Speaks of JAIN'S VISION.
and it's latest patent. INSP has been working on this very concept for at least 4 years. Should be noted again that INSP has tied itself to SuperPages, the Verizon mega directory for the next 5 YEARS!!!!
from NY Times re E-911
by: cabvineyard (M/Connecticut)
Long-Term Sentiment: Strong Buy 10/11/01 02:01 pm
Msg: 308372 of 308378
1. From the Desk of David Pogue: Why I (Gulp) Don't Mind
Targeted Ads
========================================================
A few weeks ago, I interviewed representatives from the
major cellphone carriers for an article. One conversation in
particular, with a guy from Sprint PCS named Dan Wilinsky,
stuck in my head.
We were chatting about E-911, a new program mandated by the
F.C.C., in which cellphone carriers must develop
technologies that can pinpoint a caller's location to within
a few feet in case of emergency. (This system may entail
G.P.S.-enabled phones or upgraded networks, at the carrier's
option.) The technologies are slow in coming -- most
carriers have filed for an extension -- but the mandate
presents some intriguing possibilities.
Consumers, Mr. Wilinsky explained, usually have two concerns
over E-911. First, many fear that they can be tracked; so
that if you tell your wife you're at the grocery, she'll be
able to tap into a Web site and see that you're actually,
er, somewhere else.
"It can't happen," Mr. Wilinsky told me. Only government
agencies can trace a phone's location, and you'll be able to
control when your phone's location may be tracked. (You can,
for example, have it set to kick in only when you dial 911.)
Consumers also worry that once marketers know their
locations, site-specific marketing messages may start
popping up on the phones' screens. This feature, too, is
something you can turn off. Privacy lovers will, no doubt,
turn it off for good, and life will go on.
But personally, I warmed quite a bit to Mr. Wilinsky's
description of how it might work: You've told the Sprint Web
site about the kinds of things you like, places you shop,
and things you buy, and have authorized the Web site to send
discount messages when you're in the relevant neighborhoods.
So you're passing by one of your favorite pizza restaurants,
and suddenly your phone beeps to let you know that if you
stop in right now, they'll knock a few bucks off your lunch
tab.
Better yet, Sprint rewards you for participating in this
program by trimming your bill by a few dollars per month.
I realize that this makes me kind of a freak these days, but
I'm not one of those people who thinks targeted advertising
-- ads tailored specifically to my interests -- is a
sinister development. To the contrary, I can't wait. I
wouldn't care if I never saw another ad for cigarettes,
hemorrhoid medicine or Mohegan Sun again.
The best part is that, if you say the word, you'll be able
to let such advertising defray the costs of your mobile
service, just as it has made network T.V. free and magazines
cheap for years. If not, you'll have to pay a few dollars
more for your privacy. The beauty of the coming era of
locatable phones is that, unlike the advertising models of
network TV and magazines, this time, you'll have a choice.
Visit David Pogue on the Web at: davidpogue.com |
