Tech | February 04, 2009 | 17 comments

Stalking friends made easy with new Google Latitude

source: http://www.google.com/latitude/intro.html

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richjm
It's not enough to simply text a friend and ask where they are these days. Thankfully, with Google's (slightly scary) new 'Latitude' addition to Google Maps, now you can find out where they are without them really knowing and turn up to surprise them. The new service allows mobile phone users to share their location with friends and family and spot which of their contacts are nearby. Once signed up, an icon of the user's location, as well as their chums', will appear on Google Maps on their phone.

It's accurate to within a hundred yards or so, and at the moment it's only available on Blackberry phones and devices running Windows Mobile and Symbian 360 but it'll be rolled out to iPhone and Google Android users in the next couple of weeks.

Not quite over that ex and want to gatecrash their romantic lunch with their new partner to confess love and sob into their sleeve? Latitude!

Friends no longer inviting you out on nights but you're not going to let that stop you turning up anyway, if only you knew where they were knocking back the drinks? Latitude!

More info here, as well as the link above: http://tinyurl.com/googlelatitude
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17 comments // Stalking friends made easy with new Google Latitude

  • Soap
    • 0
      Soap  

    • I remember seeing a similar, even MORE developed technology such as this, pod that is already being used in Japan on Current TV... I think it also had some dating features, too.

    • 3 years ago
  • shallowside887
  • Elligirl
  • MRJULZ
  • bailey78
  • inannasflame
  • cerealforeal
  • Argon18
    • 0
      Argon18  

    • I guess that article wasn't read very well since Google apparently already thought of those consequences.

      "You have the option of hiding completely from all your friends, or setting your location manually.”

      Users will be able to go “off grid” whenever they choose, and can either share specific details about their location, or just the name of the city they are in.

      Once a Google Maps user receives a Latitude invitation, they can decide whether to accept the invitation and share their location in return, accept the invitation so they can see where their friend is but not share their own location, or reject the invitation completely.

      And even once a user accepts a Latitude invitation and agrees to share their location, they are able to adjust how much information about their location they divulge on a contact-by-contact basis."

      So you can get away from those "bad breakups" and even those you don't want to hang out with at the moment.

      Not a very well researched post wasn't it? So much for any hint of journalism here.

    • 3 years ago
  • Stevox
  • graemesmith
    • 0
      graemesmith  

    • Wait for the occasions your location is not available for some reason. It will become as bad for relationship breakups as turning off your phone.

      Can you imagine the texts now? "What are you doing in Shoreditch exactly??? We dont know anybody who lives there"

      Er. No thanks.

    • 3 years ago
  • atarikg
  • cantucwearebrothers
  • CalgarC
  • tommytripper
  • HeroMAY
  • bansheewail
    • 0
      bansheewail  

    • Google, making breaking-up with that crazy bitch impossible through advances in technology. Sweet.

      And why on earth would an rational person believe that the Bush Administration would use this same technology to track our "patterns of civil disobedience" without our knowledge.(sarcasm) Patterns of civil disobedience are outlined in the Patriot Act. You would be shocked at all the stuff they gather about your habits. (fact)(sad fact)

    • 3 years ago
  • krazykizza
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