Cell phones put people closer
New ones can pinpoint your location, and then find close stores, or
link you to friends nearby.
By Angela Doland
Associated Press
CANNES, France - In Britain, cell phones can track down the nearest
pub. Scandinavian teenagers can use them to find out where their
friends are hanging out. And a French company is testing a dating
service that will signal when available singles are around.
Throughout Europe, new mobile technology is gaining ground. It's all
about location, location, location.
The technology works two ways: by using global satellite positioning
chips embedded in phones or by measuring a caller's distance from
cell towers to chart a position on a map.
Once your cell phone knows exactly where you're calling from, it can
point you in the right direction, hook you up with friends, or let you
play interactive games such as wireless tag.
At last week's 3GSM World Congress in the French Riviera resort of
Cannes, many companies were showing off so-called location-based
mobile technologies.
One was the French concern Webraska, which offers a service in
Britain called "Pub Finder" that provides a list of the nearest
watering holes. Once users find a bar, they can round up friends by
sending the pub's name and address in a quick text message.
A similar directory technology is on the market in 1,600 German
cities. Working off a technology developed by MapInfo Corp., of Troy,
N.Y., the service helps people map their evenings out by giving
directions to the nearest clubs, cinemas, gas stations and cash
machines.
In the United States, location-based technology has been spurred on
by the government's Enhanced 911 initiative, which requires carriers
to make sure emergency services can pinpoint the location of
distressed callers on cell phones to within 300 yards. The system is
being put into place very slowly, and a similar initiative is under way
in Europe.
But compared to the United States, Europe has been quicker to see
how the technology could be a moneymaker, not just a lifesaver.
Ben Wood, a London-based senior telecommunications analyst with
consulting firm Gartner Inc., said that, although most location-based
services help people track down taxis, hotels and restaurants, "I
think you're more on the money with games, or things that are
community-based."
One location-based tag game is available in parts of Scandinavia,
and is soon to be released in Ireland. The game, developed by a
Swedish company, has people chasing each other through the
streets, virtually "gunning down" complete strangers who are
playing the same game.
The company wasn't on display at Cannes, but its partners were,
including SignalSoft, of Boulder, Colo. SignalSoft had
14-to-24-year-olds in mind when it created a product to let people
see where their friends are hanging out.
Using a cell phone or the Internet, users can zero in on their friends,
find out which neighborhood they're in and how far away they are.
Those who want a little privacy can make themselves "invisible" by
logging off the system.
Several companies are working on dating services. Unlike the
Internet, which often creates long-distance attachments,
location-based mobile services would scout out compatible singles in
the same city, neighborhood or restaurant.
Paris-based Freever says several European carriers are interested in
its singles service, though it's not saying which ones. In a trial, the
company let users punch in data about themselves, making it
available to compatible singles within range.
But it might take a little time before location-based dating services
are widely available, even though the interest is there, said J.F.
Sullivan, vice president of marketing with France's Webraska, which
also tested a singles service in Europe.
"Say you go out with a guy, and he starts to stalk you. Technically
speaking, who's liable for that?" Sullivan asked. "There are things
that need to be thought out." |
