Google Latitude

[00ber n00b]

Anyone using this?

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

send me a message if you want to add me?

[igknighted]

That seems more than a little creepy...

[00ber n00b]

LOL. I think its neat.

[missbliss]

Nifty!

[Mazza558]

Looks like this'll only work well with contract phones with an internet plan - i.e. no pay/go, otherwise it'll cost a ton. Be cool if it worked on PC too though.

[Mazza558]

Yup, it does cost a bit. Just moving up 2 km on my pay/go phone costs 30p.

[00ber n00b]

It works on pc over here in the US. not sure about worldwide.

[Giant Speck]

It's kind of a neat idea. It isn't really that useful, but then again, what social networking website or application really is?

I read up on this yesterday and there were initial concerns that Google would be able t o track user's movements by storing their locations in their servers. However, Google has already said that the only information that would be kept in their servers is the user's last known location. Also, to protect the user's privacy, the application can be turned on and off, so that their location is not always available to friends, family, or worse, Google.

[ice60]

i don't like google much already because of all the privacy issues with their software and i don't really use mobile phones partly because you can be tracked with them, so i hate Google Latitude!!!

it was mentioned on the front page of one of the free london papers -
Fears that new Google software will spy on workers (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Fears_that_new_Google_software_will_s py_on_workers&in_article_id=519982&in_page_id=34) and Google lets you stalk your friends (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Google_lets_you_stalk_your_friends&in_article_id=519684&in_page_id=34)

[-grubby]

The privacy issues with this are invalid because this service is completely voluntary.

[Dr Small]

The privacy issues with this are invalid because this service is completely voluntary.
Sure. It's just when it no longer becomes voluntary that it becomes valid.

[vishzilla]

You can use it on your PC. Install google gears for firefox + iGoogle Latitude Gadget.

[Giant Speck]

Sure. It's just when it no longer becomes voluntary that it becomes valid.

Sure, because now that Google has introduced this program, it's going to be installed on everyone's phone without their knowledge and send their private information back to Google every waking moment of the their life.

Do they make tin foil hats for the Blackjack II?

[Mazza558]

If you have iGoogle, you can now get Latitude in your browser - with Google Gears, you can allow it to calculate your location via Wifi triangulation.

It got my location to within 10 metres - scary stuff! If you're happy with that, here's the howto:

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/159378/find_yourself_on_google_latitude_without_gps_or_a_ phone.html