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Zhiing Lets you Send Turn-By-Turn Directions to Friends

By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 10:00 PM

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A new free messaging client is out for Android, Symbian, BlackBerry and iPhone called Zhiing, which lets you recieve and send turn-by-turn directions to your buddies online as well as on mobile. One of the cool ways that Zhiing improves accuracy is by plugging into multiple GPS services, including Wi-Fi positioning through Skyhook, Google Maps, cell tower ID, and native location apps like BlackBerry Maps and Nokia Maps. Checking across all those sources is a fine way to zero in on the most accurate location, no doubt.

Even if your friends don’t have Zhiing, you can send directions to your location with a mobile web link via SMS. If Zhiing could be used as a multi-platform IM client (i.e. able to talk with friends on Google Talk, AIM, Windows Live, etc.) and simply send your location as a Google Maps link, it would be a definite bonus. Browser plug-ins let you do it right from Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome.

Zhiing is also impressive in that they’re launching on all major platforms (iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian and BlackBerry) right from the get go, although some are more beta than others. A premium version with voice-enabled turn-by-turn directions will be available in the near future. To give it a shot, head over to Zhiing.

About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

  • Victor Lund

    Great coverage on zhiing. I loaded it to the iphone, but from the screen shots above, it looks like it has much deeper functionality on the blackberry. Have you tried it?

    I am wondering if the location information that is shared can be forwarded to any phone. What happens when you send a zhiing to someone without the application installed?