And Skyhook Wireless' Kate Imbach says it's helping developers make money too.
Location is becoming just another element in innovative mobile apps, rather than being the entire focus, according to Kate Imbach from SkyhookWireless.
The company supplies the LBS technology for Apple's iPhone, while also working with other handset firms, application developers and chipset makers.
“We're seeing all these different uses for location,” said Imbach, speaking at a Mobile Monday event in London. “The mobile content and applications that use location aren't just local search and navigation. Location is enabling mobile content that is different and cool, and stuff that we didn't think we'd be seeing before.”
Imbach cited several iPhone apps as examples, including Starbucks' MyStarbucks app, movie app Flixster, music services Shazam and TuneWiki, and find-a-loo app Sit or Squat.
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Generating revenues? How? Advertising, increasingly. Imbach cited a campaign by Holiday Inn as the first example of location being used for a banner ad on iPhone, showing users the time and distance to the nearest hotel from that chain.
“If we can tie location into apps, and advertising into location in the apps, everyone makes more money,” she said.
Besides being used for every iPhone app that uses location features, Skyhook's technology is being used in 20 Android applications, with 20 more coming in the next couple of quarters. Those already live include ShopSavvy, Sherpa, Locale and Aloqa.
(Pic courtesy of GoMo News)
