May
21
Where 2.0 Conference Explores Location Aware Software
This week the 5th annual O’Reilly Where 2.0 Conference is taking place in San Jose, California. This gathering brings together some of the newest technologies that utilize location aware software and hardware. Web applications, mobile devices, and laptops are increasingly integrating location information to customize user experiences, and the Where 2.0 conference gives us a glimpse at what’s next in this industry.
There is plenty of new software being showcased at this year’s Where 2.0 Conference. The main goal of many companies presenting this years seems to be seamlessly integrating geo-data into our everyday lives. Just a few years ago, location aware technology was mostly the stuff of GPS devices and mapping applications. Now, with the recent explosion of mobile applications on smartphones, location aware software has broken into the mainstream. If you have an iPhone, you probably have noticed just how many applications ask you if they can access your current location when you first run the program.
One of the coolest new applications unveiled this year is called Glympse. This mobile application software is a new way to share your current location with anyone you choose, for a specified period of time. For instance, you could share your location with your friends for a night out in the city so that they could find you, no matter where you decide to go that night. You could then set your location tracking to expire when you head home for the night, maintaining your privacy.
This software could also be used to let clients know your whereabouts on your way to a meeting, or for a teenagers to let their parents know they’ve arrived at their road-trip destination. The first public beta of Glympse was released for the G1 phone, but it will soon be available on the iPhone and Blackberry.
As geo-tracking technology becomes easier and easier to implement with tools like the the Google Maps API, we will be seeing more software applications that customize the user experience in unique and creative ways. The number of location-aware software companies has exploded this year, creating cutting edge tools and innovative technologies. The real question is, what types of software will we be seeing at the 10th annual Where 2.0 Conference?
You can keep up with all of the latest coference news by following the News & Coverage page on the O’Reilly website, or you can subscribe to their Twitter feed @where20.
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