Prototype: Location Aware Podcasting

I've put together a prototype which allows you to use your mobile phone to listen to GPS encoded podcasts based on your current location.  Please read System Requirements before you download the application

How it works:

1. Subscribe to podcast channels (currently hardcoded in the software) whose RSS documents have been extended with a GPS tag. For example, subscribe to the "San Francisco places" podcast channel.


2. Download the podcasts (which are just audio files) from the channels to which you have subscribed.


3. When you are roaming around, click "generate playlist" which will select the podcast most relevant to your location. The software selects the podcast whose GPS coordinate is closest to your current location and creates a playlist. For the current protoype, you must enter your current location manually, but a future version will take this value automatically from a connected GPS device (some of the newer phones already have integrated GPS).


4. Open up an MP3 player (such as pTunes) on your mobile device and select the generated playlist. A future version will automatically launch the MP3 player with the appropriate podcast.

Real world examples:

• Subscribe to a podcast channel which provides information about important architecture in New York. After downloading the podcasts, walk around Manhattan and listen to podcasts about buildings in close proximity.

• Subscribe to a podcast channel about an art exhibit in a museum. After downloading the podcasts, walk around the exhibit and listen to podcasts about the artwork in front of you. Note that an indoor application requires a different technology than regular GPS (see future directions below).

 System requirements:

• PDA/cellphone loaded with java (J2ME with CLDC/MIDP 2.0 profile and JSR 75 for FileConnection).  

• The software has been tested on a Palm Treo 600 with IBM's J9 jvm, which you need if you have a treo. You can download it here.
• External memory card

Challenges:

1. There is no readily available GPS solution (without car mount/car lighter power) for the Palm Treo 600, since their are challenges interfacing with its serial port. Thus, for this prototype, the user must manually enter their GPS location. The Treo 650 has Bluetooth capability which would allow me to get around the serial port issue.


2. The J2ME MIDP 2.0 profile is limiting. The jvm cannot launch an external application, so the user must manually launch an MP3 player in order to listen to the selected podcast

Future Directions:

• Integrate a GPS device (solving challenge #1)

• Use a different J2ME profile (ie CDC), which would permit an external MP3 application to be automatically launched with the appropriate podcast (solving challenge #2)

• Extend the GPS tag to permit a "relative" coordinate, so that podcasts can be marked with an indoor location. This would be valuable for a museum type of application where the user can listen to information about various pieces in the exhibit.

• Extend the GPS tag with a "discoverability radius". Thus, a podcast would not be discoverable if the user is too far away, even if the podcast is closer than any other in the vicinity. This would be useful in a museum type of application where a podcast about a particular artwork should not be selected if the user is at the other end of the room.