InstaMapper

Today I've been playing with InstaMapper. It's a cool app for Android, BlackBerry, Motorola iDEN, and iPhone that enables live GPS tracking from your phone to a Web map. That allows your friends and/or family to see what you're up to and the progress you've made on a journey. I've been watching Darren Kitchen in his Hack Across America on his Honda CB750 Nighthawk (named Jozette) with his Motorola Droid. I'm thinking this can be useful and/or fun in a lot of ways. Best of all, it's totally free, although you can (and should) donate if you use and like it.
Unfortunately, this blog setup has a rigid layout that chops off the edge of even the small map, so here's my map in small, medium, and large versions.

Update 2011/11/04:
I've been using this app for quite a while now, and my enthusiasm has cooled somewhat. I still find it useful and cool, but there are some issues that make it more of a fun toy than a useful tool.
1) A data connection is critical to functionality. Supposedly the newer versions of the app log points while you are out of range and upload them when you reconnect, which is fine for later retrieval but doesn't help anyone who is trying to follow your trip. It can cause unnecessary worries if your updates stop for an extended period at a location with no apparent reason.
2) The app goes out of its way to not allow usage as a covert tracking device. What that means is that if your device is lost or stolen, you have zero chance of using this app to track and retrieve it. My phone was stolen recently, and although I fortunately did get it back it was totally through other, old-school means.
3) Related to #2, even though there is provision for remote activation of the app, there is no provision for enabling gps if it is turned off, which makes remote activation utterly useless. Maybe if the app was capable of getting location through the network (as many other apps can) it would still be useful. As it is, it's just a frustratingly useless feature. It also means that if you want to activate the app, you have to first activate gps outside of the app, then start the app separately. That's several clicks/steps too many.