Whilst I was a-searching the interwebs for interesting stories today, I came across this story from the Guardian, about the new lease of life Google are giving to their search engine aimed at mobile phones.
Essentially, what it boils down to is the localisation of searches. And if that phrase makes no sense, what it boils down to is Google recognising where you are, and giving you specific search results tailored towards your location.
Or, as Dave Burke, engineering manager with Google mobile in London puts it, “It’s the same search index but it’s a little more aggressive on location. Let’s say for instance you put ‘Arsenal’ in there – chances are you’re not going to look up the history of the club but you’re looking for the latest scores. So we have lots of sports information that we fire at you.”
Basically, if you’re in the UK, it takes you to a UK Google page. If you’re in Germany, it takes you to a German Google page. Now, you may ask why they would want to do this, why the localisation of services. Well, the answer is simple:
Advertising.
Anyone who uses Google knows that you get paid links down the side, and it maintains its free status by relying heavily on advertising revenues. Well, the same thing is true of Google mobile search, but with the added fact that they know where you are by triangulating your mobile phone’s location.
Now, I’m not so sure I like that idea, and I know a lot of people have spoken up about the privacy implications of it. But, the fact remains, with Android coming along soon, and this new version of Google mobile being funded, basically, by advertising, it certainly keeps the cost of development, and therefore the cost of handsets, down.
Even if they do know where you live.
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