Google's New Navigation Software: Collecting info about where you are in real time (to serve real time ads?)

The just announced Google Maps Navigation looks pretty cool:

Google is announcing plans Wednesday to release a new Android application called Google Maps Navigation. When combined with a GPS-equipped mobile phone running Android 2.0, it provides turn-by-turn directions powered by Google Maps and a slick user interface that combines features such as voice recognition and Google Street View. Google Maps Navigation, like seemingly everything that emerges from Google, will be free.

"Mobile platforms--Android and others--are so powerful now that you can build client apps that can do magical things connected to the cloud," said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in a briefing for reporters at Google's headquarters on Tuesday.

The software won't be open sourced, but will be "free"--so how will Google make money?  It could license the software, perhaps to Apple for the iPhone. But Google will likely try to make money through its bread-and-butter advertising network. 

So I wonder what information will be collected by Google. Does that mean Google will not only know what I've searched for, what's in my email, what photos I have in Picassa, and where I want to go--but it'll know where I am presently and how far I am from my destination? That's cool...maybe...or not. 

BTW, the Verizon Droid also looks pretty cool.

Comments

[r4i]

I am waiting for this mobile I am very fond of new phones I loved to use this multimedia and high definition phone these are the My favorite gadgets.They give you very nice performance with sound as well as picture quality and other multimedia.