When Google released their “My Location” feature for Google Maps Mobile last November, it allowed millions of cell phone users without GPS to see their location, perform searches and get directions based on their location. This works by triangulating the location of the cell phone based on the signal from the cell towers and though it’s not perfect, it really helped in adding context to Google Maps Mobile (GMM) searches.
Now Google will be opening up their Location API so that 3rd party developers can access your location for new features. Jesse Newland found a way to access this information to update Fire Eagle in a jailbroken iPhone, but that required some knowledge of Unix-based systems. Now we’ll be able to see developers create applications that allow millions of people to get information about the world around them based on their location.
Google says that their Gears for Windows Mobile toolkit and Android already have Location APIs. Google hasn’t mentioned whether developers will be able to access their location servers directly or whether they’ll need to develop their own handset applications. I’m really hoping that it will be as simple as installing GMM and authorizing new applications to see your location automatically. This means that one application on your phone could be able to update your location anywhere on the web for location-based IM, Twitter, Facebook or searching.
Yahoo’s FireEagle platform was the first to be released, but the lack of applications and no native handset applications has proved somewhat frustrating. I like their model of allowing particular applications to access my information instead, but it’s no fun to update your location if there are no great applications to use it with. It still has a head start with the developer community, but automatically updating your location from virtually any phone is a pretty compelling feature from Google.
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I'm Dave and I like to share news about gadgets, gear, careers and design for a mobile world.
theregoesdave
[...] since Google announced that it was opening up the Location API used in the Google Maps for Mobile My Location feature over 2 months ago, Developers have been [...]
Hello,
does anybody know where to find more details about the Google My Location API?
Thanks in advance,
Peter Vrenken
The only way that it’s available is through a Gears-enabled browser right now. You can find info at http://code.google.com/p/gears/
Gears dioes not work in every single cell phone. Google map and mylocation work in my location.However, there no way to extract the location info from gmap/mylocation. Is there any other alternatives?
Gears/ My Location should work on GSM phones and most CDMA phones use the Java Location API. The problem with the Location API is that you then have to get your application certified by each individual carrier for each phone which costs beacoup bucks.
Unfortunately there’s not a silver bullet yet. Firefox mobile seems to be implementing location into the upcoming release, but that still doesn’t reach everyone…
Thanks Dave!
I am trying to extract the address or the ling.lat from mylocation/gmap to my mobile app. I don’t think it is a doable solution now, unless Google releases the mylocation API( not gears). I have not found anyother way, 3rd party software either.
any suggestion? Kaalu2003@yahoo.com
[...] features on Windows Mobile within a few weeks of the iPhone. The first example was the automatic My Location sensing feature that was in the initial iPhone release. iPhones just got the Streetview feature where available in [...]
[...] allows you to get directions or search for nearby restaurants without entering your location. The My Location API will just add to the threat by opening the service up for any developer to create applications for [...]