User Contributed Cellphone Coverage Areas

  Your current mobile plan is about to expire, and you notice another carrier is offering more minutes for the same price.  What's more, they will even give you a great deal on a new phone - what do you do?  One of the first things people usually do is ask about coverage plans - there's nothing worse then signing up with a phone carrier and realizing too late that you don't get coverage in the places you spend the most time - i.e. at home, work, gym, coffee shop, etc. 

There's a new mashup called SignalMap that allows mobile users to plot their cellphone's signal strength on a google map - giving site users the ability to identify areas that have little or no signal strength to maximum coverage.  SignalMap is a great example of mashup that takes existing technologies and combines it with user generated content to provide an engaging and beneficial user experience.

Currently the site caters to U.S. mobile phone users and identifies signal strength for four major carriers.  However, SignalMap does have plans to expand to more destinations around the world as well as add more mobile carriers.  This may prove to be a great online resource for travelers or individuals that are extremely mobile.  It has the potential to give users the ability to get 'inside information' on mobile coverage.  Sometimes carriers depict mobile coverage with maps of a region or city but fail to give specifics on dead zones or areas that have weak signals.  SignalMap may put an end to this!

No more, "Can you hear me now?"