackBerry Playbook, calling it a cross between a tablet and a smart phone, while highlighting it’s touch border, lack of apps, user interface, and it’s need to tether to a BlackBerry. We also discuss the GSlate and other Android tablets. Yes, they play flash and it’s powerful and less expensive. We also talk about how the tablet market has taken off – we’ve realized we didn’t want bells and whistles and buttons on our computers, we just wanted functionality – and third party developers are being leveraged to customize every device. What’s next? The restaurant industry.

albertaatnoon April 20 2011

 

Tags: android, blackberry, BlackBerry Playbook, CBC Radio Column, GSlate, tablets, technology
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Facebook is pursuing a trademark on the word “Face” and has filed litigation against a Website that includes the name “book” in their URL.  Some in the accommodation industry may consider that Facebooks new “Check in” service, that has found its way into the mobile version of the website and the Facebook App (accessible to iPhone, iPod, Blackberry and Android devices), might some day pose a threat to the industry standard for guests announcing their arrival at the front desk.

In the meantime, Facebook Places provides a simple, handheld way for your guests to tell all their friends that they are at your location.

Why Facebook’s Places app matters?

• over 50% of web users have an account at Facebook.
• over 90% of people who earn at least $30 000 per year own a cell phone.
• over 35% of cell phones are Internet enabled devices.

It’s a fair guess that 2 of every 10 guests you are serving today has a handheld device and are capable of checking in on Facebook.

Whether an accommodation, food service, beverage service or attraction ask yourself this question.

“Would you like your clients to tell their friends that they are enjoying themselves at your location?”

Go ahead, I’ll give you a second to think about that.

OF COURSE YOU WOULD!!!!  Perhaps friends will come along to join the party, look you up online . . . at the bare minimum, you are going to score credibility points with all the friends of your guests who decide to check-in at your location.

So what do you need to do to encourage your guests to “Check in” on their mobile device?  Ask your guests to check in.

Call your guests to Action.

Give your guests a clear call to action.

Consider posting a sticker on your door, a sign in your waiting area, a rack card at your dining table that invites your guests to “Check in” on their handheld.  Consider offering an incentive to folks who check in – like a coupon for a free coffee on their next visit.

Of course there are a myriad of location-based games and associated apps – Gowalla, Foursquare, etc…. but the granddaddy of “Social” is Facebook.

What do you need to do to get started?

Go to your lobby or guest waiting area, turn on your handheld and point it to Facebook app or mobile website.  Click on the places tab and fill in your location.  If you are the first one to check in, you’ll be able to give your place a title and description.  All others who check in, will announce their arrival with the information you post as well as their own personal note.

Tags: android, app, blackberry, check-in, Facebook, handheld, iphone, ipod, Mobile
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