I was just perusing the list of the top 50 applications submitted to the Andriod Developer Challenge. As Engadget pointed out, many of the applications are Location Based Services. That piqued my interest since I have felt location-aware mobile applications are running way behind schedule (the imaginary schedule I setup in my head based on when I purchased my first cell phone with GPS).
One of those applications is called Locale. Apparently it is an application that changes your phone’s behavior based on where you are. This is exactly the kind of LBS I have been hoping for. Reporting my location to my friends/family is kinda cool, but kinda creepy. Forwarding my phone to my home phone while I am at home is totally awesome. I would also like to send my phone directly to voicemail if I am at the lake.
I am expecting that we will see these same kinds of applications for the iPhone shortly, but seeing them first for Android does give some credibility to the “release the SDK first” strategy that Google has taken.
