Fresh Logic Atlas

Atlas - powered by Fresh Logic Studios

The Fresh Logic Atlas is an Ajax-like and Google-like mapping site. There are three tabs at the top right of the screen:

• Start: Directions, Email (send an email to Fresh Logic), Search, Toolbox (zoom and map type), Defaults, and Help
• Features: Locate with pins Blogs, Events (from Eventful.com), Gas Prices, Movie Theaters, Traffic Notices, and Wifi Hotspots
• Services: GPS to locate yourself and get direction (beta; requires registration and a GPS receiver coupled with a Windows Mobile 5 pda or phone)

The map of Phoenix, Arizona below shows the Features bar open in the right corner, with Traffic and Event showing on the map. The Traffic notice list is open, while the Event list is closed. Information on one of the Traffic points and on one of the Event points are shown in more detail. The navigation Toolbox is also open.



The Fresh Look Atlas is graphically the slickest and sophisticated mapping tool that I have seen. It also provides useful information for both residents and visitors to a place. Unfortunately it is currently limited to the US and Canada. And it can be somewhat sluggish, even on my DSL connection -- it appears to be doing a lot of processing! Using it over a dialup would probably be excruciating. Registration gives you additional features (though I could not see just how this was different from not registering). The Fresh Logic Atlas does not work with Safari for Mac OS X.

Tags: map,mapping,travel,events,gas prices,movies,wifi,atlas,ajax,google maps,directions,gps,location,Fresh Logic Atlas

Yahoo! Map and Directions on your iPod

iPod Directions : Use your iPod Video, Nano or Photo as a Yahoo! Maps directions viewer!

My son has an iPod, but I have resisted. I do, however, recognize their overwhelming popularity, and do not deny Apple its great iPod success. o, now all of you who own an iPod Video, Nano or Photo can easily download Yahoo! Map directions to your player -- which could be more convenient, and maybe cheaper, than a GPS unit.

From the website:

"Yahoo Maps and the popular iPod portable MP3 player are used together to bring you an exciting online service called iPod-Directions. What is it? iPod-Directions is a powerful step-by-step directions saving tool that will export online driving directions from results by Yahoo Maps and import them into your iPod. It’s an easy solution for getting Yahoo Map directions saved and displayed onto any iPod Video, Nano or Photo, and without the need of additional software!"

Tags: ipod,map,mapping,Yahoo,directions,travel

Sheraton Becomes Social with New Website

"Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has launched the new Sheraton.com – termed as the first hotel industry website to embrace social media and feature user generated content."

Well,I am impressed. The new Sheraton.com website is a very alive and exciting site. The globe is definitely cool, and inviting. And it looks like quite a few contributors have already added thier peronal Sheraton stories (I think the site when live a month ago), though there are still a few "Be the first" links. I bet we will be seing a lot more of this from the big travel industry players in the coming year.

You can read a short story about this on eyefortravel.com.

Next wave of travel websites feels like MySpace | csmonitor.com

Next wave of travel websites feels like MySpace | csmonitor.com

This is a Christian Science Monitor article on Travel 2.0 (Web 2.0 applied in the travel sector). The article is somewhat narrowly focused on TripAdvisor.com, though it does mention Farecast.com (great idea, if you live in Boston or Seattle, useless for the rest of the world) and Gusto.com (not one I am familiar with). Personally, I think the hottest Travel-Mypace is 43Places.com, though I personally am currently using MyLifeOfTravel.com and Vicarious.com.

CLICK HERE to go to read about and listen to my recent "Travel 2.0" conference presentation on my Geography for Travelers podcast.