Google Maps Unleashes My Location Beta, So Get Lost

Can we just say, it’s about time.  Not that it’s Google’s fault, but let me tell you, carrier restrictions on handset manufacturers just sucks.  We haven’t been able to get it to work on our Palm OS Treos yet, but apparently some Windows Mobiles users have found the “blue dot” of success.  All we can say is, we don’t see no stinking dots, but so it goes with Beta software.  Read more

Find Stuff You Didn’t Even Know You Were Looking For

Sure, most of us are familiar with Google’s mobile offerings, but they are not the ginormous power on the mobile front that they are on the PC.  The mobile internet is one of those fronts that is still largely untapped and provides an equal opportunity for those talented and creative enough to blaze new ground.

The large challenge is squishing tons of information on your mobile.  Obviously.  With resolutions maxing out around 300 pixels, content made for mobile is appreciated and much more usable.  So the next time you’re out and about and you are looking for something on your phone, check out find.mobi.  Not only is it set up for mobile phones, it returns back more mobile results then we’ve seen before.  Pretty cool stuff.

Added to the Portals & Internet Search Directory

Stream On, Man.

You gotta admit, the fact that you can stream internet radio on (a lot of) cell phones is up there with TV dinners and Pop Tarts.  Maybe even cooler.  Now I know, I know, the quality isn’t exactly CD (or even FM) quality, but for tunes and news on the go, it’s tough to beat.  And free is always good, too, so long as you have a data plan.

TalkStreamLive [Mobile] has compiled a list of (Read: what they deem) the favorite streaming internet radio stations in a simple, straightforward website.  We didn’t even know that they had a website for the PC before we discovered their mobile offering, and honestly, we prefer the mobile site.

The mobile site is divided into categories:  Talk Radio, News, Sports, Music, & Video.  Of course, different sites stream in different formats, so you may not be able to utilize all of the links.  File this under trial and error, but there are quite a few streams in each category -you should be able to find one that you both like and that your phone can load.

So if you’re into streaming media, check it out.  It’s always fun to experiment with what kind of horsepower your phone might be able to, ahem, pony up…

Added to the Music, Video & Photos Directory

-wS.

Update:  After chatting with the kind folks over at TalkStreamLive.mobi, they gave us the following tips:

For those using smartphones, try TCPMP, a free media player that will play 100% of the radio streams.  TCPMP will even play the broadband streams that Windows Mobile Player will not.  And apparently the 128 kbs streams sound sweet on bluetooth audio headphones or on a bluetooth car radio.

Now where did we put that Jensen Bluetooth Receiver?

The Gphones Are Coming, Kind Of.

Today Google, along with a number of the major players in the OHA (Open Handset Alliance), announced the existence of Android.  From Google’s very own blog:

“Android is the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. It includes an operating system, user-interface and applications — all of the software to run a mobile phone, but without the proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation.”

New phones should start arriving 2nd half of 2008.  Looks to be an interesting ride, especially for Microsoft, Palm, and Symbian.

Read [PC - Mobile]

-wS.

Yelp Gives Local Flavor Mobile Access To Reviews

If you’re not familiar with Yelp.com, we suggest a quick glance at their About page [Warning - PC Link].  It’s a pretty cool idea that basically allows patrons to rate and review the offerings of their local businesses.  While the mobile site is limited to review searches from your phone, the site itself has spurred somewhat of a cult-like following.  Outside of the larger city-base that is listed on the site, reviews can be few and far between, which ends up really just being a glorified local search.  Added functionality to the mobile site would undoubtedly help to increase reviews, simply because most of us still do not drag our laptops to dinner or the salon.  Just saying.

Of course, there is always a disclaimer in the fact that not everyone is meant to be a critic, and YMMV.

Added to the Local Info Directory. 

-wS.

Have Phone, Will Drink

A clever, yet simple, website that we stumbled across (in our never-ending quest for mobile supremacy) is Bars.mobi.  Utilizing the new standards for the .mobi domain, the site loads quickly and does the job.  The idea is simple - if you know the bar name, simply drill down to your city and, voila!  A list of local drinking holes appears before your eyes.  The site actually just ties in to Google’s mobile local search, but at least the content listings will always be fresh.  The beer, on the other hand, remains to be seen.

Of course, we’re still waiting for a mobile version of Beer Bloggin’ [PC Link]

Added to the Local Info Directory. 

-wS.

Remember The Milk: The Ultimate Reminder Service

The days of carrying around oversized leather-bound organizers are over.  Seriously, if you still carry one, it really is time to start thinking about joining the digital age - and soon.  With even the most basic of mobile phones carrying calendar and web access, information is readily accessible almost anytime, anywhere. Read more

Hey, Slackers! Game More, Sleep Less, Repeat

The next time you pry the Wii remote from those cold, sweaty hands, grab your trusty mobile phone and give it some gaming love.  You see, the mobile gaming space needs you.  Scratch that, they need your money. 

Just how these companies stick around while managing to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars is beyond me, and many continue to see their revenues eroding.  Of course, the mobile gaming industry faces competition from everywhere.  The Nintendo DS and Playstation PSP are much more obvious choices when it comes to portable game systems with larger screens and vast titles to choose from.

So who is actually playing games on their cell phones?  Admittedly, I couldn’t tell you when I fired up the Treo and just had to have the newest game title, but I could be in the minority here.  I will say that carrier offerings can be their own barrier to entry, forcing consumers through almost 15 clicks to go from perusing to purchasing.  That will have to change.  I’m not a huge fan of the premiums that carriers tack on to almost everything that they offer either.  No wonder people look for options to side-load their mobiles.  A quick Google search will reveal many alternatives to the carrier-purchased titles (often for half the price).

Moral:  Game more, sleep less, don’t buy the software from the carriers so you can buy more games so you can…well, you get the picture.

-wS.

Read [PC - Mobile]

Google To Announce Mobile Plans In Two Weeks?

What’s this?  Google is planning to enter the mobile space?  Seriously, if that is news to you, I don’t know where you’ve been hiding for the last couple of years.  What IS new is that the Wall Street Journal is reporting that in just 2 short weeks the Mountain View search giant will be officially announcing several different plans to enter into the already crowded mobile arena.

This should prove to be interesting.  Especially since US carriers tend to be a little controlling with what goes on their networks and even more so about what ships on the phones.  Google-centric devices will undoubtedly be information-driven and somehow be linked to their advertising empire, and with the mobile ad space heating up, carriers will surely frown on losing any revenue that their current in-place models are generating.  Of course, Google does have some pretty deep pockets and a deal could surely be struck that shares additional ad revenues.

‘Til then, we’ll just have to sit tight for two more weeks.

-wS.

[via RCR Wireless News - PC - Mobile]

Read [PC - Mobile]