At long last! Research In Motion (RIM) launched its AppWorld application storefront today taking a bite out of Apple's playbook. Check it out on BlackBerry's web site. We're proud to be able to say that WorldMate Live is one of a select few featured applications in the store, in fact it's showcased on the front page carousel. We're prominently displayed along with other top BlackBerry apps such as Facebook and MySpace. Looks like the WorldMate community is going to skyrocket...
Of course, this isn't the first time consumers can buy apps for their BlackBerries. They've been doing so for years via PC websites from Handango, BlackBerryCool, AT&T's MEdia Mall and others like them. Still, this App World launch is a watershed moment for the BlackBerry community because it represents the first mass-distributed, on-device storefront for the platform. It is going to make it much easier for consumers to find, download and purchase high-quality apps right on BlackBerry smartphones.
Ever since we issued the newsletter and article last month about the free mapping functionality in WorldMate Live, we've been inundated by requests from users to integrate Google Maps as well as the other mapping and navigation apps we support (including BlackBerry Maps, AT&T Navigator, Mapquest Navigator and others). Apparently Google Maps for Mobile has some interesting advantages - it's a free download, and has mapping coverage for places like Australia and New Zealand - that are not covered by the free BlackBerry Maps.
It wasn't trivial, but we got it. Earlier today we released WorldMate Live 2.7 for BlackBerry - as always, a free application, which integrates into Google Maps. You can simply click "Map" on any item in an itinerary to view it on a map:
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The latest Google Maps for Mobile is available for download on http://m.google.com/gmm . To upgrade to the latest version of WorldMate Live - browse to http://www.wmlive.com on your BlackBerry.
Here's the problem: you need a hotel reservation. Now. But you don't have access to the internet or if you do, you don't have time to start searching for hotels by neighborhood. You just want a hotel room near your meeting, or near where you are at this very moment. Sound familiar? It happens to me all the time...
The solution is right in your cellphone using WorldMate's Hotel Booking feature. It’s an extremely useful tool for booking last-minute hotel rooms directly from your phone. And if you want, it will even take note of your current location when searching for hotel options so that you can remain in the same area. As WorldMate knows where you're going, all you have to do is select the meeting you want to find a hotel near, and the duration of your stay. WorldMate will then search for hotels that are close by, and meet all your personal preferences: your budget, brand, quality and preferred amenities. It will then present a list that is ordered according to all these criteria - we call it Smart SearchTM. This means that most probably, one of the top few hotels on the list is exactly what you need.
Prices on WorldMate are on par with the lowest available online rates. We have a partnership with hotels.com, which is part of Expedia. Our hotel offers are drawn from Expedia's database and are the exact same low prices that appear on its websites. To be honest even we’ve been surprised at how competitive our rates have been lately, though unfortunately that’s also just a reflection of the current tough economic times.
Hotel bookings on WorldMate are easy, especially if you’re making plans on the go and location is a key factor. A cellphone is more secure than the internet when it comes to financial transactions so booking on your BlackBerry isn't just the simplest way to go, it's also the safest. And as we auto-fill forms for you - it's even faster.
If you're stationary and have more time, go online for planning that's both informed and location-based. It's particularly great for finding a hotel which is convenient for your plans in a way that avoids zigzagging back-and-forth from one side of a city to the other.
Keep in mind that Smart SearchTM also manages preferred amenities like internet access or a gym. We like to imagine all of WorldMate's users maintaining a healthy lifestyle and running on a treadmill in hotel gyms... In fact Gilad Gruber, WorldMate's Vice President for Research and Development, refuses to stay in a hotel that doesn't have one (he calls it his "no gym, no travel" policy).
Two short demonstration clips:
Hotel Booking on the BlackBerry
Hotel Booking on the web
Questions? Suggestions? Please post them here and we’ll get the discussion going.
Last week, we posted a quick tutorial on using WorldMate Live's free mapping facilities. We got dozens of responses from people who want this to integrate with the Google Maps mobile application that they are using (http://www.google.com/mobile/default/maps.html). Lots of people are using this application, either because it's better than what came with their devices, or because the built-in app (e.g. BlackBerry Maps) does not have content for where they live - e.g. Australia.
It is our goal at WorldMate to support all popular mapping apps and in fact we spent a lot of time trying to get an API for Google Maps that will allow us to integrate with it. Alas, it seems like the good people at Google are just not interested in this extra traffic we can provide them. There is no Google Maps for mobile API as yet for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or Symbian. And given the fact many developers have been asking for this for years, it's pretty clear that is a policy with Google. Whether this stems from content licensing issues (a frequent issue with mapping licenses) or just competitive policy we don't know, although we assume the latter.
What can users do? One thing you can try is petition Google. They have a Help Forum where you can post a question. Perhaps if enough people did it, they will enable this.
Additional suggestions? We'd love to hear from you. Post your comment below.
Finding your way around an unfamiliar city is always one of the most time-consuming and stress-inducing activities while traveling on business. And it’s not just about how to get from point A to point B – it’s also about how to “geo-plan” your trip optimally – schedule the meetings in logical order so that you don’t zig-zag across town multiple times, stay in a hotel that is near your meeting or near public transportation etc.
In WorldMate Live, we do our best to simplify this for you. When we create your itinerary, we automatically geo-locate any address in the itinerary – whether we got it automatically from the confirmation emails you’ve forwarded (e.g. hotel or car rental addresses), or we got them from your meetings (if you have the meeting location in your calendar – we’d parse that too). This means that by the time you’re traveling – you can just click the item, click “map” – and we’ll show you the item on the map.
If you’re using GPS navigation software like TelMap, TeleNav or AT&T Navigator – you can set WorldMate up to automatically open those instead, so you can navigate directly to your destination. In the main menu click “Settings” then “Mapping Application” to select your preferred mapping provider.
These locations are also shown on your itinerary and map in the WorldMate Live web application. This means that even before you leave home – or before you leave your hotel in the morning, you can view your entire day on the map. In the itinerary view you can see whether all your items were correctly geo-coded – or perhaps you’re missing an address or have an incomplete one! This way – you won’t be surprised that you have the wrong address, when you’re already looking for it.
Itinerary View With Address Validity Marked:
Click the small map, or “Enlarge” to view a map of your entire trip.
This enables you to see where your meetings, hotel, airports etc. are
relative to each other. Click any item in the list on the left to view
it on the map. If you’re using public transportation – you can find
stations nearest to your meetings by zooming and panning.
Map View of Your Trip:
If you need to book a
hotel – WorldMate Live simplifies finding the right one – one that is
near your meetings and matches your preferences. Just click the “Need a
hotel?” banner on the top right. You can select an actual location from
your itinerary – a meeting for instance, or a location in the
destination city. The results are shown directly on the map!
Want to see a live demo? Watch this clip:
Have questions? Ideas? Suggestions?Post them here!
