Opera Labs has announced a new Opera build with Geolocation API support that you can use this to expose the browser’s geographical position, and make use of it in your applications.
This build can be used to share your location and from the developer’s point of view, this build can be used in applications that can make use of the user’s location.
Opera uses the Skyhook web service to retrieve the location information – this allows you to use the API even if you don’t have access to a GPS or triangulation device. The possible implementations of this technology include local search, location-based social networking, geotagging photographs and videos and the like.
How the Opera Geolocation build works
- Once you have downloaded and installed the build, check out the Geolocation API spec, and start playing with the functionality.
- This build uses the Skyhook web service to retrieve the location information. To develop applications that make use this service you need to register your site on loki.com.
- If you’re running Windows XP you will also need to run svcsetup.exe, which ensures that wifi scanning will not be affected by the various “wifi managers” shipped with many laptops. All this won’t be necessary in future releases.
The important thing is that the geolocation part is happening entirely on the user side, and the user can switch it on and off. This Opera build will prompt the user to make sure they agree to send their location, every time a site requests it. We will see whether the users will be willing to share their locations.
You can download the Geolocation enabled Opera from here.
[Via Mashable]
