Google today said they are bringing location awareness to Google Maps on the desktop. I tested it today in Google Chrome here in Illinois and it worked really well, as you can see from the image.
So, where does this go from here? When you think about the metadata, lots of possibilities beyond this little feature...
- Commerce - click a product on a site to find this item in a store near me where I am right now
- Social - Loopt, Foursquare, etc. begin to work equally well from the desktop
- News - citizen journalist reports from computer webcams can now more easily add metadata
- Productivity - web-apps get location data automatically embedded; great for sales forces
- Advertising - think of Google ads served based on your location that are hyperlocal
The upshot is that this is part of a bigger trend. Mobile isn't just about phones. It's about mobility. It's a state of being that covers an array of devices (netbooks, phones, Kindles, GPS systems) that tap into location based services that sync across.
Location Based Services are one of the most exciting areas to watch right now.
