Enter Google;Exit Microsoft,Stage Left

Google Maps Navigation will change the way the location-based services industry does business. How it will change the industry remains to be seen,but a major player offering the same services for free that companies are now enjoying much profit from,is very disconcerting. In other company news,MSN Direct’s use of unused FM radio spectrum was a great idea in 2004. It effectively used unused portions of the FM radio spectrum to deliver such location-based services as real-time traffic,weather and other content. It was a victim of low-cost and evolving technology for LBS delivery. Having Microsoft involved in LBS was a big shot in the arm for the industry. However,it remains to be seen what the company’s plans are to continue in the LBS space in the near future.