GPS opens up a world of smart phone socialising possibilities
- Published: 2/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Database
The rise of GPS-enabled smart phones with social networking integration are changing today's lifestyles not only in how we communicate with one another but also in making our lives easier and more enjoyable, in what is being termed the ''mobile social media era''.
Gloe on the BlackBerry.
For example, tourists and business travellers can now get route and destination information online via smart phones rather than having to rely on paper maps and visitor centres.
At the BlackBerry Wireless Enterprise Solutions showcase in Orlando, Florida, Hewlett Packard detailed its ongoing research project ''Gloe'', which aids travellers in finding the best routes and destination information via the internet or mobile phone.
The idea is to harness local expertise and knowledge in a given area and enable visitors to access relevant digital content more effectively.
The service will rank information based on visitor feedback in the form of recommendations from previous users.
For example, the most popular web sites in a geographical area will be determined by votes and tags by users.
Yarun Luon, of HP Social Computing Lab, said that when smart phone users travel to a new location, they will typically open their browsers to access popular local content such as Wikipedia pages, official websites of tourist attractions, reviews of restaurants, and so on.
Gloe also allows users to add and tag new web content dynamically and filter their web search results according to criteria they can set themselves, such as, for example, recommendations from trusted friends, contacts or sources.
The value proposition is to fill the gap left by traditional search engines by delivering more targeted and more complete content by leveraging the wisdom of the crowd and social networks in addition to fixed contextual information, such as geographical locations and contact details.
''Gloe helps users solve the information overload via integrated search technology, social networks and contextual information like location,'' said Yarun.
''This may be similar to some services already out there in the market, but these are typically only available locally, while Gloe covers the globe.''
- Mobile bargain hunter
Sccope by Cogenta Systems is another mobile search application, with this one turning the smart phone into a barcode reader. After scanning a product, the software will identify keywords, map them with locations and compare prices for the same product available at other outlets in the local area.
Marc Clifton of Cogenta Systems said that in the past, users have had to walk from shop to shop to compare prices, but Sccope technology can gather all relevant information to help buyers make purchasing decisions more easily by automatically identifying the lowest price retailer.
The program uses query search technology to find target keywords, combining with GPS technology in the phone to help users find the best deal.
The program will be available either as a free download or for a modest subscription fee. The company will also make commission from companies which register their product information on Sccope.
The software will be available for BlackBerry in the US next month and by January in the UK, and is expected to be made available on the Android platform next.
- Intelligent contact lists
Of interest to email users is Xobni Mobile, an application that automatically generates profiles for everyone with whom users have ever communicated digitally. These profiles include information gathered from calendar entries, emails, mobile phone calls and SMS logs. They also include data pulled from LinkedIn and Facebook.
Xobni can therefore build complete address books for each single profile contact from various accounts and rank contacts on importance and relevance based on frequency of communication rather than alphabetical order.
- Entertainment on the go
Jose Zavala, director of global communications at Fox Mobile Group, said the company will launch Bitbop, its on-demand premium TV and movies service, on smart phones next spring.
For $9.99 (324 baht) per month, subscribers will be given unlimited access to streams or downloads to smart phones via Wi-Fi or 3G.
''We will offer not only content from our group, but also its partners' content. The service will pilot in the US and then will expand into Europe,'' Zavala noted.
- Stay in touch, but stay safe
Ever needed to read or send a text message while driving? Cyrus Timchula, Business Development at iSpeech Incorporated, said its software, DriveSafe.ly, reads SMS and emails aloud and automatically responds without drivers needing to touch their mobile phone.
The program uses text-to-speech technology, with the free service offering up to 25 words read per message. A subscription service, with an annual or monthly charge, allows up to 500 words read per message and to select a male or female voice for outgoing messages.
- Send postcards by phone
If you love sending postcards from your travels, Shoot It! is a ''postcard messaging'' application for BlackBerry which allows users to take a photograph using their smart phone, create a personal message directly from the keyboard and then send it as a real paper postcard from anywhere in the world to any mailbox in North America, western Europe or Asia.
This new ''postcard messaging'' service blends old technology with new technology while giving the consumer a tangible alternative to SMS or MMS.
About the author
- Writer: Suchit Leesa-nguansuk
- Position: Reporter
