(Click here for a larger image of Navizon software) |
Buddy Tracker
(Click image to enlarge) |
Like previously released
Navizon software, the new version has a "Buddy Tracker" feature that allows members of a designated group to share their location with other group members on an opt-in basis. A "Geotag" feature allows members to post information about a specific geographic location, such as a restaurant or other business. The Geotag will then be visible to other Navizon members approaching the location.
For those who desire greater accuracy in positioning, a $25 upgrade from the free Navizon Lite to the full Navizon software is available. This adds the use of WiFi access points known to the application. The more detailed triangulation this makes possible increases accuracy to a tenth of a mile, according to the company.
Google recently released a beta of
Google Maps for Windows Mobile, which includes a similar triangulation feature using cell phone towers alone, and claims the same accuracy of approximately a mile. Google's version is not integrated with a database of WiFi base stations -- yet -- but the latter approach has been championed since 2005 by Skyhook Wireless, which in October claimed a "major upgrade" to its
WiFi Positioning System. Skyhook claims its network covers more than 19 million access points and 70 percent of the U.S., Canadian, and Australian populations.
Navizon Lite, which will operate as the full-blown Navizon product for 15 days after installation, is downloadable for free from the company's website,
here.
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