GPS

OHA member SiRF has deployed a press release indicating that "...it will rapidly implement key end-to-end location-awareness
features needed to enable mobile devices powered by the Android(TM) platform to provide an optimal location awareness experience for consumers." (Emphasis mine.)

In case you were concerned it wouldn't be rapid enough.

SiRF is actively working on the Android platform to include some of the more innovative features of Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), a
standards-based protocol that allows a mobile handset client to communicate
with a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), including transport layer security
(TLS) for location privacy and multiple session capabilities to provide the
most compelling user experience. SiRF is also implementing support for
Android-based assisted GPS (A-GPS) handsets, including mobile station based
(MSB) and mobile station assisted (MSA) positioning methods to facilitate
the Android platform passing Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and 3GPP
conformance testing for third-party certification.

SirF is the maker of the SiRFStarIII GPS microcontroller chip, which is much loved for its ability to maintain a signal in dense (urban, forested) environments. Which basically means that, whether you're lost in the sunless bowels of New York City or the misty heat of the Amazon rainforest, Google will be able to point you to the location of the nearest pizza place.

It seems some of that nifty Jaiku tech is finding its way into other Google offerings.

Google today announced 'My Location', which has an unfortunately-windows-ish kinda ring to it, software which "...uses cell tower ID information to provide users with their approximate location, helping them determine where they are, what's around them, and how to get there."

Yeah, cool.

The press release also states "This approximation is anonymous, as Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or associate any location data with personally identifiable information as part of the My Location feature." Okay, maybe not personal information, but if there's gonna be some ad revenue to be had here, Google's gonna snoop in on something (ie. does the owner of this handset prefer Pizza or Chinese?).

I would love to try this sucka out, but I'm in Canada, and apparently Google doesn't consider us a valid location ("You current location is temporarily unavailable"). Not a real surprise. So, if there are any folks out there that want to submit a little review of the working app, send me an email: jordan[at]fandroid.net.

Valleywag has revealed what a source tells it is the first Android app. Or, at least, Valleywag has revealed what its source tells it is an app created by the company that has also written the first Android app. Got that?

The company is WhatsOpen.com, and apparently they have a secret little bit of software that shows nearby stores and their operating hours. Apparently this bit of software has, umm, been ported to Android. Or WhatsOpen.com has written software for Android that does kinda the same thing. Or something. The article's kinda vague, but, hey they have screenshots!

This is pretty much exactly what Leo Laporte has been saying all along (as well as a few others). The real power of Google in the mobile space is in localized advertising. Mash up GPS, Google Maps, and advertising and pretty soon your phone is telling you that there's a good burritto to be had in a little Mexican place just around the corner from where you're currently standing.