GPS Pioneer Addresses LBS Market Fundamentals

How many applications will be "stuffed" into mobile devices and will "location” always be a part of them. Will the Open Handset Alliance be a disruptive platform? SiRF Technologies founder and chief marketing officer, Kanwar Chadha is interviewed by Editor-in-chief Joe Francica on his views about LBS in 2007 and beyond. "Having native location technology on the device allows consumers to get much more benefit from different kinds of applications than if location was sort of an add-on feature,” says Chadha. "There can be a broad range of services like social networking that can be brought up on a platform if you assume that location is native. So, if you look at it like, why should I add GPS and it costs me money, you reverse the paradigm, and say, if I have location, I have multiple ways of making money through services, through advertisements, etc." Chadha also provides his perspective on the hype surrounding LBS applications and whether it is for real? Chadha says, "The fact that location is native into all of these emerging platforms is a very strong indicator that people are serious about enabling multiple applications with location…there are some things that are fundamental to the nature of your business or your life in a mobile world…and location is one of those core elements."
[podcast: "ChadhaInterview-final_.mp3"]
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