I wrote a column recently on how geolocation works — i.e., how the iPhone and other phones (and laptops and PCs) know where you are, even when the device you’re using doesn’t have a GPS chip. Here’s a talk I gave recently at the Memphis Java User Group (MemJUG — www.memphisjug.org) on some of the technical details. Specifically, I briefly cover the same location tricks mentioned in the article, but then I go a little bit further and show how web developers can use the built-in geolocation API in the latest browsers (Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 5+, and Opera developer builds) to determine where a user is located while logged into your site.
Note: This presentation uses an HTML5-based template for posting slides to the web. It works in Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. It should work in Safari also, but I haven’t tested it there. It might work in IE, but no promises. Use the right and left arrow keys to move through the slides.
Tags: chrome, firefox, geolocation, html5, iPhone, location, memjug, memphis java user group, opera, slides