Until now, cell phone users have had no detailed and impartial way to assess and compare which network offers the best data and voice service where they use their phones.
Root Wireless Inc., a Bellevue, Wash., startup, aims to change that. Root's colorful online map, which debuted last week on CNET.com and is currently usable only by consumers living in the eight U.S. markets analyzed so far, shows voice and data signal strength for each of the four major U.S. carriers. An intriguing plan calls for building out map coverage through 200,000 volunteers nationwide, all armed with a data-gathering app on their smartphones.
[Snip]
Initially, the Root map is accessible only through CNET.com, as part of its library of cell phone reviews. CNET isn't promoting the map, but it's available by clicking "check coverage" directly under the reviewed phone's name. Checking it out is difficult, because it is currently available only within selected cell-phone reviews, and only to CNET visitors in the eight markets — Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. — where Root has done its own mapping.
Another 12 [metro] markets are slated to be mapped by year-end: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Houston, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis and Tampa/St. Petersburg.
Source: MSNBC
The map provides data for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. It's easy to move from one provider to another.
To access the map which is a beta release (remember only eight markets are currently available) head to the cell phone review section of CNET and select a smartphone. ) Smartphones are the only phones that will trigger a map link during the beta period. We're selecting the iPhone 3GS 32GB (in white) from AT&T. Finally, look in the right hand column below the first two boxes for the clickable link, "Check your coverage area." You should now be viewing a map. The default region on the map is Metro Seattle but simply enter a street address and/or Zip Code for one of the available metro areas and the map will change to that location. At the bottom of the map you can learn more about data collection and methodology and report descriptions.
The MSNBC article also points out that when the beta period is over (sometime in January) you'll be able to access maps for all phones.
A family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success. Read more »
Recently I have found myself cooing over visualisation maps (and heat maps) of health and well being resources. The content rich data is overlayed with mapping technologies, and some interesting themes and patterns are emerging.
A lot of the talk around social media in the last year has been around information overload. Social media has provided us with new and exciting ways to create content. But it has also meant learning new ways to manage and engage with social media tools. Are we teetering on the edge of an information overload precipice?
Information overload is a figment of your imagination. Or a failure of your filter. Or a symptom of your technological submissiveness. Depends on who you ask.
What if you had to sort through 3.5 million articles and social media posts a day and try to pull out the most relevant items for your organisation? What if you then had to cobble it all together into something readable for your top groups and executives in your organisation?
Alacra Compliance saves time by aggregating information from both free and fee-based sources and enabling users to conduct an accurate federated search across these sources (coined “simultaneous search” by Alacra).
FreePint Family
Quilting big data threads
The fallacy of information overload
Information overload: fact, fantasy or filter failure? 
