Nokia have recently updated their Sports Tracker application for their GPS enabled phones. It was good before, a GPS trace of your training exercise with all the details an athlete could possibly want, and filed by date on an exercise calendar.

Now, Sports Tracker has been expanded to include a dedicated website, making it useful in other areas. Set it going at the start of a journey, as if you are training, but now you can take photos, movies or audio clips as you go. At the end of your journey, a couple of minutes to upload (preferably on a wifi connection) and your GPS tracked journey and any photos or other media is uploaded to the Sports Tracker website for the world to look at! Photos are shown where they where taken on the journey, viewable as map, satellite, or terrain views.

Here's an example of a training ride Emily and I did last Saturday. So what now? As you may know, Emily Stephanie and I have accepted the Vietnam Cycle Challenge. For five days next month, we'll be cycling over 400 km in Vietnamese heat and unknown terrain, to raise money for Save the Children. With Sports Tracker I'll be keeping supporters up to date with where we've been, and what we've seen (Vietnam telecommunications permitting). So, follow this blog and experience the technology (and the journey) for yourself.

Where to for this technology? Nokia are currently in selected alpha testing with Nokia viNe which shifts the emphasis from the sports heritage to more rather more universal appeal for travellers and anyone who wants to show were in the world they are, and what's going on, or where they they've been. Starting with a niche of servicing the athlete market, the technology is now ready to become more ubiquitous.

Bring it on!