Location Based Services sound like something that should be really exciting and have the potential to change our lives significantly. Except when you start trying to think of examples of such revolutionary products, outside navigation and asset tracking, it ain’t so easy.
Even ABI Research, no stranger to hyperbole when it comes to selling its reports (it described Mobile TV as "a gold mine") is left struggling for words when describing opportunities in LBS, with a view to selling its latest research. Indeed, it’s reduced to stating the bleeding obvious in the hope that it sounds deep and meaningful:
"It’s not just a technology in your mobile phone that says ‘you are here.’ It
can also pass that information to many other applications."
Do you want a route home? A friend’s location, relative to where you are? A
location-stamp on that picture you took with your camera phone? LBS enable all
these functions.
Excuse me while I slap my forehead in sudden insight and yawn with excitement at all the incredible examples.
To their credit, at least they didn’t mention Starbucks being able to send you a coupon for a half price latte, as you walk past their store. For reasons why this probably won’t work, email me for a copy of my White Paper on location based marketing.
The press release goes on to claim that Hutchson’s 3 is attracting attention as "the best in the region." While it might indeed be the best, it only serves to underscore the sorry plight of the LBS sector in Europe, where many operators haven’t actually deployed anything anyway.
3′s location product portfolio actually consists of the dull and worthy foursome of maps, directions, traffic info and dear old "find my nearest", which is hardly inspiring or kicking down the door of innovation.
So, what conclusion can we draw here?
Firstly, that not much is happening in LBS as ABI can’t seem to muster up the energy to pretend its normal ebullience. The press release leaves one with the feeling that they’re not really sure why they wrote the report, but someone thought it might be a good idea, but they can’t remember who.
Secondly, that if LBS is ever going to blossom, we need to look outside the obvious and leave behind the stuff that just doesn’t work – like find my nearest.
My theory (I don’t have the answers either) is that the secret lies in looking at LBS as the bridge that links the physical world with the digital one. We can learn a lot from projects like Dodgeball and Yellow Arrow, which both leverage this aspect. LBS gaming could be another winner.
But the real answers won’t come until a few operators deploy the APIs and let some hot, young, independent developers and entrepreneurs play and see what they come up with. Maybe they could offer the feeds free to start with, to let the applications get some traction (OK I can dream).
It’s only when the proven innovators are let loose that we’ll get some services people want, rather than stuff they ought to want – but patently don’t.
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