[Geowanking] Verizon Location Services Walled Garden

[Mike Liebhold]

For those of us naively anticipating a truly open mobile geoweb in 2007, 
the most recent issues of Directions Magazine's  newsletters feature 
some sobering  and depressing details of Verizon' s LBS stringent 
developer program

Verizon Wireless' 3rd Party LBS Developer Program (TheZON)  By David H. 
Williams  Dec 28, 2006
 http://www.lbs360.net/articles/index.php?article_id=2370

Here's a few quotes:

    /"... Nearly all of VZW's subscribers' cell phone now have an
    embedded GPS chip in them, and VZW uses Assisted-GPS as its primary
    location determination method, backed up by AFLT (Advanced Forward
    Link Trilateration) network triangulation in poor GPS visibility
    areas. VZW offers LBS only on BREW handsets...."/

    /" ... In considering applications to deploy on the VZW deck,  [
    garden ]/

    /...    Uniqueness - .... The company does not want application
    redundancy; it is looking for unique applications to add to the deck
    [garden] ..."/
    /...     Business Case - .... what is the real market opportunity?
    How do you intend to make money?  "/
    /...     Provide revenue/subscriber projections by subscription 3rd
    Party Output/Deliverable: Revenue Projections/

    /There are more details on the Verizon Developers' web site:/
    / http://www.vzwdevelopers.com/aims//

    /" Am I guaranteed that my application will launch on the Verizon
    Wireless network? [garden]/

    /No. Verizon Wireless will evaluate the application based on its
    merits, the business case,  ... and how well the application aligns
    with Verizon Wireless' goals and business objectives. ...  " /


There's nothing  like the open web here in  having a monopoly network 
operator in your face and in your books. 

[sigh]


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