Interesting People mailing list archives
WhereWare Risks Digest 22.90
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2003 07:10:11 -0400
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 11:00:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com> Subject: WhereWare By Eric W. Pfeiffer, Sep 2003, *Technology Review* http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/pfeiffer0903.asp Soon, hardware and software that track your location will be providing directions, offering shopping discounts, and aiding rescue workers-services that promise a windfall for ailing telecom carriers. Amanda sits idly at the bar of the trendiest restaurant in town, twirling a swizzle stick and sipping a cocktail. But cool as she looks, she's feeling anxious: her date is nearly 15 minutes late. She considers calling him but doesn't want to seem nervous or overeager. Still, she pulls out her cell phone, only instead of calling, she opens a special menu, enters his number, and sees that he is at the corner of Prospect and Broadway, not more than three minutes away. When he walks in, Amanda brushes off his apology, saying she wasn't at all worried. Sound fanciful-or outright implausible? Lock on to location-based computing, the hottest thing in wireless, which offers new services to customers and new revenue streams to carriers, and could save lives in the process. The idea is to make cell phones, personal digital assistants, and even fashion accessories capable of tracking their owners' every movement-whether they're outdoors, working on the 60th floor, or shopping in a basement arcade. Already, Japanese telecommunications company KDDI offers over 100 different location-based services using technology developed by wireless-equipment maker Qualcomm, from bracelets to let parents track their kids in the park, to cell phones that point the way to cheap noodle shops in Tokyo's skyscraping Shinjyuku district. In Korea, two million citizens use their cell phones to locate nearby friends and, for example, find the most convenient coffee shops for impromptu meetings. In Europe, cell-phone networks can locate users and give them personalized directions to Big Ben, or the Eiffel Tower. [...]
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- WhereWare Risks Digest 22.90 Dave Farber (Sep 09)