« m-trends.org on: 3GSM Gathering Of The Mobilists - Line-Up | Main | Good mobile browsers are not enough »

07 February 2006

Unstrung on: Location Services Lost on Users

Sigh. This is not a blindspot of mine. I don't think anyone has got this wrong. I think Location-based services are a great idea. The problem is that to make it work, you need to convince the company with the location info (the operator) what's in it for them. I don't think any of it was handled or pitched properly such that these services could be rolled out. It's really no one's fault. It just is a messed up mumbo-jumbo that has been making us drag our feet.

Do you realize that there is no reason technically for location-based services not to be deployed today?* What I'd like to see is more ground-up kinds of services that go around the current barriers, for example Plazes, Dodgeball-like (Jumpclaimer or Wayfaring), or something like what Nathan Eagle did.

Link: Unstrung - Location Services Lost on Users - Wireless Networking News Analysis.

Location based services (LBS) -- which deliver localized information directly to your mobile phone in real time -- have generated plenty of buzz in the wireless industry over the last couple of years, but it turns out these new cellular applications are largely lost on enterprise users.

UPDATE 10feb06: I wrote this sentence backwards and forgot to add an important word 'not'. What I mean is that all the tech is there. There is no reason, technically, we cannot roll out these services today. Sorry for any confusion.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/13419/4214569

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Unstrung on: Location Services Lost on Users:

» LBS - Not quite there yet from This is Mobility
We had a location based services focused Mobile Monday at the start of the week. There were some great presentations, people working on interesting stuff and some promising work going on. But I have to admit that my overall takeaway is that there̵... [Read More]

Comments

lost my nokia hand sat

Post a comment

If you have a TypeKey or TypePad account, please Sign In

My Photo

My writings

  • Cognections - site
    Precognition, cognition, recognition - photos and writings.
  • Lifeblog - site
    Thoughts and actions ranging from biomedicine, molecular manipulations, indiscriminate writing, the long now and a post-electronic age, various forms of performances thespian and corporate, and philosophizing on the fusion of Internet and mobile devices.
  • One night
    A global story of one night in the mobile life. Written for Vodafone's receiver magazine. Made into a podcast, too.
  • chillin'
    Deep thinking while up in the stratosphere.
  • The Depths of Thought and the Inquiry into Our Spirit
    Something I wrote eons ago, wondering at the difference between humans and other animals.