GPS Edges Out Internet as Desired Cellphone Capability in National Survey
Written by Leo J. Shapiro & Associates
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
CHICAGO, Dec. 20 - Underscoring soaring consumer interest in navigation
services based on the Global Positioning System (GPS), a new national
survey by Leo J. Shapiro and Associates (LJS) found that cellphone
users cite GPS capability more frequently than Internet access as a
desired feature.
Based on data from phone interviews conducted in early December with a national sample of 450 Americans, the survey found that among current cellphone owners 24% would want their next cellphone to have GPS capabilities, while 19% would want Internet access. The survey also found that the vast majority of GPS device owners do not have GPS-enabled cellphones. Among current GPS owners 51% report having a portable GPS device, 39% have a car-based device, and only 6% have a GPS-enabled cellphone.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. satellite-based system that provides reliable positioning, navigation and timing services. Analogous to a global "Where's Waldo?" game, a GPS-enabled device can pinpoint your location. GPS navigation devices overlay your location with maps from a geographic information system (GIS) to create an interactive, instantaneous, personal guide. These responses suggest consumer interest in GPS-enabled cellphones will continue to rise as their utility moves beyond location-tracking to navigation and concierge services found in the latest dashboard and hand-held versions.
These new findings build on previous research conducted by LJS in early October, which revealed that today's GIS-based mapping tools have achieved striking penetration into the everyday lives of Americans. A majority (60%) report recent use of a geographic website (e.g. Map Quest, Google Maps), with nearly everyone (94%) reporting they have heard of GPS. New GPS-enabled personal navigation devices are leapfrogging past early-adopter growth and surging almost directly into mainstream usage, with nearly one-third (32%) reporting having used a GPS-enabled device.
"GPS is displaying a rapid and unusual pattern of diffusion," adds Owen Shapiro, Vice President of LJS. "Our research is finding the purchase and use of GPS-enabled devices is not confined to segments of the population in which 'early adopters' are generally concentrated -- the young, highly educated or affluent. Today's GPS-enabled devices are being widely adopted, including among the middle-aged and elderly. As this breakout unfolds, we expect intensifying marketplace competition among the incumbent and newcomer brands as they race for dominance in this explosively growing market."
Leo J. Shapiro & Associates is a marketing research firm that provides a combination of traditional and innovative research techniques to clients across a wide range of industries. For more information please visit http://www.ljs.com/.
Mobile Technology Feature - Top 10 Business Apps for Android - Android has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems
in the world due to advanced software, competitive manufacturers, and an
app market that is filled with exciting and useful applications. Read
on for this fine Top 10 List compiled by tech writer, Blake Sanders
The Really Big List of Mapping, Geo location Mobile developer resources, APIs and Tools - The Mobile Ecosystem... no question that mobile is huge and
the opportunity for developers, in particular, geo developers! There's
loads of developer resources on the web so to help the developer,
here's a listing of just some of the fine dev resources, blogs,
toolsets and more to consider when developing or porting your app to a
smartphone or Tablet.
ArcGIS.com Mashup Tutorial with Flickr and Foursquare data-
Here's a simple "how to" tutorial on working with the free ArcGIS.com
to easily import KML or RSS data from Flickr and foursquare into ArcGIS
to create your own custom map mashup. ArcGIS.com has some recent
updates including support for KML, be sure to check it out!
Most Users of Free Photo Apps Say Adding Cool Effects is Most Useful - Adding cool effects
to photos was rated as the most useful thing by more than halfof
consumers surveyed using free online photography services, according to
CatchFree a free
online service that helps people find the best free mobile and web applications
to perform useful tasks.
Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Up Close - No Replacement for the iPad But Pretty Darned Sweet - As could be
expected, speculation and blogging is rampant with many stories and
pseudo "reviews" coming out, many of them touting the next "iPad
killer".
Mobile Developer Resource - MapQuest & The Mobile Worker - Facility management companies, surveyors, multi-level marketing,
insurance claims, pipeline companies, water utilities; all have field
workers who would benefit from mobile applications. Not only checking in
to work sites, but keeping a record of the work done
Flickr GPS Photo Tag Tip - Here's a tip for Flickr users who want to share their GPS information
with their photos. note, in order to do this you'll need to be
capturing photos using a GPS-enabled or GPS-aware camera (see you're
smartphone hardware settings to ensure that GPS or location sharing is
turned "ON)".
Mobile data usage in Canada to triple between 2010 and 2012 - Some interesting, yet not terribly surprising, numbers on mobile
usage coming out of Canada. According to a report summarized on
Techvibes, mobile usage is soaring, in particular, the smartphone
segment
Social Location Directory
Do you have a location-aware application, social location service or other location-sensitive service that you'd like to share with us? Please browse this growing directory of Social location Services and feel free to leave a link to your favorite service! See the Directory HERE
Suggested Reading
The Underground Guide To The iPhone:
The iPhone is – if I may say so – one of the greatest mobile
revolutions of the past decade. More and more, mobile phones seem to
materialize out of our wildest dreams. Because of the tight integration
of third-party applications, you can do nearly everything with your
device — be it gaming, working, fooling around, and of course phoning.
Good Mobile Messaging: Executives and professional field forces spend an increasing amount of time on the road tending to business.
Mobile Apps - Native or Web?:
You probably have a plan to build a mobile app, but you've struggled
with the basic question - Should I build it using open web standards
such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or should I build it as a native app
for the devices I want to target?
iBike Coach App- a new “Always On” feature always gathers data
Nike+ GPS App- for sports tracking, recording and sharing
Featured Events
Content & Apps for Automotive Europe 2012 (18-19 April, Germany)
will give you key insights on how in-vehicle connectivity is being
revolutionised as OEMs integrate dynamic content to stay relevant
throughout the vehicle life cycle.
Location Intelligence for Enterprise - Europe 2012, January 16-17, London Hear from Google, Jones Lang LaSalle, Tesco, Willis, Oracle,
ESRI, Microsoft, PBBI and many more as they debate the best strategies
for business models and integration.
Consumer Telematics Show 2012 (Jan 9, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, USA) is the most prestigious and
dynamic consumer telematics focused meeting for the automotive industry.
Held in Las Vegas on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES),
this year's senior-level speakers will include General Motors, Audi,
Toyota, Panasonic, Continental, Hughes Telematics, Gartner, KIA,
Mercedes-Benz and many more
Esri Dev Summit - The
Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS
professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs,
CA