Editor's Note: Finding Your Way With Mobile Maps

I love the fact that my cell phone and PDA hold all the phone numbers and E-mail addresses I might ever need. I love the fact that my personal contact database holds all the postal addresses I might ever need if I want to mail something to friends or family. I love that I can click on "my favorites" to find URLs and that recent URLs automatically come up when I type a few letters. I love the GPS system in my car. It's virtually impossible for me to ever get lost. So, it's not surprising that I love the fact that mapping software for cell phones and other devices is quickly becoming available from multiple suppliers. Now I can walk around any city and find my way.

But there's a downside to all of this. My memory seems to be getting a little dustier with each passing year. Now that I no longer have to memorize anyone's number, street address, or directions for getting somewhere, it hardly gets a workout. So what happens when one of these devices doesn't work because of poor cell or Wi-Fi service or a dead battery? I feel stranded! Without the tiny intelligent brains inside of all of these computing devices working for me, I'm pathetically lost at times. So, I've vowed to only use the functions when I absolutely have to--not just as a convenience. Try it. It will make you a bit antsy at first, but your brain will love the exercise.

Putting my own brainpower issues aside for a moment, there are many other advantages to mobile-mapping software programs and location-based services, which you can read about in Elena Malykhina's cover story this week ("Maps On The Move"). Initially kind of gimmicky, mobile maps and location-based services are finding their way into all sorts of new business applications--tracking systems, real-estate applications, field service, and more. I can't wait to try it out--if only I could remember where my cell phone is.

Stephanie Stahl
Editor-in-chief
[email protected]

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