Video: UbiSafe uses location to keep people out of danger

TREVISO, Italy – In recent months we’ve witnessed an interesting evolution as location-based mobile services have stretched their tendrils into new spaces – social networking (Plazes), conversation (Nokia Chat), and even in combating CO2 emissions (we:offset). So it’s encouraging to see yet another developer take a different approach to context aware services. Dubbed UbiSafe, this location-based service has been designed to help ensure people with special needs, children, or elderly remain safe within a designated area, using GPS tracking technology.

LONDON, UK – Having soaked up what Charlie had to say about One Web Day and the impact the Internet has had on him personally, Nokia, and you, I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring. Plus, James my other Conversations cohort had some interesting thoughts on how the Internet has and is affecting our lives, so I thought I’d better gatecrash the opinion party.

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Next mini milestone in Nokia Maps evolution

ESPOO, Finland – As mobile mapping fuses ever-more irreversibly with location-based services, it’s becomes clearer and clearer where this breed of context aware application is headed. The answer? Significantly more localized, to the point where your personal space is quickly becoming hugely populated with invaluably integrated morsels of info. And the latest large-scale contributer to this pot of on-the-go context aware knowledge within Nokia Maps 2.0 is Lonely Planet – finely detailed location-based knowledge for over 100 destinations are now downloadable to Nokia Maps.

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Video: Whrrl blends location services with people power

SEATTLE, USA – In the first of our showcase pieces on the apps chosen as part of the 2008 Forum Nokia Innovation series program, I thought I’d highlight Whrrl a new app that personally resonates with my fascination with the evolution and expanding diversity of context aware mobile services.

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Location-based answers – what are your questions?

Recently I’ve been on a bit of a mobile behavior binge, writing at any opportunity about context aware services and how their rapid evolution could unwittingly yet positively affect the way we use our handsets. The reason? Simply that I believe that we’re in one of the most fascinating periods of transition when it comes to our mobile lifestyles, as location-based services are now a reality with the growth of GPS and faster connections, making it tremendously exciting as a phone user looking at the horizon.

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Nokia Chat creator teaches you how to chat

INTERNATIONAL – Recently we’ve been a little obsessed with getting under the skin of Nokia Chat, the new beta app for instant messaging with GPS elements mixed in for good measure. On my mission to understand this sliver of software inside-out I spoke in depth to the man behind it, product manager Kristian Luoma. Well, now he’s popped up on the Beta Labs blog as a guest author to teach us how to configure Nokia Chat to your favourite IM client on PC.

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Google Maps mobile takes public transport

INTERNATIONAL – You might expect us to blindly champion Nokia Maps 2.0 over Google Maps, but here on Conversations we’re all about getting fired up about any apps out there that help push the boundaries of how we behave with our mobiles and ultimately how they can improve our lives. Plus, of course, healthy rivalry is one of the key ingredients that fuels innovation, especially location-based services, where we’re soon set to become overwhelmed with applications, given the ongoing meteoric rise of GPS and high-speed connections facilitating this rapid evolution.

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Nokia ups the innovation stakes

CALIFORNIA, USA – It’s always excited to hear about Nokia pushing more attention and investment towards innovation, quite simply because as users we’re ultimately set to benefit from the final products and services that emerge. So today’s announcement sees Nokia committing a further USD 150 million in Nokia Growth Partners (a global private equity and venture capital management firm), with a vision of investing the money in promising companies that are striving to tightrope the cutting-edge in order to improve the mobile space.

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Nokia Chat – the big round up

INTERNATIONAL – Over the past couple of weeks we’ve gone to town on Nokia Chat, bringing you stacks of inside info and opinions on this smart location-based instant messaging app. See, it’s one of those pieces of software that sparks a bunch of questions on the wider picture of context aware services and the direction of mobile apps as a whole, as well as engage us with a cutting-edge communication experience.

Get the full lowdown on all you need to know about Nokia Chat right here…

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Nokia Chat: part three – location and beyond

INTERNATIONAL – Having chatted to Kristian Luoma, the guy heading up Nokia Chat, about the vision and ambitions for this new GPS instant messaging app, I decided to ask him about location-based services (LBS) and the wider picture.