Mapping

We can't remember the number of times we've come across an old photo and couldn't remember where it was taken. (Sometimes a new photo, even.) That's why we, and our deteriorating brain cells, appreciate Sony's development of a GPS unit for the camera.

The elegantly named GPS-CS1KA saves the location, time and date of photos taken in all areas that have satellite coverage, according to Tech Digest. The device stores about a month's worth of tracking data for the photos, which can be tagged on a Google map as well.

The unit weighs under … Read more

Google has announced on their blog a new partnership with BMW's Assist driving service--but only in Germany, so far. BMW drivers using Google Maps Deutschland can now "send" selected geographic data from their PCs directly to their in-car navigators. Consequently, there's no need to look it up at home and then look it up again in the car. (Above: Check out Google's promotional video. Don't worry, it's in English.)

It's not available stateside yet, or with non-BMW navigators, but Google has stressed that this is only the first step in the introduction … Read more

Nearbie is a new social bookmarking service that lets users broadcast status updates, and keep tabs on friends. Nearbie goes one step further than some other sites that do this (see Dodgeball, Groovr and Jaiku) to show you how user-submitted material is connected to people or places in your geographical location. Users can submit all sorts of things such as event notices, local landmarks, personal stories, and pictures. It's a lot like a blog, but with far more structure. The hope is that when enough people begin to use the service, users will be able to discover more about … Read more

Couchville is a new Web service from the folks at SnapStream Media that provides simple, no frills TV listings. Just give Couchville your ZIP code, and a few seconds later you've got the day's programming right in front of you.

What sets Couchville apart from its competitors is a really easy to use interface, which feels a lot like Google Maps. To go in any direction, just click on the guide and drag it. This feels totally natural when you want to see what's happening later in the day, but a little unwieldy for scrolling down the … Read more

Google Maps now has traffic data in several cities. Traffic data is displayed using the now-standard industry color-coding: Green = fast. Yellow = maddening. Red = miserable.

Google joins Yahoo and Microsoft in providing traffic data. Ask.com and Mapquest still don't.

Google still doesn't provide directions for walkers (as Ask.com does), nor for public transit, except for 10 oddly chosen cities (Tampa, Honolulu, and so on, skipping New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the like.)

None of the sites do what you really need: Create routes that take traffic into account, directing you around jams.

Related: Google Maps adds subway stops, building outlines to cities.… Read more

MojoPages is a new user review site that launched last week. It's similar to Yelp, but MojoPages users can post video clips and pictures to individual reviews about restaurants and local attractions.

In addition to offering a free-form template to create your written masterpiece, MojoPages gives you a form on which you can rate each establishment's value, service, and quality--things often mentioned in a well-written review.

One of the other standouts of MojoPages is the implementation of user photos. Instead of just uploading photos to an establishment's profile page, you can add them to each review. This … Read more

I discovered Hotspotr at SF Beta this past week. It's a neat little service that mashes up Google maps with a local Wi-Fi hotspot finder. The real pull of the service is you can rate and comment on hotspots as you would with restaurant reviews on a review site like Yelp. It's the perfect service for the casual Wi-Fi traveler to benefit from road warriors who are willing to take the time to review a wireless access point.

The ratings aren't just things such as the overall quality of the wireless signal either; you also can rate … Read more

A new Web site aimed at motorcyclists lets users share their favorite pleasure rides for use in GPS navigation devices. The site, Sunday Morning Rides, uses Google maps and a few other Web widgets to let users either build a route or download one. It includes on- and off-road courses. Once you select a ride, you can download it as GPX (an XML file), GDB (Garmin mapsource), or KML (Google Earth). Currently, a large number of rides are posted all around the country. One of the coolest things about the site is that along with graphical and satellite maps, it … Read more

Earlier this week, Caroline took a look at VentBox, a place for people to get things off their chest. The limitation with sites like that is that they don't often solve your problems, which is where Change.org attempts to fill the gap. Change.org is designed to allow people to discuss and collaborate to make a change in a wide variety of fields. You also can vent all you want by starting your own change. It's grassroots, but on a global level.

Users can create their own cause, get others to join it, and begin discussions. You … Read more