Category: Technology Author : Duncan Riley Posted: February 4, 2009
Tags : google, google latitude
Google has entered the geolocation social networking space with Google Latitude.
Like existing market leader Loopt, Google Latitude allows users to see when they’re near other users, and track where people are. Google Latitude includes support for Google services such as Google Talk, and is being offered as part of Google Maps, as opposed to a fully stand alone service.
Google Latitude is available now for Android, Windows Mobile, Blackberry and Symbian (Nokia) phones with support for Java enabled phones and the iPhone to follow. Support is offered for 27 countries.
Geoaware social networking services have been held up as the future for years, and while some players have built reasonable audiences, it has never really taken off in a huge way. Google doesn’t have a great track record with anything remotely related to social networking (Orkut, big in Brazil), however they do have one advantage here: Google Maps has become the default map service in many phones. Even if they don’t seek Latitude, many people will have it on their phones, and that may well drive strong uptake.
Privacy advocates will be completely shitting themselves over the ramifications though: yes, you can turn it off, or hide yourself from others, but this is a service that shares your location where ever you are, and with millions, or even tens or hundreds of millions of potential users in the future, Google will now know where people are physically, and that’s scary. And don’t think such juicy data wont come to the attention of authorities either; if you’re using Latitude, Google will have a database of where you’ve been when.Big brother is watching.
Update: Google advises that they don’t keep all previous locations, only your last location. Still a little scary, but significantly less evil.
Feb 4, 2009
Hey Google:
It don’t matter. Earthcomber will be all around in the dark – Earthcomber will be everywhere.
Wherever you can look, Google – wherever there’s a fight for free location based services, so hungry people can eat at a local place nearest to them–not a McDonald’s sponsored by some Google banner ad…
Earthcomber will be there.
Wherever there’s a Google lawyer beatin’ up a guy in the free market, while Google’s overbearing owners bulldoze small competitors…
…Earthcomber will be there.
Earthcomber’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad at Google’s useless search box on a moble phone.
Earthcomber’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready–because their parents found the closest things near them via GPS or seven other ways just by scrolling, not typing in request after request….
and when the people are eatin’ the stuff they choose via Moble Earthcomber’s patented network(found on Nokia, IPhones, Blackberry Palm and Verizon phones)
… and livin’ in the houses they build because Earthcomber is a 100% free service –
Earthcomber’ ll be there, too.
Know this Google…. Rich fellas come up and they die, and their bastard kids (Loopt and Techcrunch) ain’t no good and they die out (because they can’t be sold in a depressed market)….
but Earthcomber keeps on coming.
We’re the service that lives. Google: You fellas and Loopt can’t wipe em out, You can’t lick em.
Earthcomber’ll go on forever
… cos we’re the people.
Feb 4, 2009
MG Dilemna:
Question: Now that Google has entered into the space, and is coming to chop Loopt's head off, who will provide you with Miso Soup money?
The little pink shirt wearing fella is in big trouble, me thinks.
I worry your shilling future may be coming to an end, but look forward to its arrival nonetheless.
Feb 5, 2009
I think providing previous location would actually be a good feature for people to turn on. This would also be good to have a “future trail”. I wrote about some of these requests and more at my own site about what I would like to see come out of Latitude.