Location information on your mobile is certainly handy, as anyone who has misplaced themselves at an inopportune time will attest. However, if you're using Global Positioning Software on your phone, you may be aware of the downsides: GPS is dependent on satellite links, can be a drain on your phone's battery and is only supported on about 15% of mobiles. So here come search engine giants Google with their solution - Google Maps for Mobiles Version 2.0. Their brand new My Location feature can automatically set your location - even in phones that lack a GPS device. Your approximate location is triangulated based on nearby mobile-phone masts, meaning users won't have to type in an address to set their location.
Instead they'll only have to enter the number "0" - good news for tired fingers and people in a hurry. Since an exact pinpoint of your location can be tricky, Google will let you know its estimated margin of error. It is, of course, a beta feature and accuracy and coverage can be expected to improve over time as user numbers increase.
The brand new version of Google Maps for Mobiles will provide interactive maps featuring detailed directions to pedestrians and drivers. Google is touting it as providing better indoor coverage than GPS, as well as being faster and kinder to your phone's batteries. You'll still be able to use it if you have GPS already and Google says that 2.0 will complement your existing location information.
Anyone uncomfortable with the idea of their Saturday afternoon habits being accessible to third parties will be glad to know that Google has indicated that information is gathered anonymously and personally identifiable information is not stored. So while the search giant will be able to tell you where your phone is using your mobile-phone ID number, it won't know where - or who - you are personally.
U.S consumers will enjoy this service free of charge - so what's in it for Google? Well, local advertising could be on the cards. After all, being able to target customers based on current their location is always going to be useful for businesses.
This latest version of Google Maps for Mobile is available for most web-enabled mobile phones, including Java, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Nokia/Symbian devices. However, it's not yet available on the iPhone or Palm Treo devices.
Google certainly isn't lost when it comes to the world of mobiles. My Location follows hot on the heels of their involvement in the Open Handset Alliance and Android, suggesting that Google knows exactly where it wants to be - in your pocket as well as on your desk.
