I talked about this yesterday, but it’s ready for sharing now.

What is this? It’s a OpenCellID client for Windows Mobile

What does that mean? It uses the GPS device connected to a Windows Mobile device (either internal or connected over Bluetooth) to identify exact latitude / longitude coordinates.

It combines this with the cell id of the GSM tower that your phone is currently communicating with.

These two measurements are uploaded to the database at OpenCellId.org

Why? Because if enough people do this, then we will be able to build up a picture of where each GSM cell is.

Then people without GPS (either because their mobile devices don’t have GPS, or because their indoors) can work out where they are by looking up their current GSM cell in the OpenCellId database.

Will it work on my phone? If you don’t have a Windows Mobile phone, then no.

It is great to see a revived buzz around mobile location based apps and services. There are lots of new services to try. I try loads of them, the most recent was Moot just a few days ago (I love their video which I’ve embedded here - very cute), but there are way more than I can keep up with.

One problem they all share before they get to offer you their variations on useful location-based services is how to figure out where you are in the first place.

GPS is an obvious response, but not everyone has it on their mobile, and even if you do, it has some big problems - it can take a while to get a fix, won’t work indoors, etc.

After my post looking back at five years at IBM, time for another reflective look back.

This time: looking back at the last year’s work in Solent Youth Action. I’ve just had to write the Chair’s foreword for our Annual Report. Writing coherent English is never my strong suit, so I figure that as I spent a fair bit of time trying to write it I might as well reuse it in as many places as possible!

The full report details what we’ve done in the last twelve months, so the Chair’s bit is just a place for me to set the scene, and pick out a few of the things that I think are the key highlights.

Created 39 hours ago

last 1 comments, out of 3

Created 12 hours ago

last 1 comments, out of 2

Created Jul 30

last 2 comments, out of 20

"...Dale Lane at IBM published a series of posts about the topic of PowerShell CmdLets for MQ..."

""Current Cost Live" mashed together real-time data from a home electricity meter with social gaming. Home owners become participants in a competition to use less energy than their neighbours, with live data displayed on a website."

It's true. They really do. :-)