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Google Latitude location-sharing app hitting Android

04 February 2009 by Chris Davies


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+10 [16 votes]


google_latitude_2Google have released Google Latitude, an update to their Mobile Maps app which adds the ability to share your location with other users, track friends’ movements and trigger calls, emails and IM conversations with them directly from Latitude’s user interface.  Available for Android devices now, G1 users in the US will be receiving Maps v3.0 in a system update soon.

Since using GPS in this way can be a contentious issue, Google have given Latitude users the ability to restrict location information on a contact-by-contact basis; alternatively it will let you enter a false position manually.  Results are shown either on a map or in a list, from which individual people can be contacted without having to exit Latitude and go into your phonebook.  Right now, the app works in 27 countries; there’s also an iGoogle plugin available for desktop use.

Since not everybody uses a T-Mobile G1, Latitude is also available for most Windows Mobile 5.0 and above devices, most Symbian S60 handsets, and most color BlackBerry smartphones.  Versions for the iPhone, iPod touch and many Sony Ericsson handsets will apparently be available soon.

[via TechCrunch]

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  1. Interesting! Sounds like it might be a little more feature-rich than GPSTracker + InstaMapper.
  2. Im not seeing this when I search the UK Market. Also when you visit the (google.com/latitude) url is just says coming soon. Is the UK being denied this at the moment or is everyone getting the same thing?
  3. This is going to be really cool i cant wait to get the update for this. I have been holding off from using any of the applications to do all this becuase i knew google would come up with something that would blow them all out of the water, and here it is.
  4. Quote:
    Originally Posted by SilentJon View Post
    Im not seeing this when I search the UK Market. Also when you visit the (google.com/latitude) url is just says coming soon. Is the UK being denied this at the moment or is everyone getting the same thing?
    its not an application its going to be an OTA update
  5. is this RC33 that lattitude will come?
  6. Love it! Now this is why I got this damn phone. Nice to see google getting off their asses.
  7. This will be great. What I like about it the most is that it appears it is going to be availabe on a great deal of other platforms as well. I don't know many people that have G1's, but I know a ton of people with Windows based phones and Blackberrys.
  8. Hey, thanks for the heads up benthomasg1
  9. Quote:
    Originally Posted by SilentJon View Post
    Hey, thanks for the heads up benthomasg1
    Yeah this is going to be really cool, I live in Kansas City,MO but im from a small town and my brother (who i talk into getting a g1) is always coming to Kansas City and getting lost so he calls me to get him back to where he needs to go, so this will let me bring up maps and give him directions.

    And i think this is going to be a cool, look what my phone can do kinda thing...lol
  10. Maybe a better title for this article would have been "Google Latitude location-sharing app hitting US Android Phones" as I'm getting annoyed with Android sites wilfully ignoring that the rest of the world exists and posting sensational news stories about what may or may not be included in a software update which will be pushed out to a limited subset of users.

    Sort your journalistic standards out. There are countries in the world beyond the borders of the U.S.A, Canada, Mexico and "Iraquistan".
  11. I wonder how this will affect battery life.
  12. Quote:
    Originally Posted by MrUfnb View Post
    Maybe a better title for this article would have been "Google Latitude location-sharing app hitting US Android Phones" as I'm getting annoyed with Android sites wilfully ignoring that the rest of the world exists and posting sensational news stories about what may or may not be included in a software update which will be pushed out to a limited subset of users.

    Sort your journalistic standards out. There are countries in the world beyond the borders of the U.S.A, Canada, Mexico and "Iraquistan".
    The author lives in the UK.

    Open mouth. Insert foot.
  13. Quote:
    Originally Posted by GasBot View Post
    The author lives in the UK.

    Open mouth. Insert foot.
    ^^^^^^^^^ bwahahahahahaha. know your content before you state your argument...lol nice catch gas bot...
  14. wow, this is really a terribly written and confusing article.
  15. I have been messing around with it in Igoogle and it looks pretty good, can't wait for my update to hit.
  16. Ok...well...this sounds interesting...a little stupid but interesting, nonetheless. My only questions is, when will we get the google earth as seen on the iphone, where you can get bus routes and train numbers? Seeing where my friends are is just dandy but id rather know the fastest way to meet them wherever they are and how to do it, thanks. Just weird that the GOOGLE phone doesn't have the best google maps program there is......
  17. Quote:
    Originally Posted by MrUfnb View Post
    Maybe a better title for this article would have been "Google Latitude location-sharing app hitting US Android Phones" as I'm getting annoyed with Android sites wilfully ignoring that the rest of the world exists and posting sensational news stories about what may or may not be included in a software update which will be pushed out to a limited subset of users.

    Sort your journalistic standards out. There are countries in the world beyond the borders of the U.S.A, Canada, Mexico and "Iraquistan".
    Really with all the problems in the world including this "iraquistan" place that I've never seen on a map, this is where you focus your energy?

    Also I believe you want the author to sort out "your" journalistic standards not his own. Meh
  18. The annoying thing about this is I have a google phone and cant get this app where as my friends have nokia with sybian and already have this app working and are showing me a google phone owner how cool google is.

    Now that is annoying.
  19. Quote:
    The author lives in the UK.
    Hah, the tip-off was "Google have released..."

    Kinda weird IMO that Google has released this ahead of support for the G1--"real soon now."

    As for adopting it, another Brit comes to my mind and brings a little pause: WWOD (What Would Orwell Do?).

    Oh, what the heck... I accept.
  20. Quote:
    Originally Posted by TommyTank200 View Post
    The annoying thing about this is I have a goggle phone and cant get this app where as my friends have nokia with sybian and already have this app working and are showing me a google phone owner how cool google is.

    Now that is annoying.
    I concur, This application should have been made available to us G1 users.
    Anyone projected time period for this OTA update?
  21. Quote:
    Originally Posted by ThatHarlemKat View Post
    I concur, This application should have been made available to us G1 users.
    Anyone projected time period for this OTA update?
    it's going out now. i got it last night. everyone is supposed to get it by the 15th.
  22. Quote:
    Originally Posted by ThatHarlemKat View Post
    I concur, This application should have been made available to us G1 users.
    Anyone projected time period for this OTA update?
    looks like from this thread that you can d/l the update manually.

    welcome to AC.
  23. So, in order to share your position, you must be in maps/latitude the whole time? If you start running other apps, it seems like it no longer updates your position. So, if you want to share your location with your friends, you all must sit in maps/latitude all day, just in case your friend wants to check out your location.

    Is this true?
  24. Quote:
    Originally Posted by aviators99 View Post
    So, in order to share your position, you must be in maps/latitude the whole time? If you start running other apps, it seems like it no longer updates your position. So, if you want to share your location with your friends, you all must sit in maps/latitude all day, just in case your friend wants to check out your location.

    Is this true?

    That would not be good, I dont have the update yet :-( so cant mess around to confirm this or not I am afraid.
  25. My wife's G1 finally got updated, so I've been experimenting this morning. It appears that you only have to be in the map to transmit GPS coordinates. If you are outside of the map, it seems to transmit cellular coordinates.
  26. Is there any way to share your location, yet hide your friends on your map?
    I don't want to see all those friend icons all the time... It seems i'll have to turn Latitude off completely to do this.
  27. Right I have given up on Google doing the right thing and sorting out Lattitude via update to UK users, is there another way for a UK user to get lattitude working, I would need it to be easy and for some kind soul to talk me through it step by step.

    Hit me back.

    TT
  28. Quote:
    Originally Posted by TommyTank200 View Post
    Right I have given up on Google doing the right thing and sorting out Lattitude via update to UK users, is there another way for a UK user to get lattitude working, I would need it to be easy and for some kind soul to talk me through it step by step.

    Hit me back.

    TT
    Is there no way of getting lattitude on a UK G1 then?
  29. If you have a rooted G1, there is an application called Latitude Enabler for Root.

    That's how I got Latitude on my UK G1.
  30. Quote:
    Originally Posted by kinboshi View Post
    If you have a rooted G1, there is an application called Latitude Enabler for Root.

    That's how I got Latitude on my UK G1.
    I am going to attempt ROOT tonight, wish me luck I will be using the advice listed here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442480 I am not technical but this looks within my capabilities, then hopefully I can get lattitude working and also might try moving cache from phone to sd card etc.

    Is there anything else useful ROOT can do for me in the practical side of things not too fussed about boot screens, wall papers etc but if there is another major advantage then I am keen to know.

    Thanks

    TT
  31. I don't know if anyone else got this but it seems Latitude has been enabled on the g1 in the uk. At least when I went into maps yesterday the join latitude window popped up, and I hadn't used latitude enabler.
  32. Quote:
    Originally Posted by liamw View Post
    I don't know if anyone else got this but it seems Latitude has been enabled on the g1 in the uk. At least when I went into maps yesterday the join latitude window popped up, and I hadn't used latitude enabler.

    Your joking, lol I Rooted last night. I dont fully understand what I have done but the phone is working and I have lattitude, lol. Now I need to work out how to get everything moved to the SD card, I will pick one of the 100's of threads on here telling you how to do it.

    If people can confirm the activation of lattitude in the UK though that would be awesome as I would probably un Root if thats possible, lol.

    TT
  33. I think it has been enabled now...

    Because I have Latitude back on my phone now as well...
  34. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rozza C View Post
    I think it has been enabled now...

    Because I have Latitude back on my phone now as well...
    Same, its never worked for me but just loaded up the Maps app and its there. Im running stock RC9.
  35. I wonder how long that's been there for... o.o

    Because I hadn't used my Maps application for a while either...
  36. I had it on my non-rooted G1 yesterday, but then it disappeared again in the evening!
  37. Yeah mine's disappeared again... -_-

    Seems like it only lasted while there was network problems...
  38. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rozza C View Post
    I wonder how long that's been there for... o.o

    Because I hadn't used my Maps application for a while either...

    I checked mine before I rooted Wednesday night and it wasn't there then, so looks like for 24hrs UK users could get it, rooting is way easier than I thought and adding Lattitude via the app on the market is easy, the other stuff seems way complicated though like moving Cache's etc so I might not attempt that. :-(

    TT
  39. I thought I'd dreamt Latitute being present in the maps because it had disappeared today. But no I was certain it was there!

    When you pressed 'Menu' on the maps app there was an option for "Join Latitute"; after the the privicy policy you could add friends and show your location.

    But like I said, it's gone for the time being.

    UK G1 user BTW.
  40. Shame. It had if for the last two days and then it was gone. I thought it had been an official update.
  41. Root your phones guys I did it and Lattitude works fine now. I have noticed to G1's GPS is not as good as other phones though and the wireless GPS is totally rubbish, but apart from that root is treating me good :-)
  42. Latitude isn't that important for me to root my phone...

    Seeing as I have no friends with a G1...so I'd have nobody to use it with...
  43. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rozza C View Post
    Latitude isn't that important for me to root my phone...

    Seeing as I have no friends with a G1...so I'd have nobody to use it with...
    I dont either but you can connect to your friends with Sybian, and Windows OS on there phones, I have friends with Nokia's and HP Ipaq's all visable to me on my lattitude.
  44. Oh really....

    I didn't know you could do that.. O.o

    Still...can't be bothered to root my G1...

    As I said...it's not that important..
  45. new features coming to mobile as well? maybe?

    LINK >>>> http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/200...-location.html
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