http://www.batchgeo.com/
Another Fremium model with a cool service. This one wired their web service on top of Google Maps for convenient "cut and paste" use of creating mash-ups / visual data. It's target market is spreadsheet users who require some sort of geographical analysis. Basic service does mapping for desktop / mobile devices. Premium service removes ads, adds support, allows grouping supports over 2,500 records, among many more features. It costs $950 / year - clearly targeted for small businesses rather than individual users.
This service could easily be replicated by Google or a competitor....but my infatuation with spreadsheets it caught my eye. This could easily be an add-on to Google Spreadsheets (push a button, see it mapped) The lack of macros in Google spreadsheet leaves Microsoft a feature-by-feature advantage that keeps my favorite program Excel alive. The day that goes is the day I stop running my football pools since it's built on a souped up/ macrotized 16 year-old spreadsheet.
Looks like MSFT is including a map "app" inside Excel:
ReplyDeletehttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/store/bing-maps-WA102957661.aspx?redir=0
Looks like there might be some competition:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.easymapmaker.com
The one downside to excel is you can't view the maps on a mobile or tablet device (yet).
Looks an awful lot like a code copy. Stolen by the Chinese?
ReplyDelete