Recently, I had the good fortune to speak with Jim Brady - an entrepreneur and Mobile Technology enthusiast who is aiming to really revolutionize the mobile information world.  Jim used to work in the print media with various newspapers and he also was a book reviewer.   About five years ago that all changed as he had an epiphany, of sorts...

Tell us how Earthcomber came to be and what it can do for the Handheld user?

Earthcomber came to be out of a passion of mine.  I had always been a tinkerer - with an inkling to connect people.  I like to turn people on to new ideas.  In 2000, the idea came to me to create something very different.   I do a lot of driving, motor cycle trips, etc. -  and I have quirky interests like looking at old cars. If there is a road that is off the highway and I get to snake through a country lane - that's the way I would like to go.  I wondered how could technology help people connect with their interests without committing the same mistakes of the internet?  How can you connect with the things you like without all the research?  If I can put together all the things I am interested in and flag my exact location when I am traveling and match my interests and then get the awareness channeled to the user….now we have it.  I can see the things I want to see where I want, when I want.  So, for example, I can go to the School finder and get myself to all the schools where my kids are playing and find my way. 

 
What is the difference between a 'personal mobile navigator' and a conventional GPS?
 
GPS and maps are about the maps and roads - Earthcomber is about what lives on the map - what opportunities are around me.  It is a favorite things finder.  It takes the job of looking for all the things you care about and finding them for you.   Earthcomber can find 'child friendly' restaurants - not just McDonalds and the like.  Earthcomber is for finding your favorite things - so you can paint  your life and what a perfect day would be for you.  Earthcomber picks up where the traditional map leaves off - making the map just be part of the kit.

SpotGuides is your newest product, what is the vision behind this product?

This is a huge new push for us.  SpotGuides is the first thing we can offer for sale.  We are getting the concept going of being the mobile printing press.  We marry up points to the personal choices and tastes of the user.  You can read the spot guide as a narrative - but as your move around, the places are re-ordered and the distances move around where you are.

Why PalmOS and not Windows Mobile?

We will be coming out with a Windows Mobile version is short order- will be releasing that by the end of the year.  When we started four years ago,   Palm was the dominant platform and is still used by so many today. 

What are some of the leading publishers that have signed on to Spot Guides?

Mobile Travel guide, Avalon travel publishing, Amron travel (the oldest gay travel publication) Find a Grave (for, you guessed it….finding famous graves.) and soon to be released Where to wear? (guides to shopping and travel put out by Jill Fairchild.)

Talk a little about the 'proprietor' area of Earthcomber.  How do you see this as a tool for businesses and their clients?

Think about that!  This is a Revolution for advertising.  You can have a really good store that may be in an undesirable location - to advertise you have to pay thousands of dollars for local yellow pages, newspaper ads, etc.  As a person living in the world, you don't want to do the research.  In the 'Proprietor' section, you can go on there and buy a key word for $35.00 a year and get your business mapped for whoever wants what you have.  We are going away from exposure marketing and going towards fulfillment.

Now, it is really possible to communicate up to the minute about your business.  The proprietor can go in and change their menu every day or  or change their add or post a sale.  Small businesses can control their own ads - doing away with high ad agency costs.

What mapping software is required to use Earthcomber and Spot Guides?

We provide the free maps for every county in the US.  We built it so we could give it away free.  Mapping is expensive - we want something we could give away to people.  We have a core technology that will work with Windows, in car systems, cell phone, etc.

Tell us the vision behind the creation of 'community' groups on your web site.

Think about if you are in a running club.  You can share favorite trails.  Motorcycle clubs, auto clubs.  We can mark all the places where our clients are.  By joining a group you can get all your necessary locations loaded on your handheld.  People who unite in interests like bird-watchers can find great places to go.  There is endless use for this.  A haunted house list, Chirstmas light displays of note, etc.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to emphasize that Earthcomber is 'free.'  No place else that gives you  maps to every county in the US.  You can start with the easy stuff like ATM's.  You can invest as much time as you like building your interest and mapping them.  When you use Earthcomber, You vote for using a mobile world where privacy is respected - welcome to a world that doesn't spam you but offers you all the richness.  I would ask your reader to give us some time - as more people use it, the possibilities are endless.

Visit Earthcomber at http://www.earthcomber.com/comber/catalog/view.do