Custom Google Latitude Video

Several months ago, Google released a cool yet slightly creepy feature for mobile devices that essentially reports your current physical location to Google Maps. This service, Google Latitude, also adds the expected privacy controls so only friends can share this information.  I have installed Latitude on my mobile but have yet to really integrate the service into my life. Still, I remain optimistic that social, proximity aware applications will find their niche and start adding value to our daily lives.

Although Google does not share your identity and location with advertisers directly, such information may allow for future advertisements to be personalized and ideally, more effective. Google already provides local search results based on your GPS or network IP. Further personalization is certainly not far off.

I believe the intentions of these services are for the good of the consumer and Google is sticking to their informal “don’t be evil” motto. However, the day my computer calls itself HAL and starts asking me what I’m doing, will be an appropriate day to start rethinking that optimism.

In any case, Google is pushing forward with its Latitude product which currently runs on Android, Blackberry, Nokia, and Windows smartphones. Perhaps in the spirit of this more personalized and integrated lifestyle that Latitude hopes to inspire, Google released a promotional video that allows anyone to customize the ending and send to a friend (see mine here).

Well done Google.  But one question—do your interns ever get tired running around town all day spelling our custom messages?