Location-based services haven’t yet caught fire, but location itself is increasingly finding its way to web services as a complimentary feature. The latest to use it is the Google Toolbar. If you have it installed, and open Google Maps, it will now auto-center on your location.
That’s a small, but useful feature, but the ramifications of this move are potentially much large. This adds location capabilities to the millions of people who have Google Toolbar installed. You may be thinking that a lot of those users with the latest version of Firefox already had it — but this feature is for Internet Explorer only right now. That, combined with Mozilla’s use of its Geode location plug-in (which again, is built into the latest version of Firefox), puts location on a good percentage of browsers in the world.
And while it doesn’t mention it, that’s important for Google’s own larger purposes. Its recently launched Latitude location-based network is only useful if it can automatically update your location, or make it really easy to do. Up until now, it has been a pain on a computer.
But there are other big things Google could do with location information — such as serve you location-based ads. There are other companies working in that field, but you can bet Google wants to get out in front of them and lead the charge. And with its own toolbar to get your location, it could potentially do that. It also promises the ability to serve up location-based search results with feature.
Google has been been working on location for a little while in the mobile space, but most users are still experiencing the web first and foremost through regular computer browsers. Google’s toolbar pulls location data from both IP addresses and nearby Wi-Fi access points — since most computers don’t have GPS built-in.
Much like it does with Gmail, Google added a “Labs” area to Google Toolbar today, to test this new feature. It also has a new, simple Chinese version of the Toolbar in this Labs area. Both are IE-only for right now, as I mentioned.
Google is such a great company. They keep innovating.
Yes, we do.
Good talk guys. Good talk.
I am yawning when readin this article ….
Nothing can BEAT IE8 ACCELERATORS…!!!
Coolness of google
cheers,
Marvin
http://yousuggest.us
Looks like location-based services are going to be the focus of Google from now. As you say, with its toolbar to “locate” you, no one can really rival google when it comes to this space.
Maybe not focus, but I can definitely see this crossing over to ads in a big way.
MG, it would be great to see more location-based services profiled on TechCrunch (and not just iPhone apps!). Glad to see you posting here.
Sure Eric, we’ll try to do that.
Hi MG …. I want to give you a tip on another google map based service… can u please write to: arvind [at] latticepurple [dot] com
I agree with you Eric. Location-based services are the next hot things on the web. As you say, would be great to see them featured on TC.
location is the “most powerful” substance on the internet and mobile. agree with eric for tc to profile more location based services since they are the future of everything we do on the net.
MyLocator.mobi – locate yourself
-
Yeah if their geotargeting was so great they wouldn’t be scamming their Adwords advertising partners by selling them traffic geographically unrelated to what was paid for. And then lying about it.
Big expose on Adwords’ shonky business practices coming up kids. keep your ears to the ground. And remember where you heard it first.
I’ll be eagerly awaiting the news, Mr. Crackpot!
I know that Google really thinks we are moving to the location age, and I get it…but I just don’t know that I would ever utilize it personally.
I saw a friends Twitter message the other day, letting his followers know that he was at his mom’s house. It gave her exact address.
To me….that is just not very safe. With people out there like the Craigslist killer, is this something we really want to integrate into our daily lives? I know parents out there are probably freaking out about the possibilities it could open up with their children. I’m not necessarily against it, I just think we should be very cautious moving forward. Great post, thanks!
I was at the Scale7 Linux conference in LA, and I saw C. Blizzard talking about the longitude and latitude being available in Firefox 3.1.
So since this is browser agnostic, I guess they are getting the location via IP netmasks.
I can’t imagine that is very accurate.
BTW, I just released a new photo album of our half rack in progress for those interested.
http://picasawe....com/soeet.com/
I hate to pay Google any money, but I set aside a good part of our budget for adwords campaigns.
Damn you Google.
Yeah!
I cant wait for the MyLocator.com guy to make a coment on this!!!!
MyLocator.com guy… can you please, please, please write for all of us a 6-page long comment about your fantastic Hyper Mega Ultra Dynamic, Voluptuous, Mellifluous, Auriferous, Infrangible, Xenoglossic and Splendiferous Strategic Multichannel Location Network Search Engine… Locator… Thing?? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase? And please dont forget to explain how its much better than Googles garbage! or Yahoos or Microsofts…
Where are you MyLocator.com guy????? Please come online now!!!!!!!! NOOOW!!!!!! WE NEED YOU!! TECHCRUNCH NEEDS YOU!!!
I invoke you LOCATION KING!!!
@luis hilton
your words speak volume as to the supernatural promise and potential the MyLocator platform possesses. appreciate your appreciation.
CenterLocator.com – core principles
http://en.wikip...rg/wiki/Locator
you might want to park your domains with us, would make you a bit more $$$
Dude… you know I was being sarcastic, right?
Because if you didn’t… this is even more fun!!!
Cheers Location King…
–
Luis “Hilton”
MG Siegler
I was wondering how you come across some of these stories. Are they tips that readers have sent you or in this case is this something that Google released in one of their blogs or something they sent out a press release for? Just curious how you guys find out about some of this stuff so fast. Anyways I always appreciate the news.
If he told you he’d have to kill you. http://iamned.com/blog/
trade secret
Google is such a great company. They keep innovating.Looks like location based services are going to be the focus of Google from now
Good news! Google is really doing great things as time passes by.
not working here.
have the toolbar and the latest IE
Anyone else find it ironic/amusing/annoying that Google can’t manage to build in some of the neat stuff it has in its toolbar into Chrome.
BTW, the Labs model is sheer genius. Let’s you innovate at a hundred miles an hour without upsetting the nothing-can-break crowd. Can’t wait for a Labs area in Chrome, that has to be coming right? Right, Google?
Nobody should know where I am except my wife and family. Anybody else – what’s the point? They going to just show up and meet me wherever I am? That’s nuts. It will bring social interactions to a different level if that starts happening.
I think better to leave location out of our lives – besides searching on the internet and being notified on our cells – or other digital means that we are in close proximity to something we can buy or use – what is the point?
I don’t anticipate the population of the USA using this on a mass scale anytime soon.
All this is not accurate enough to be transactable.
And first off – location is a key piece of the semantic web. Secondly, our publicness must be controlled by us. GPS is not and will never be accurate enough.
YES!: locationbar-red services
That’s a small, but useful feature, but the ramifications of this move are potentially much large.
WTF?
I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned the Loki browser plug-in, which has been available for at least a year now and in my test, placed me pretty damn accurately
Also, I would say location is even bigger on mobile than PC, given that the mobile is, well, moving and the PC is not.
Not tried a mobile location service? Possibly because Techcrunch hasn’t really done this area much justice..check out the following services for yourselves..
Whrrl, Nulaz, GeoMe, Gypsii
Yep. The Loki plugin has been doing this for years. I guess Google is trying to run over yet another startup. They really are the Microsoft of the internet. Using their search engine leverage and profit to dominate every other aspect of the internet by releasing free services. This prevents any little guy from innovating since they can’t afford to. Such is capitalism though. I agree with you though, I don’t think this matters as much for PC as it does for mobile. Thankfully the mobile web will be harder for Google to dictate.
If this becomes a pervasive component across properties it could deliver on the promise of geolocation services that render useful information [1]
[1] assumes that rDNS and PTR etc. is accurate or can be blended with layered radio triangulation and/or other positioning techniques
still waiting for latitude on the iphone…
zeroing in on them now boys..LOL
There are already people do not use Google toolbar for privacy reason. This can make it worse.
Love watching myself move down the freeway as I’m driving with Latitude.
Shame they made it only available for IE6 – the worst browser on the market.
the toolbar is not available for Chrome.
Only for IE and FF.
Really??
Really!
This is great… on the phone with GPS, I really like the ability to locate.
hi,
i am in Delhi India.
I opened google map, the default location is Delhi, it is doing correct.
But when I open google.ca and search for ” google map” the opened link for google map does not show the default location as delhi but it is canada, then how u can say “Google’s toolbar pulls location data from both IP addresses and nearby Wi-Fi access points ” or i am some where wrong.
umm, so this will work with all browsers?