Opera Browser w/ Skyhook Wireless Position Function

I have always been a big fan of Skyhook Wireless' technology. These guys powered the iPhone/Google Maps faux-GPS technology using WiFi address to triangulate your approximate location. I just received word today that Opera Browser will team up with Skyhook wireless to enable Geolocation API suuport which allows you to provide your location to websites; enabling customized content based on your whereabouts.

The first thing that comes to my mind was that how is this different than using my LAN IP address to get my geo-location? I am guessing Skyhook's technology differs in that it can hone in closer to your true location since there are way more WiFi IP addresses scanned in their DB. Take a look below for my comparison.

Using my Statcounter account, I can identify myself as being in New York when I visited my blog (first pic below), however, when using my first gen. iPhone's Google Map locate me service, it pin-pointed to the corner of 35th Street and 7th Avenue (where I am!).

This technology will enable some vendors or retailers to provide up to the minute inventory or location based services to help consumers make a sound decision on where to go.

Keep in mind that this is currently available for Opera's desktop browser. I hope to see this feature make its way to the Opera mobile browsers.

Correction: I was explained that this technology will be available on mobile browsers as well. Nice!

Skyhook Wireless Powered iPhone GMAP

This week is the big Search Engines Strategy Conference 2008 here in NYC. I attended its first day today joining a roomful of online marketers trying to keep up to date with everything there is to know about search marketing. I couldn't help but wondered into a session called "Mobile Local Search: Finding the Way". In this session, a panel of four mobile technology firms talked briefly about their services and point-of-view on the mobile experience in local search.

I was surprised to learn about Skyhook Wireless and it's involvement of iPhone's "Locate Me" functionality. For those unfamiliar, iPhone uses one of their hybrid positioning system (XPS) which uses cell-tower IDs and WiFi locations of other iPhone users nearby to triangulate your location with GPS-like accuracy. I had assumed the technology was a by-product of Google-Apple partnership; in the mean while, it was the hard work at Skyhook Wireless deploying 400+ vans covering up to 1.7M miles scanning the streets of America to capture access points. To this date, they have pin-pointed 33M+ WiFi APs in order to give the precision of GPS navigator. They've shown a couple of slides on the APs-mashup over S.F. and Manhattan; basically the entire map is covered by millions of WiFi hotspots. They have plans to expanding this technology to other countries.

Ryan Sarver, Director of Consumer Products, during the conference noted that this technology still has more room to grow and improve. Today, we are able to find our exact location, tomorrow we should expect alerts and notifications for people around us (ie. if you child is wondering off a proximity, you can be notified). Personally, I've seen this technology in action over my iPhone and I think this company is going places!