By Angela Hey
About this blog: I write about technology companies, trends and events in and around Mountain View. Where else can you find startups nurtured by
Y-Combinator and
(More)About this blog: I write about technology companies, trends and events in and around Mountain View. Where else can you find startups nurtured by
Y-Combinator and
500 Startups working alongside multi-billion corporations like
Google,
Symantec and
Intuit? I like to write about software and systems that are changing lifestyles. Innovations like self-driving cars, on-demand limousine services and electric bikes are revolutionizing transportation. Smartphones help people find their way, manage their health and make new friends. In my articles, I like to include something for Mountain View residents, something for industry professionals and something for venture investors. I'm particularly interested in mobile apps and cloud computing. I came to California to find software applications for AT&T. I've worked in startups, advised venture capitalists and analyzed enterprise software markets. After getting a PhD at the University of London in engineering, I joined Bell Laboratories, analyzing over 400 telephone company systems. I also have an MMath degree in optimization from the University of Waterloo in Canada, and an MA in mathematics from the University of Cambridge. My husband John Mashey, is a computer scientist and trustee of the Computer History Museum. He also defends climate scientists by blogging.
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I'm at GigaOM's Mobilize conference listening to Steve Lee a project manager from Google talking about mobile phone maps and searches.
If you have Google Maps on your mobile phone, you can ask the map to show your location. When you do this, Google can know where you are in one of two ways. First, they can triangulate on the cell towers. Secondly, if you have GPS in your mobile phone, they can use the satellite technology to find you.
The impact of this is that people who use Google Maps with location, search twice as often. Also people use Google Search twice as much if they are searching for something locally, and use Google Search less if it is not a local search.
My favorite reason for using Google Maps with location awareness is to see when 101 is congested - the highway is colored red on the map when it is busy.
