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My review of some LBS services

by mobileman (08/31/2007 - 15:01)

My Favorite LBS Services

This is the big travel weekend, so a short review of my three favorite LBS services seems in order. In the New York metro area there are four main destinations, each with its unique lingo. For the Labor Day weekend people leave “The City” and go either “Upstate” (which for City dwellers is anywhere that is more than 1 mile north of the Bronx!), “Out to the Island” (which is what you say if you go to Long Island but don’t have a place in the Hamptons), “Down the Shore” (that’s the Jersey shore), or “in the mountains” (either the Poconos or Catskills – Since there are no coal miners in the city – the phrase “in the mountains is curious)

For travel directions it is hard to beat the Verizon navigator service for ease of use and value. I used to carry a handheld Garmin unit (cost ~$500, plus map updates). It worked fine, but was one more item to carry. I also had to spend extra money on map updates and remember to download the right detail maps before I went on a trip. For the VZW Navigator feature, I pay about $10/month and the maps and local details are all network based. The voice and map directions are great and they have saved me several times (even walking in “The City”). The cost has a breakeven of over 4 years with the purchase of a standalone unit. It is a good value.

Another feature that I have long trumpeted as the first killer LBS app is rolling out as VZW Chaperone service. This is the long awaited kid finer service. You can locate your kids on a map and get an alert if they leave a specific area. This is a great feature for the pre-teen age group.

Lastly, once you reach your destination you will need to look up restaurants, movies and other local services. My choice for that service is the still un-matched Vindigo service. Vindigo has been around seemingly since the dinosaurs roamed the earth (in Internet time). It is still a great service, albeit you need to know where you are since it does not have LBS hooks with the phone. For destination travel (pleasure or business) it still works well for finding that seafood place or reading a review of a movie before you suggest it to your fellow vacationers. It even can provide you directions and traffic conditions along the way. If this service ever integrated true LBS location it would rock.