Search your world by phone

CLICK AND GO: Geovector's Earth Surfer employment.

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US movable search through pathfinder GeoVector is turning heads with a Unique Zealand-developed use that allows n.pl to find (out) businesses and landmarks and hail up facts on them barely near pointing their smartphone in any pointing.

The use, Planet Surfer, plant on the iPhone 3GS and smartphones direction Google's Android operating set.

Both possess built-in GPS chips and compasses, so that they can toil outdoors where they are and in which pointing they are pointing.

The software calls up knowledge from net sources such as Google Maps, Microsoft Often machine Bing and Wikipedia, and in Original Zealand, details of restaurants, modification and landmarks stored in the database of neighbouring electronic mapping fellowship GeoSmart.

Auckland-based vice-president Arron Judson says GeoVector is in discussions with real-estate firms and communal networking sites. "There is a batch of chilly channels we can unite to this use. "

GeoVector is based in San Francisco, but does much of its occurrence in Unique Zealand. Planet Surfer was made in portion to showcase GeoVector's technology and cerebral possessions, Mr Judson says.

The iPhone use costs US$2.99 (NZ$4) and the less fully featured Android form is at liberty prep the stretch being, as it is stiff to weight representing Android applications.

Event was outsourced to Auckland firms Cactus Labs and SimWorks.

Between 1000 and 5000 copies of Planet Surfer were downloaded to Android phones during the foremost week after its set in motion, and a "somewhat smaller figure" to iPhones.

GeoVector was founded near laptop pathfinder John Allenby, with the war cry "click on the true sphere".

Japanese investors pumped US$8 million (NZ$10.7m) into the companionship in 2006.

Original Zealand shareholders own less than 10 per cent of the dense.

The 12-person society has powerful patents in the arable of location-based services, which it is stirred (up) close by, but it doesn't desire to put into practice these to clasp invest in the market-place, Mr Judson says.

"We wish (for) to hearten this spaciousness to develop. We don't wish (for) to do anything that stifles invention and development. "