OK, so this has the appearance of being a viable service for mobile users. However, can Earthcomber service really break the marketing bind that Google Maps has on people - GPS enabled or not?

Squinty-eyed cell-phone users have a new way to get around town. Earthcomber has debuted a free service that provides maps and directions on Windows Mobile-based PDAs and smart phones.

The Earthcomber service, already available on Palm devices, is built from GPS-enabled maps. Travel directions from the service are available via Wi-Fi hot-spots or a cellular network.

Earthcomber also sells “spot guides,” online guidebooks that can be customized. They might alert you, for example, when you’re near a favorite retail chain in an unfamiliar city. Source: InformationWeek

[tags]pdas,gps enabled,spot guides,windows mobile-based[/tags]