Google software for tracking mobile users coming to iPhone
Google this morning announced new software that will let mobile phone users share their whereabouts with family or friends, and it's due to turn up on the iPhone shortly.
Dubbed Google Latitude, the technology is actually a new feature of the search giant's Maps software for mobile phones and an iGoogle gadget that can be installed on your computer.
"Once you've opted in to Latitude, you can see the approximate location of your friends and loved ones who have decided to share their location with you," Google said.
"So now you can do things like see if your spouse is stuck in traffic on the way home from work, notice that a buddy is in town for the weekend, or take comfort in knowing that a loved one's flight landed safely, despite bad weather."
The new software also ties into the company's existing fleet of communication services, letting family and friends keep in constant touch through SMS messages, Google Talk, Gmail, or by status message updates. Users can also change their profile photo on the fly.
At the same time, the Mountain View-based firm said it recognizes the sensitivity of location data and has thus built "fine-grained privacy controls" right into the application. Everything about the new Latitude is said to be opt-in, allowing users to not only control exactly who gets to see their location, but also what location they see.
"For instance, let's say you are in Rome. Instead of having your approximate location detected and shared automatically, you can manually set your location for elsewhere -- perhaps a visit to Niagara Falls," Google said. "Since you may not want to share the same information with everyone, Latitude lets you change the settings on a friend-by-friend basis. So for each person, you can choose to share your best available location or your city-level location, or you can hide."
Latitude is currently available in 27 countries on the Blackberry, S60, and Windows Mobile operating systems via google.com/latitude. In the coming days, Google plans to expand the service to its Android-powered handsets. Latitude is also coming to the iPhone "very soon" through the Google Mobile App available for download on the App Store, the company said.
Meanwhile, computer users can visit google.com/latitude on their desktop or notebook to install the Latitude iGoogle gadget and share their location right from their computer.
Dubbed Google Latitude, the technology is actually a new feature of the search giant's Maps software for mobile phones and an iGoogle gadget that can be installed on your computer.
"Once you've opted in to Latitude, you can see the approximate location of your friends and loved ones who have decided to share their location with you," Google said.
"So now you can do things like see if your spouse is stuck in traffic on the way home from work, notice that a buddy is in town for the weekend, or take comfort in knowing that a loved one's flight landed safely, despite bad weather."
The new software also ties into the company's existing fleet of communication services, letting family and friends keep in constant touch through SMS messages, Google Talk, Gmail, or by status message updates. Users can also change their profile photo on the fly.
At the same time, the Mountain View-based firm said it recognizes the sensitivity of location data and has thus built "fine-grained privacy controls" right into the application. Everything about the new Latitude is said to be opt-in, allowing users to not only control exactly who gets to see their location, but also what location they see.
"For instance, let's say you are in Rome. Instead of having your approximate location detected and shared automatically, you can manually set your location for elsewhere -- perhaps a visit to Niagara Falls," Google said. "Since you may not want to share the same information with everyone, Latitude lets you change the settings on a friend-by-friend basis. So for each person, you can choose to share your best available location or your city-level location, or you can hide."
Latitude is currently available in 27 countries on the Blackberry, S60, and Windows Mobile operating systems via google.com/latitude. In the coming days, Google plans to expand the service to its Android-powered handsets. Latitude is also coming to the iPhone "very soon" through the Google Mobile App available for download on the App Store, the company said.
Meanwhile, computer users can visit google.com/latitude on their desktop or notebook to install the Latitude iGoogle gadget and share their location right from their computer.
Comments
I guess, in a few years, this will seem normal, but it seems a little freaky to me...
Yeah it is I don't support it I can't see why Apple would either.
"For instance, let's say you are in Rome. Instead of having your approximate location detected and shared automatically, you can manually set your location for elsewhere -- perhaps a visit to Niagara Falls," Google said. "Since you may not want to share the same information with everyone, Latitude lets you change the settings on a friend-by-friend basis. So for each person, you can choose to share your best available location or your city-level location, or you can hide."
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
If I'm in Rome with my girlfriend Google will help me tell my wife I'm in New York? Hmm. If I recall from my long-ago youth, the Eighth Commandment says something like, Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. And Google's motto is something like "Don't Be Evil". How come they're giving me a tool designed to help me bear false witness?
How come they're giving me a tool designed to help me bear false witness?
You're still the one lying, not Google. You might as well blame the phone company when you tell a lie over the phone.
If I'm in Rome with my girlfriend Google will help me tell my wife I'm in New York? Hmm. If I recall from my long-ago youth, the Eighth Commandment says something like, Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. And Google's motto is something like "Don't Be Evil". How come they're giving me a tool designed to help me bear false witness?
Maybe you want to look like your home when you are in NYC so no one tells a buddy you are out of town and they break in your house while you are in NYC.
Just a thought.
Yeah it is I don't support it I can't see why Apple would either.
You have a choice to not download and use the application.
Apple has nothing to do with it other than selling an application like thousands of others.
Yeah it is I don't support it I can't see why Apple would either.
Stuff like this has been available for years on regular phones. And if this scares you, some Googling will get you commercially available software, made to install on a phone and hide itself and the report back positioning information, call data, copies of SMS, you name it.
You're still the one lying, not Google. You might as well blame the phone company when you tell a lie over the phone.
Maybe you want to look like your home when you are in NYC so no one tells a buddy you are out of town and they break in your house while you are in NYC.
If your buddy breaks into your house while you're away, you have bigger problems.
Seriously, your location is shown only to those people to whom you have given explicit permission. A random person off the street cannot see your location, because you have not given them permission. If you cannot trust your friends, you have bigger issues.
It's called Loopt.
Yeah, loopt already does all this for the iPhone, and it also has twitter and facebook links. I see no reason why I'd want to use Google's service.
Yes, and it's the car company's fault when you speed because the car is capable of going over the speed limit - haha!
On the other hand, a chip in every car that forced the driver to obey the speed limit would end more than half of all accidents and save thousands and thousands of lives a year, around the world.
Just Sayin.
If your buddy breaks into your house while you're away, you have bigger problems.
Seriously, your location is shown only to those people to whom you have given explicit permission. A random person off the street cannot see your location, because you have not given them permission. If you cannot trust your friends, you have bigger issues.
Reread. If your buddy mentions to one of his friends that you are out of town and that guy breaks in or spreads the word to another guy.
Regarding the chip in cars, it would be hacked.
On the other hand, a chip in every car that forced the driver to obey the speed limit would end more than half of all accidents and save thousands and thousands of lives a year, around the world.
Just Sayin.
Yeah, it would also cripple the already suffering car industry some more as not everybody buys a car to go from A to B, some actually like driving.
I wouldn't turn it on most of the time, but I would LOVE it for certain situations. Like exploring a fair or park, and being able to find each other when you split up. Much better than "meet me at the fountain at 4:30." Meet whenever, wherever. Then turn it off when you go home for the day. Easy.
I want this integrated into iPhone's Maps app (and Contact), complete with a photo on the pin.
Google this morning announced new software that will let mobile phone users share their whereabouts with family or friends, and it's due to turn up on the iPhone shortly.
Not coming to my iPhone anytime soon! The tinfoil hat crowd are starting to make more and more sense every day!