Comment

Article continues below

... for mobile that began a year ago. It has promised maps for Wi-Fi for other platforms, including Android, soon.

Location has long been a holy grail for digital media. Yet for a variety of reasons, until now the main way it was used with online content was to gate off users in specific territories. Mobile location services have never taken off as a mass proposition, often hobbled by the fixed lookup fees charged by the operators.

As the mobile internet becomes a reality, though, Google and Apple are shaking things up. Google is steadily refining its Maps application. It has mapped every mobile phone mast and uses these to triangulate a user's location without having to go via an operator's network. And Apple has made GPS services a key feature of its sexy iPhone, making location a seamless experience for users and opening up a new opportunity for developers.

Already this is creating a new ecosystem for location-based services, such as applications that will tell you if a friend of a friend is nearby. There are also interesting developments in so-called pervasive media, where applications are built around devices that are always on and always signalling their location. People are creating wireless 'swarm' games designed around player's actual locations. As Jan Chipchase, senior design strategist at Nokia Design, said in nma earlier this year, staying under the radar may no longer be an option.

I'll let you decide whether the arrival of new players will unleash a torrent of services. Whatever happens, they've certainly woken the idea of location from its beauty sleep.

Comments

Site Footer

Adverts

Adverts

Greek millionaire looks for UK media acquisitions

ITV to slash value of Friends Reunited

WPP to make sweeping job cuts

Play.com sales up 24% for Christmas period

Chinese officials crack down on Google and Baidu

Bench
Owner: Bench