David Russell

If you can’t find the answer in its name, Google just released a new geo-centric social product called Latitude. The idea is to find the status of your friends along with their geographic location. Of course, the service is highly focused on delivering a solution for mobile phones and several handsets already work, most notably (and not surprisingly) the Android-enabled G1. (An iPhone solution is being developed.) But you can also use Latitude from any Web-enabled PC using your Google account and iGoogle.

One principle question that emerged today is whether or not Latitude will quickly overtake other geo-centric services like Brightkite (my favorite) and Loopt. An article on ReadWriteWeb generated this idea and some interesting discussion ensued. It is striking that Facebook and MySpace have done so little to enter the geo space. But I think it’s important to note the relatively short timeframe in which geo-aware applications have emerged. The two largest social networks are behemoths, unlike smaller, more nimble startups like Brightkite. And geo hardware is also relatively new in mobile phones and other devices (other than GPS receivers which pioneered the whole space.)

So I think we are at an interesting turning point. To be sure, location-aware applications have real momentum. The cover story and a few articles inside the recent issue of Wired covered the GPS “revolution”. The attention Google brings to the table will no doubt push other developers to join the fray and push the boundaries of what’s possible. And it will challenge startups like Brightkite to keep their edge on ingenuity.

Google Latitude
ReadWriteWeb: Did Google Just Kill All the Other Mobile Social Networks?

Tagged: Geography, GPS, location, application, development, Google, Latitude, Brightkite, Wired