[@NickyColman]

Google has FINALLY delivered it's long awaited latitude program to iPhone!

Don't get confused when I say 'program' because it's not. It's a WebApp so it runs purely in the Safari browser. While I can see people questioning this, it does allow for background activity so it can track you where you go.

I've tried it out & it's surprisingly good. Hopefully it'll get widespread adoption and become the default 'friend tracker'.

Goto google.com/latitude on your iPhone to access it.

(if you wanna add me to test it out just give me a quick PM and I'll add you)

[a_ukboy]

Does yours still work when you've closed safari? Mine seems to only keep track when I have safari open on the Google page! X

[@NickyColman]

Yeah, it does track you. Mine tracked me from work. Woop.

[a_ukboy]

Hmmm, I've been testing this all afternoon with a couple of mates and mine only updates when safari open, once closed that's it no more tracking!! Have you changed any settings? I've said yes to allow sharing and my location services are switched on.. My mate told me that when I left my safari on it updated every couple of mins, then I closed safari and it didn't update for over an hour, until I reopened safari??

[@NickyColman]

Can i ask, are you using an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS?

The reason i ask is, ive read reports on several sites, that Safari on 3GS can run background tasking due to its enhanced memory, whereas the 3G closes down Safari pages to conserve memory.

[a_ukboy]

I've got the 32gb 3gs

[a_ukboy]

Check here http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=136647#iphone
says for iPhone you have to have safari open and not screen locked.. Pants!!!!

[@NickyColman]

Does that not mean it has to be the front-most window on Safari thats open? Who knows? It seems to update almost instantaneously for me! Perhaps im wrong!?

[@NickyColman]

hhhmmmm, seems it doesnt allow background after all!!

See http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/07/23/google_navigates_latitude_for_iphone_around_backgr ound_limits.html

[@NickyColman]

Just tried turning off Location Services whilst Google Latitude is running i. Safari and it comes up with an alert to warn you that Safari is using Location Services.

Never seen that before? Could this mean it does run inthe background?

[a_ukboy]

Don't know, we could test it on each other if you like? I'm moving all over London today and tomorrow so could be a good way of testing

[Hands0n]

The attached is showing an iPhone on charge, in its dock, at the homescreen (the springboard) - thats the one with the Cat icon. The other is a T-Mobile G1 Android handset.

So there must be something residual in the iPhone handset ... despite what anyone else says.

Screen grab taken with Safari on a Mac

[@NickyColman]

Interesting stuff!

My iPhone battery drops like mad when ive got Latitude open, maybe because its constantly updating my location. Much more than what its like with just Location Services on.

[Hands0n]

Yes it is - although I am not entirely sure I quite like the idea of it running on my handset for Google to be tracking. I presume that they are storing all of this information somewhere? Even for only a short time??

I confess that I do not know enough about Lattitude from the point of what its purpose is, why did Google even bother, what do they want us to do with it, or will they do with the data. I am not entirely convinced that a foreign nation really needs to keep track of members of the [British] public. It inspires, in me, this view of the US authorities having a "feed" of this information. Perhaps you may visit a certain building, and later try to enter the USA and get "inconvenienced" at immigration basis the location data they seem to have on you.

The stuff of conspiracy theory? Maybe. But I cannot for a moment imagine that the notion of having access to such location information has not escaped the US homeland defence organisations and agencies.

[Hands0n]

Interesting stuff!

My iPhone battery drops like mad when ive got Latitude open, maybe because its constantly updating my location. Much more than what its like with just Location Services on.

Hmmm, As long as you are signed in to Lattitude the iPhone seems to keep updating Google about your whereabouts.

As soon as you 'sign out' the updating of Lattitude stops, although it takes a while to go stale on the map (where the icon will eventually go grey).

[@NickyColman]

@Hands0n - I agree with you on a lot of the points you made there. Specifically, what is the point of Latitude?

What are we supposed to do with it? We cant talk to each other through it. We cant send information about whats around us or take pictures to leave on the map, so what do Google want us to do with it? Whats compelling about it?

[gorilla]

I think latitude is going to compliment wave. On it's on I don't really need it or want it. I live in a small country, with a centralised population, with family and friends not that far away. I could probably guess where they are!
Perhaps there is a "need" for this in major cities or if you know lots of people who travel a lot, but I'm not seeing it at the moment.

[@NickyColman]

Right, its been about a week so what do we all think? Any good?

I've added a few friends to the service (a few with iPhone, one with a HTC Hero). Its a good bit of technology-come-social network. Really easy to use and quite reliable.

But its boring. By the time I've turned Location Services on, opened and loaded the app (which takes 2 seconds) and I've taken a look where all my friends are I am then left with the thought "what now?". It just seems a little redundant.

Its a shame they (Google) cant allow it to sync up with your Facebook/FriendFeed/Twitter & so on. Then i think we would see a much bigger take up of the service.

As it stands, the only people i know who are using this service are techno-tards like myself! :D

[hecatae]

I've added it to my homescreen, though it's only reliable up to half a mile

[Hands0n]

Turn on GPS. Mine is accurate to a few metres
. Even shows when I move from one end of garden to the other :)

[Hands0n]

Turn on GPS. Mine is accurate to a few metres
. Even shows when I move from one end of garden to the other :)

[hecatae]

mine's accurate for me and gps is turned on

but, my wife is sitting next to me, and her iphone shows me as half a mile away and her in the correct place, and mine shows me in the correct place and her half a mile away.

[Hands0n]

LOL - thats a bit weird ... No, that's well weird :)

Could that be a practical demonstration of the Jobsian RDF? (Reality Distortion Field). I thought that was just urban rumour.

[@NickyColman]

It's be a month or two since I started using Latitude for iPhone. It hasnt changed my life yet. But I am starting to notice it more.

I've got the Google Latitude 'widget' for my iGoogle page so every time I open Safari I can instantly see where everyone of my 'tuders is all the time.

I'm quite jealous that the Android sporting people out there can update their location in the background. Us iPhonees are stuck to manually updating. Tut!

[Hands0n]

Yea, Android certainly shows up the iPhone's restriction on background apps. Having both I find that the Android can be so much more useful in some cases. I don't think that Apple's "push" notification strategy is comparable. It is, at best, just different.

[@NickyColman]

Its really frustrating that iPhone cant do something SO seemingly simple. iPhone users generally pay a premium to use a premium handset that is so restricted in so many senses.

My friend just got a Magic on a £25 a month contract with unlimited texts/internet with the handset for free. She has access to Latitude. Yet I am forced to manually locate myself. Not really smooth.

Its a shame Apple cant allow a verified status to developers like Google. Perhaps Apple will release more indepth code to developers later down the line so that apps can access certain areas like Location Services etc.