The potential of mobile GPS and Location Based Services (LBS)


LBS, the big picture, revisited:LBS, which includes GPS, is true disruptive technology that will help usher in the next wave of mobile usage.I've heard it said IBM dominanted early computing , then Microsoft and now Goolge dominates the Internet. Most agree none of these venerable firms will domiante mobile.I beleive the winner in mobile will have LBS as a core feature of its offering.LBS uses mobile to the fullest.LBS is to mobile, like the Internet was to the computer.It adds a dimension to an existing technology that opens profound opportunities.LBS makes mobile applications easy to use, highly personalized and connects people to places.LBS applications offer a far more interactive experience than “tapping the Internet” from a desktop or mobile phone.I've noted that in the 1970’s Professor Marshall McLuhan, came up with the phrase, “the medium is the message” to explain how people interact and react to new technology. This interaction determines the success of the content.For example on the Intercasting blog it was noted the television medium is characterized by sitting back and watching programming pushed from a centralized source. In juxtaposition, the Internet introduced a new medium, where one leans forward and interactively surfs millions of distributed sources.LBS changes the user experience in wonderful ways.When mobile is combined with LBS, there is freedom of movement where users access and interact with places and information relvant to their location from cell phones carried at the ready.This new “user to machine” interaction will create tech winners that re-order content that fits this new medium. While successful new (technologies) mediums, such as mobile LBS, do not kill established industries that evolved first, they do re-order established practices and create new value propositions.LBS in the context of the fast growing mobile marketOver the next few years, more people will use cell phones than desktop computers to search for information. Already, mobile devices are the best selling consumer device of all time, outpacing computer salesThe race is on to win viewers on what is being termed the ‘third screen’ in our lives. First there was the TV screen, then the computer screen for the Internet, and now the mobile phone screen.Today, we are seeing the ramp of mobile content (mobile data) and the emergence of LBS, with a lot of room to grow.Even more lucrative is mobile location-activated dynamic content that ties back into local commerce activities. This is what Smarter Agent does better than anyone.
# posted by Brad Blumberg @ Tuesday, January 16, 2007