Tim Hibbard wants you to see where he is. On his Web site, timhibbard.com/wherestim, Hibbard uses GPS technology to plot his location on a map of Lawrence, Kansas, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A GPS phone in his car feeds information into a Google Map, and a small icon represents Tim Hibbard, Web site architect and self- confessed geek. If you zoom in on the location, you can see the roof of the building he's in. If you were familiar with Lawrence, you could suggest things for Hibbard to do.
"One guy sent me a text message which said: `Hey dude! Get some coffee!' I was actually already on my way to get coffee," he recalls.
It won't be long before Hibbard's isn't the only pin on such maps.
GPS business is booming in the US and Europe. But it's only just begun in terms of phones that know your location on the planet -- and which are prepared to tell the world about it.
Since the end of last year, the US has had E911, or "enhanced 911" system, which lets emergency operators work out the location of someone calling from a new mobile phone -- because the phone incorporates a means of working out its location, either using GPS or by triangulation from the strength of the signal at the nearest mobile phone masts -- that hasn't been available to the user directly, nor to outsiders.
Now GPS is being incorporated into new cellphones so that owners can access it. And the effect could be revolutionary. But who would put their position on a map that anyone could browse?
Plenty of people, suggests Hibbard, who predicts that convenience will rule.
"People are very willing to give up their privacy," he says.
"You just have to give them a good reason to do so. If you can assist a person in their everyday life, they will be more than happy to divulge their current location," he says. "For example, you can synchronize your calendar with your GPS device and be alerted when you need to leave for an appointment, following a route that's been automatically generated based on real-time traffic conditions. Or you can be alerted when you are six blocks from a store that contains an item that is on your online shopping list."
Hibbard thinks that GPS-broadcasting phones could even kill off the unwanted advert. While there may be something disquieting about shops monitoring the location of potential customers, you can also view it in terms of the benefits for the consumer.
"It's kind of like target advertising. I will never buy a truck, I'm just not a truck kind of guy. So if the motor companies knew that, they would not waste their money advertising their new trucks to me. Now, I am always in the market for a new phone and do not have a problem viewing ads for cellular phones. I'm willing to divulge my buying habits in exchange to never see another truck commercial," Hibbard explains.
Or, for example, imagine being in a strange city. You could set up your GPS-enabled phone to alert you when you're near a five-star restaurant, or a hotel within your price range, or a cinema.
These examples are the tip of the iceberg. We're looking at a future where technology will ensure that nowhere is completely unfamiliar. The services on offer now -- simple location-based services from Orange and 3 -- will tell you where the nearest bank or cinema is, or recommend a restaurant, or offer a weather report. They're anaemic, though, compared to what could happen -- say, having your phone ping when someone in your address book comes within half a mile (you might want to turn that feature off before arriving in the office).
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