Android + Travel = Location Based Services
Mobile applications are not really my passion, but I have to say that after playing with my wife’s iTouch and viewing the latest videos about Google Android, I am truly excited about what the mobile web has to offer. I had a discussion with my colleague Phil Caines just today about AirG, a Vancouver based company that has developed a mobile social networking platform. It is very cool but I wondered how sustainable the model is given that mobile technologies will eventually support regular web applications. Phil’s argument was that our mobile market (North America, Japan, and Europe) represents the fat end of the tail and the emerging markets like India, China, Brazil, and others are the long tail of the mobile market. These emerging markets are still using phones that may be less sophisticated and the networks may not have the same penetration. There is, therefore, an opportunity to cash in on these emerging markets.
My feeling is that based on what I have seen coming out of Google, as far as Android is concerned, that these emerging markets will quickly catch up with the rest of the World and the requirement for mobile applications as we know them now will disappear. The opportunity now is to develop applications for Android that tie into web applications that provide location based services like directions to local restaurants, ratings of services, interaction with services, and booking of attractions and tours on your phone.
Enough… check out this video and if you want somemore go to the official Android Site.
FYI this app recently launched by lastminute.com (Travelocity Brand in Europe)?
http://www.android.com/market/#app=lastminute
nru
(available in EU only)
lastminute.com labs
labs.lastminute.com/nru
nru (“near you”) from lastminute.com labs shows you what you can do near you, based on your current location and the direction you’re facing. Move your phone around to see what there is to do in different directions, from bars and restaurants to cinemas and cafes.
Thanks Pablo. I’ll have to check it out. Unfortunately I went with the iPhone so I can’t test the android. I was really hoping the gPhone would do it for me, but alas, no penetration yet in the Canadian market.
hai,
i would like to know about android location based app.
challenges and usefullness in developing the same.
this tutorial is of great help would like to hear more on this topic