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back to article Amazon buys 4-person 3D mapping startup, claims report

Amazon have marked a sharp change in corporate direction by buying up 3D mapping start-up UpNext yesterday for an undisclosed sum. It's a bold move for the e-tailer and puts it head to head with other tech giants piling into the area. Apple bought up a 3D mapping start-up C3 several years ago and will release a native mapping …

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  1. wowfood

    TERRORISTS

    Seriously, with these 3d maps, and part of the article talking about mapping inside of buildings, how long until people start talking about how all 3d maps should be taken offline because terrorists are using them to plan out their dastardly plots in more detail.

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    1. phear46
      Reply Icon

      Re: TERRORISTS

      It happened at precisely 10.04am on 4th July 2012...... When you just did :)

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      1. Don Jefe
        Reply Icon

        Re: TERRORISTS

        In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 building maps were considered both a threat to everyone but a bonus for first responders. Many building maps were taken out of offices in D.C. but they got over it and put them back (mostly). NYC took their online model base offline for a long time too.

        I always thought it was silly as using a building map is a little fine grained for most terrorist activities where they just want to blow something up. Rarely do terrorists engage in surgical strikes.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I know of one user of this

    How many people need to have a 3D map? Most of us really only have 2 degrees of freedom in our lives, unless we are in a high rise, and generally, if we are in a high rise, do we really need a map on our phone (as opposed to, say, just a directory of businesses and what floor they are on)?

    I can only think of one user, who frequently needs to be informed of not only his lat/lon, but altitude.

    So, Mr. Wile E. Coyote, this app's for you.

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    1. sabba
      Reply Icon
      Gimp

      Re: I know of one user of this

      2 degrees of freedom? You're obviously not married: my wife allows me only 1!!

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    2. miknik
      Reply Icon

      Re: I know of one user of this

      3D mapping would be good for indoors, shopping centres, hospitals etc. Forget gps, just dot some bluetooth repeaters around to gain location info. My local shopping centre already track the movement of mobiles through the building in this way so shouldn't be hard to implement.

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  3. arrbee
    Alien

    ideal

    for tracking that pesky alien tentacling around in the air shafts

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  4. lukewarmdog
    Stop

    Shopping

    Unless it's a UFO-sized and shaped mall, you should not be tracked whilst perusing items as diverse as flowers for the wife, flowers for the secret girlfriend, childrens clothes for your kids, adult diapers for when you work away. And you really don't want your phone to tell your wife that your mistresseses inflatable dungeon in a box kit is available from the adult shop just down the hall.

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