ASK Mobile GPS Provides a Glimpse of What is to Come

Today the official Ask.com Blog announced details of its local-focused mobile services called Ask Mobile GPS. When I read the offering provided by this 1st generation of local (GPS-driven) mobile service currently only available on specific Sprint phones, I was blown away. The Ask blog posting explains these details more thoroughly but here is a point-by-point rundown of the new offering:

• Share My Location: opt to let specific friends know where you are at any given moment… creepy but cool. If a friend wants to meet with you their Sprint phone will provide step by step directions to get to your location.
• Directions: navigate to any available location using audible driving (or walking) directions provided in real-time by the GPS enabled phone.
• CitySearch: search for specific stores or facilities in your current area. The CitySearch will provide recommendations within a predescribed distance of your location.
• EVites: receive and send invites to friends for parties or simply a coffee meeting. You can create, view, cancel or accept EVites easily from your phone. In each case the EVites can provide directions to the event location.
• Favorite Places: save shortcuts to your favorite locations for easy access to directions wherever you are.

Being the first to launch this powerful mobile service Ask.com has really put itself ahead of the pack. “At the end of the day, everyone needs to go mobile. But being early in the game can help lock people in for the long term,” Ask’s CEO, Jim Lanzone aptly stated in an interview with Reuters.