Loopt now available on Google Android, your virtual stalker rejoices
Loopt, a GPS-based geo-location service that allows you to broadcast your whereabouts on the web, is now available on the Google Android, including support for the HTC G1.
Loopt, as with Loki and Yahoo’s FireEagle service, are all in the same category of sites that I feel actually go a little too far in terms of transparency, into that highly subjective realm of “TMI”.
Who are these people that need to know where I am at all times? Yes, I use Twitter, and sometimes I share with my friends where I’m heading or where I am at, but it’s selective, and I don’t need to give them exact the geo-location. I would certainly never Tweet “In the bathroom, GPS location: 37.0625,-95.677068.” I know that the services let you specify how exact you want to be (ranging from just displaying what city you are in to displaying your exact position), but I still don’t quite understand when or why I would want to broadcast my location to everyone all the time. It seems like something I would do so selectively that Twitter could do the job nicely without giving away more than I am comfortable with.
Am I crazy?
Filed under: Consumer Web, Mobile Web, Privacy, Social Computing
You’re absolutely not insane at all. That’s actually why we built Fire Eagle in the way that we did. You can go and use something like the Fire Eagle Facebook app to share your location with your friends if you want ( http://apps.new.facebook.com/on-fire/ ) or you can just stick a very general map on your blog at the city level if you travel a lot, or just get Fire Eagle to tell some services you like where you are so they can give you better information without another human ever seeing it.