Google Latitude keeps tabs on friends’ locations

I have just read over at CNN.Com about this new and really interesting stuff Google plans to bring us.  It’s Google Latitude, guys! What does this Google Latitude does? Well, just read on!

 

Just because the Internet has broken down geographic barriers, don’t assume that Google doesn’t care about geography.

With Google’s new Latitude software, cell phone users can share their locations with others.

The company plans to launch software called Latitude on Wednesday that lets mobile phone users share their location with close contacts. Google hopes it will help people find each other while out and about and to keep track of loved ones.

“What Google Latitude does is allow you to share that location with friends and family members, and likewise be able to see friends and family members’ locations,” said Steve Lee, product manager for Google Latitude. For example, a girlfriend could use it to see if her boyfriend has arrived at a restaurant and, if not, how far away he is.

To protect privacy, Google specifically requires people to sign up for the service. People can share their precise location, the city they’re in, or nothing at all.

“What we found in testing is that the most common scenario is a symmetrical arrangement, where both people are sharing with each other,” Lee said.

The software spotlights Google’s fixation with mapping and location technology. Location is an important part of navigating the real world, and Google clearly sees its geographic services as a way to establish a more personal connection with customers who today use Google chiefly for the virtual realm of the Internet.

And of course money is involved, too: Google hopes its mapping technology will lead to location-based advertising revenue.

Google’s power is firmly lodged in search and search advertising, but the company is trying to expand to broader online services, too. That includes online documents and various aspects of social networking, which are much more personal services and ones that put Google into more direct competition with rivals such as Microsoft, Facebook, and Yahoo. Like using Google profiles to contact information with select contacts, using Google Latitude tells Google who’s who in your social graph.

Well, this is excellent for me in the following reasons:

  1. I could keep track my family members or should I say we could keep track with each other. I believe this is very useful for parents who wished to keep track of their kids too.
  2. My friends and I could keep track with each other.
  3. I could keep track my boyfriend and he could on me too! (Will he agrees kaya? Hehehe.)

By the way, this can also be useful for business, especially for employers. One thing I can see it’s advantage is if you have that kind of business where your employees are expected to have frequent travels to meet the demand of the market.

This Google Latitude will be an excellent tool for you to keep track of your employees if they really are in the location where you expected them to be. It will also help lessen the possibility of bugging or nagging to your employees where they already are if your calls are unanswered because you will learn that he’s already in the meeting location and is currently doing all his best just to bring profits for your business. ;)

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3 Responses to “Google Latitude keeps tabs on friends’ locations”

  1. Kuyawa ani oi…hehehe…astig kaau…. ;)

    [Reply]

  2. girlopinion says:

    aw hehehe… jud boss… ;)

    [Reply]

  3. ethan says:

    hi..nice post.by the way i wish to xchange link wit yo. if ur interested add me and then reply me in my chat box. thanku if yo do it so

    [Reply]

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