By THAM YUEN-C

WHERE are you?

This question may soon become redundant on SMS, thanks to location-aware phone services that can broadcast your whereabouts.

No matter who wants to know - a friend, a stranger or even a boutique owner who wants to push advertisements to you - a GPS-equipped phone and location-aware application can tell them where you are.

Location-based services (LBS) are those that tap the geolocation information of your phone - determined through GPS, Wi-Fi or cell tower positioning - to pinpoint you.

Some, like Google Latitude, the search giant's mobile social networking service, allow you to find friends who are near you and others like Rednano Locate, alert you about promotions from cafes, restaurants and other businesses in the vicinity.

Smartphones pave the way

Such pinpointing services are growing in popularity. ABI Research predicts that revenues from LBS will surpass US$14 billion (S$19.6billion) by 2014.

Smartphones are driving the revolution.

Gartner research analyst Annette Zimmermann said in a report published last year that the higher availability of GPS-enabled phones, reduced prices and appearance of application stores were factors driving the location-aware trend.

Apple's iPhone leads the pack as the device fuelling the trend.

Since it added GPS antennas in 2008, developers have rushed to create location-based apps for the hot touchscreen device.

There are now nearly 6,000 iPhone location-based apps, compared to 2,800 six months ago, according to figures from Skyhook Wireless. The Boston-based firm provides the Wi-Fi positioning smarts used by many LBS customers.

Android Market has 900 such apps and BlackBerry App World has 300.

Today, location-based apps have gone beyond maps and navigation.

The Internet backbone, on which the LBS services ride, has spurred new services and made existing ones more viable.

For instance, when the apps pinpoint where you are, the information is broadcast online, so you figure out your own location vis-a-vis others. This additional layer of information encourages people to interact with each other when they are nearby.

For friends, online-based LBS services let them sniff out each other when they are in the same vicinity, so they can 'bump' into each other more easily.

For businesses, it is a big deal to be able to attract shoppers nearby with discounts, promotions and new wares.

Digital Life takes a look at some of these free apps.

yuenc@sph.com.sg

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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