We will be present at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from 15th to 18th February. I will be delighted to meet in person some of our users, learn from their feedback and discuss how to improve their experience. We also welcome potential partners to meet us and discuss ideas for the future. You can reach me at andreg@wizi.com.
Wizi SMS is now available for Windows Mobile. This version works with Skyhook Wireless technology, ensuring accuracy and fast location. As in BlackBerry version, Wizi SMS with Location integrates with the Contacts Book and SMS application. Try it now by opening get.wizi.com from your Windows Mobile device.
– andre
Today we have updated the map of where Wizi is being used:
Yellow dots represent locations shared using Wizi
Our users community is also growing on Asia, namely Indonesia and Japan, but these countries are not visible on the map.
This map was done on Google Earth and is quite cool to explore interactively.
– Paulo
When we look back and compare the current Wizi design with the first versions when we launched one word comes immediately to my mind: simplicity.
I think what led us into this direction has been listening to our users most simple demands.
This is the biggest advantage of being a start-up. On one day we hear a user telling us “What I just wanted was to send my location but also to keep it automatically updated for a while so that my friends can see me arriving” and on a few days a new build comes out with a “Live Location” feature (still only for Android phones…).
Sure we had thought about something like that, but the real usage scenario just becomes clear when users start owning Wizi and using it. Before that this is just a possibility of the technology that may or may not be included since it raises all kinds of questions namely privacy related.
We are now really happy with the result. During all this process, Wizi has become much more simpler to use.
You can now tell a friend your exact location by SMS (text message) in less than a minute if that’s just what you want to do. As a matter fact your friend doesn’t even have to have Wizi, just a normal browser! And on the iPhone version (available by invitation), you don’t even pay for the SMS.
Isn’t this cool? Free, fast and… simple!
– Paulo
We are today making available a public Skype chat. If you want to ask or tell something directly to Wizi team members, including me (btw I am the CEO), just click on:
SMS with Location 1.4 for Android is now available for download. This new version separates two distinct user modes: Fixed Location and Live Location.
Fixed Location mode lets you send specific location to your contacts: the store you just discovered, the place where you are going to… By moving the pin on the map or by searching an address, users can send any location they wish. A tiny url will be generated and the map will retrieve the mode and zoom level, so the receiver will see exactly what the sender was seeing. These locations do not represent any threat to privacy once they are anonymous locations in the map.
Live Location is a new concept in SMS with Location and currently it only exists in Android version. This mode requires the user to be registered (free). When entering in Live Mode, he can control his own dynamic location map, available at the address http://wizi.com/[username]. This address will be visible to all during the time he wants (from 1 minute until 1 month). He can also define his avatar and change his status message at any time.
Get SMS with Location for your Android 
– André
SMS with Location 1.1 for iPhone introduces new features:
1) The map mode is kept in location message url, so the receiver will see the map just how it was sent by the user.
2) Location address (if selected) appears below the location map.
3) Users may add a photo to the location map so it will appear below the map.
This was a wishful feature for many users and now it is happening: SMS with Location for Android lets you create your own location map and share your LIVE location in a simple text message. Users may now create their own webpage (adaptable for cell phones and desktops) and tell the world where they are. A simple sliding bar lets them setting for how long they want to keep their visibility (from 1 hour until 1 month).
Sharing Live Location
We have been improving our mobile location maps. Latest releases of SMS with Location for BlackBerry and Android embed the zoom level and map view (satellite/road) into the map URL so the location map shows exactly what the user was seeing.
Mobile location maps also have new improvements:
- Faster zooms
- Allow manual selection of satellite/road view
- New zoom in/out system which depends on the screen resolution (less levels if resolution is lower)
- Show address when defined by the user (currently only locations sent by Android devices)
- Insertion of context information (”Near”, city, points of interest)
In Androids and iPhones, the location maps are dynamic and allow users to navigate on the map or to open the location in the device’s Maps application.
SMS with Location now also allow users to attach an image map to the message as MMS so anyone can see the map even if there is no internet connection. This has been the most requested feature from our users and we heard them. Currently it is exclusive for the Android platform, but soon we will implement it in other clients. You can find version 1.1 of SMS with Location at the Android Market, AndAppStore and SlideME.
Keep sending your feedback. We are listening.
Wizi Blog