Enhanced Mobility 1: ‘Checking in with Social Media’
Smart is in. Moore was right – technology is getting more powerful at an exponential rate and more user-friendly to boot. 10 years ago, in Japan, I sent my first mobile e-mail from a sushi cafe and I vividly remember the shock and awe that accompanied sending that poorly scribed communiqué. Today we can stream video, conduct business and, in many cases, forgo the use of a computer entirely with mobile computing.
Apple boasts nearly 150,000 unique applications for their iPhone/iPod Touch (and now iPad) platforms and the number is growing at a staggering rate. Among the ranks are small, but growing, subset of social media applications that are in the vein of the latest microblogging craze, while also exploiting these phones’ GPS capabilities. Call them mixtures of twitter and google maps, each with a unique twist.
Clip Mobile, a small and promising tech start-up in Canada boasts in impressive application that promises much sought-after consumer savings. Load the application and, through GPS tracking of your location, current deals from nearby participating merchants will be displayed. Call it a new incarnation of coupons, but this time you might actually use them! Show the merchant the Clip e-coupon on your phone and the savings are yours.
Savings aren’t your cup of tea? Do web notoriety and competition tickle your fancy? Foursquare (as outlined previously) allows users to check in at unique locations across many cities through GPS location tracking. Be the first to check in at a new location, become the ‘mayor’ of your favourite spot or just become the most well-traveled social media enthusiast on the web. Share this information within the growing social network of foursquare or broadcast over numerous sites, including Twitter and Facebook.
Nonetheless, many might feel a little creeped out by the idea of your applications knowing where you are at any given time. You have to take into account that these applications only process as much information as you divulge. According to Mashable, privacy management is the new currency of social media, ‘how much are you willing to share to get something in return.’ These platforms are very new-fangled technologies and as such are subject to some very early evolutionary pressures. In the near future we’ll see for sure whether they are a passing fad or are indeed the real deal.
