renaissance chambara | Ged Carroll - Vindigo blue

Vindigo blue

In wireless on 24 September 2008 with 5 comments

vindigo-5.jpg, originally uploaded by finitor.

I noticed in news coverage this evening that Vindigo had closed up shop. I first ran into them when the agency that I worked for launched their London guide. The software ran on Palm PDAs in glorious monochrome.

In terms of functionality the software provided recommendations on restaurants, clubs and bars (the play section in the picture), and shopping. It also had maps that provided point-to-point directions and was updated by syncing via serial port or USB connected cradle.

This was back in 2000, way before Google Mobile and GPS chips in everything. Palm was still a respectable technology company and the internet was going to change everyone’s lives but we just weren’t sure about the business model yet.

Ignoring the personal information management software that comes as standard on a Palm for the moment, AvantGo (a kind of pre-RSS mobile newsreader) and Vindigo were the essential software that I carried on my PDA.

5 Comments

Ah, Ged you are always 8 years ahead of the rest of us!

It seems that the same ideas (the functionality of the software you mention) always comes around again and again but in different shapes or forms.

I guess it does mean that Tech PR agencie will always have work to do though, even if it is rehashing the same ‘new technology’ stories over and over!

Posted by Ben Matthews on 24 September 2008 @ 11pm

Ben, paraphrasing Led Zeppelin – The Need Remains The Same :-D, technology companies just come up with new ways of meeting them.

Posted by admin on 24 September 2008 @ 11pm

Well that image takes me back. Happy post-Psion days with the Palm V! When Vindigo and Avantgo were the heights of usability/fun.

Now I’m quite hooked on urbanspoon on the iphone. A quality app with a bit of shakeability too…

Posted by chris reed on 25 September 2008 @ 1pm

Man I remember these days…getting the bloody review models out and the agency packs…that piccie seems like a lifetime ago! So stop it, you are making me feel old.

Posted by Becks on 26 September 2008 @ 12am

[...] Vindigo – I have written about Vindigo recently here [...]

Posted by renaissance chambara | Ged Carroll - What’s your favourite dead web service? on 5 December 2008 @ 11pm

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