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B uddy Beacon > Buddy Beacon is the new way for Helio members to synchronize their social lives and tell friends where the fun is. Rather than calling or texting, Helio members can switch on their Buddy Beacon and use satellite technology to broadcast their location to the friends they add to their Buddy List. When they turn on Buddy Beacon, their Buddy List friends can see their location on a map along with a nearby address. Members can add up to 25 Buddies to their Buddy List. When members change locations and want to let everyone know the party is on the move, one simple command refreshes the location. Want to hide out? Just leave Buddy Beacon off to enjoy a night of privacy or to slip out the back of the club into the VIP room. > Buddy Beacon also lets Helio members send out an SMS message asking their friends to flip on their Buddy Beacons. When they activate Buddy Beacon, members can see where everyone is and meet up with the closest person for a fun night out or to tailgate at the big game. If a member notices a friend is nearby, a call can be placed directly from Buddy Beacon to check in on the fun. > "We're staying true to our mission of bringing advanced wireless technologies from Korea to the U.S. so Helio members can experience an entirely new wireless world," said Wonhee Sull, President & COO of HELIO LLC. "Exceptional collaborators like Samsung and Google combined with Helio's focus on constant innovation are making first-to-market devices like Drift and our specialized services a reality." > The Drift is now available for $225 at www.helio.com, 888-88-HELIO and at nearly 2,500 retail locations nationwide. Buddy Beacon and Google Maps™ for mobile are free with Helio All-In Memberships, and data charges apply for A La Carte memberships. >

In-Site Montréal is a collection of site-specific art presented on the portal pages of five wireless internet hotspots in the Île Sans Fil network. Artists Nicolas Fleming, Maria Legault, and Virginie Laganière have created art works that can be viewed simply by logging in to your Île Sans Fil user account at the hotspots shown on the map. In-Site Montréal est un regroupement d'oeuvres d'art in situ présentées sur les portails de cinq points d'accès internet sans fil du réseau Île Sans Fil. Les artistes Nicolas Fleming, Maria Legault et Virginie Laganière ont créé des oeuvres d'art qui peuvent être visionnées simplement en vous connectant au service d'Île Sans Fil aux points d'accès identifiés sur la carte.

But some say the flood of information becoming available through mobile phones and other means is not always such a good thing. "I worry that people attribute too deep a meaning to raw information," said Danah Boyd, who researches social media at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "An increased flow of information should not be confused with a deeper bond." Boyd stressed that this also applied to other social media that gather large amounts of personal information, like blogs or digital photo accounts. "The situation these technologies create is similar to what happens with Angelina Jolie or another celebrity," Boyd said. "Just because I know a lot about a person does not mean they will help me on a tough day." An added risk for the location-announcing services is that people might find themselves unable to break away from following friends or old lovers, Boyd added. "The problem is that people really, really love stalking," Boyd said. "When you have just ended a relationship, it is not necessarily healthy to follow the exact location of your ex- lover minute-by-minute on your phone."

Public Authoring in the Wireless City Urban Tapestries is an experimental software platform for knowledge mapping and sharing – public authoring. It combines mobile and internet technologies with geographic information systems to allow people to build relationships between places and to associate stories, information, pictures, sounds and videos with them.

Navizon is a software-only wireless positioning system that triangulates signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and Cellular towers to help the users find their way in most major metropolitan areas worldwide.