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"I had an interesting experience with a cool Windows Mobile app last night. I was invited for dinner to someone's house for the first time. While driving to their house, I remembered good etiquette and decided to pick up a small gift. Not knowing the family so well, I didn't know what to get. I needed something more interesting than a box of cookies, but didn't feel totally comfortable with a bottle of wine. The family has kids but I didn't know their ages.
Someone once gave my family an indoor plant, and I thought that was a very thoughtful gesture. So I drove up to a Fred Meyer store and started looking in the plants department. I found some great looking plants but then began to wonder if it really is an appropriate gift. Some people spend way too much time growing things around their house while others simply neglect plants. If only I could peek at this family's backyard or landscaping, I might be able to guess whether they're "plant people". Oh, and do they even have a yard? What kind of house is it – an apartment, condo, townhouse or something larger?
While pondering all this, I suddenly remembered having Virtual Earth Mobile installed on my Pocket PC. So I quickly loaded it up and entered my host's address (from an email invitation). In a few seconds I had a direct bird's eye view of their home and neighborhood.
Perfect! It's a single family home and the backyard is relatively sparse. So instead of a plant let's go with something more decorative – I picked up a small vintage clock with a pendulum that would look nice by a living room fireplace (which a home like this most likely has). OK, so a satellite image of someone's home may not be the best gift guide, but it does give you some frame of reference. For instance, if I saw a children's play area in the backyard I'd probably have considered a toy or something.
In-car navigation systems may have this sort of functionality in the future. Check out these articles:
Virtual Earth Mobile, written by my colleague Jason Fuller definitely does a great job at this. As I think about it, there are a number of scenarios where satellite imagery might come in handy. Download a free copy of this cool app for yourself, or read some background information from its author.
Have you had any interesting experiences with Virtual Earth Mobile or other Windows Mobile apps lately? We'd love to hear your story."
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