Microsoft's Push Into Location Based Info

Everyone's been talking about the potential for location-based info, but other than a few odd experiments, it hasn't really gone very far. Perhaps that's set to change with Microsoft getting into the space? They announced today at CTIA that they've signed deals with Sprint and Bell Mobility to help power their location-based offerings. It still remains to be seen how people are willing to use these, and just what location-based applications users want. While advertisers love the idea of broadcasting mobile messages to people as they pass their store, that sort of talk scares off most users who don't want to be spammed as they walk down the street. However, with the rise of GPS navigation systems, it's not hard to imagine including better location-based info on top of navigation systems (as some are already trying). Combine that with the mobile phone, and some potentially interesting applications start to show up.

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