Mapping App Puts London In Your Pocket
This is more like it. Visual IT has done a deal with the Geographers A-Z Map Company to produce a licensed copy of the Mini London A-Z for iPhone. Yes, iPhones come with the Google Maps app, but this is a very different thing, for two reasons. The first is that the maps and associated data [...]

This is more like it. Visual IT has done a deal with the Geographers A-Z Map Company to produce a licensed copy of the Mini London A-Z for iPhone.

Yes, iPhones come with the Google Maps app, but this is a very different thing, for two reasons.

The first is that the maps and associated data are stored on the phone (the App Store says you’ll need about 50MB to store it all, not very much), so there’s no waiting for stuff to download.

The second reason is much more important, and it’s this: the A-Z occupies a special place in the hearts of Londoners. Like the offical Tube map, the A-Z is more than just a map. It’s a symbol of London’s Londonness.

The original A-Z was created by Phyllis Pearsall in the 1930s. She walked 3,000 miles, painstakingly recording and indexing as she went. The map she created has become an indispensable guide to the city for visitors and residents alike. For 10 bucks (six quid) it looks like a bargain, although as I write this there are no reviews on the App Store. Let’s hope, for Phyllis’ sake, that it lives up to its printed namesake.

French newspaper kicks up a stink over Mac Pro ‘toxins’

Liberation says France’s National Institute of Industrial Environment and Risks has analysed the machine and found the odour contains benzene, a compound of carbon and hydrogen officially linked to serious health effects including cancer.

The institute reportedly carried out the tests after a researcher, who’d ordered a Max Pro to work on a study of molecular structures, developed irritation in the eyes, nose and throat.

Apple [...]

CNN’s iReport leads to Apple stock drop on citizen journalist talk of Jobs health

Citizen journalism gone awry or short selling scam, you can’t deny that the drop in Apple stock that cost stock holders so much money was directly correlated to the CNN iReport story that falsely reported Steve Jobs as having had a heart attack. This is bad news for both CNN and Apple, and rankles with aspiring citizen journalists everywhere.

In case you haven’t heard the term, citizen journalism refers to citizens blogging about news stories, often breaking the story before a major media outlet. Many old media outlets [...]