"Location Aware" is the new cool kid on the block, and he/she is actually really cool. A lot of devices have gps built into them these days opening up a whole world of possibilities so endless It blows the minds of the broad minded.
Unfortunately, GPS generally does not work inside buildings, so how does your device know how to find itself? Well, what we do often have inside buildings is wireless networks. Yep, the thing without wires that lets your laptop magically connect to the internet. So, if you let your wireless router know where it is, the things around it will have a pretty good idea of where they are as well.
So, do the world a favor and submit your wireless router to the database here. It's free, quick, safe and something everyone can benefit from and you can feel good about it. Don't be selfish and say "Well I'll probably never use it." Remember, the world has a lot more than one person in it. The more people who submit, the better triangulation everyone can get.
Once you have done that it should be entered into the database pretty soon. Your iPhone and iPod Touch will then be able to use it with the built in google maps. Want to use location on your laptop now without GPS? Get the Loki plugin now.
Flickr Maps amongst various other web applications already support it. Just click "Find My Location" in the top right hand corner. Switch to satellite view and zoom in, if you've submitted details of the wireless routers around you correctly, it will now have a pretty good idea of where you are. Now you can explore the photos uploaded by the community around you in seconds.
Even if you don't have an iPhone, perhaps you have friends that come over to your house with their iPhones who have a tendency to leave them behind, lost in your house. Maybe you had a party, people had a few to many drinks, who knows. They don't have to freak out because they will be able to find their iPhone easy. You saved the day just by adding location to your wifi!
You could be a hero!
You could be a hero!
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