Is Google a threat? This was a hot topic during the Mobile Search Masterclass, and I encourage your feedback.

In a nutshell, the debate centered on whether Google - given the popularity of Google Maps and the utility of its recent upgrade (which Andrew Grill explores in this post) - will ultimately dominate location search and services. With rumors circulating that Google may soon open up its Cell-ID database API to third parties, it’s not only possible - it’s highly probable that Google will dethrone the mobile operators who have long been in charge of this information and in search of a model by which to monetize it.

If (or shall I say when?) this happens, would operators merely be getting the payback they deserve? Their combined greed or lack of vision (or both) has made location look-ups prohibitively expensive for the growing number of developers, brands, and providers jockeying to offer location-based services or proximity-based advertising. (Location checks are equivalent in price to SMS messages. Checking where users are, just in case they might want content or be in buy-mode, several times an hour will drive a company bankrupt.)

Kudos to Andrew Grill for an insightful and entertaining presentation that tells us all - once and for all - why the Starbucks example (using network-based polling) is nonsense.

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