Location-Aware Software
Requirements
- Pocket PC 2003 or Windows XP. (Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Vista are not yet supported.)
- Wi-Fi network capability
Download
Herecast Beta 5 for Windows XP -- First beta release of the XP version.
Herecast Beta 5 for Pocket PC -- Normal installer. If your Pocket PC is not connected to a desktop computer (i.e. you don't use ActiveSync), download this installer directly to your device.
Also available: older versions or source code.
Quick Tour - Windows XP
Herecast sits quietly in the system tray. If you like, it can pop up a little message telling you where you are:
(The popup messages can be disabled in Options.) You can click on the icon for more detailed information, and for links to services in the area.
If you subscribe to any services, they can send you messages:
You can also right-click the Herecast icon to change options, open the Wi-Fi scanner, or upload data.
Notification Icons
You may occasionally see different notification icons. Here is what they mean:
Normal -- your location is known. Click the icon for details and services in the area.
Downloading data.
Location is unknown. Click the icon to enter data.
Unable to determine location. (For example, no wireless signal.)In each case, you can hover the mouse pointer over the icon to see more information.
Quick Tour - Pocket PC
The Herecast today item always displays your current location:
When you click on the today item, it brings up a screen that shows more information about where you are. This screen includes links to web sites and services that are relevant to this location.
Here are two of the demo services. The first, HereSay, is a location-based message board. You can leave a message at your current location, and see messages that have been left by other people in the same building. Also shown is a mapping service, which provides maps at a much higher level of detail than you would get from an ordinary map site. (See "Area Maps" in the sidebar for more information.)
Wi-Fi Scanner
If you click on the globe icon on the today screen, it brings up a scanner that shows all access points detected in the area, along with their location and signal strength. (The Wi-Fi scanner is also available as a separate application, if you do not wish to use the today item.)
The lock icon indicates that WEP is enabled on the access point, and the notebook icon represents an ad-hoc access point. The item highlighted in red is the one with which the device is currently associated. Advanced users may wish to view additional information -- for example, the screen shot on the right also shows the 802.11 channels used by each access point.
If you come across an access point with an unknown location (for example, "00 a0 f8 5c a2 00" in the screen shot above), you can fill in the details by clicking on that entry. The information may then be uploaded to the global database for other people to use.
Note that recently used items are available in the dropdown listbox. To make data entry as easy as possible, the program initially selects the most recently seen city, area, and building for you.
