When a Map is No Longer Just a Map

This past Sunday, I indulged in my one and only reality TV obsession. I long ago gave up on the idea that I could actually be on "Amazing Race" on CBS, especially since my friends refuse to pair up with me to make a team until I learn my left from right.
There is absolutely no way I'd undertake that kind of adventure without a data- and voice-enabled mobile phone with international service. After all, I panic when I leave the house without my BlackBerry. I can't but help think about of all the mobile applications I'd download before taking on an "Amazing Race" adventure. Mobile mapping would be first.
Mobile mapping is just about the ultimate example of relevant, timely, and actionable information. A quick check on usage shows that eight percent of U.S. based mobile subscribers accessed maps from mobile devices over a three-month period that ended in May 2008, according to a comScore report. This represents an 82 percent increase year-over-year. The majority of users were looking for driving directions and accessing the information from a mobile browser versus an application.
Finally, in the mobile space, a map is no longer just a map. The future of navigation for consumers will bridge the gap between point A and point B, bringing people and places (like retail stores and mom-and-pop shops, too) together with marketers like never before. The real promise of on-the-go access is unfolding now. Too bad the folks on "Amazing Race" have to win the old-fashioned way.


Article by Courtney Acuff, The ClickZ Network