Navizon pays users to help build location database
I thought news from The Apple Blog was interesting this morning, considering we were were just talking about Skyhook Wireless and location-based systems. You can use the $9.95 Navizon application on your iPhone 3G and actually earn money back. Using the software, your iPhone will collect and send back data points of WiFi signals a cellular network towers, which Navizon will then use in their database. With that information, Navizon says they can pinpoint your location to within 10 to 30m on a non-GPS device. You won’t get rich on this deal because it takes 10,000 points to earn back your $10 software purchase: you’ll see 15 points for a new cell tower and 3 points for a new WiFi access point. If they’re already been discovered by another Navizon user, those rewards drop to 2 an 1 point respectively.
The news isn’t actually all that new since the rewards program seems to have been in place for well over year, but I never caught wind of it. Navizon offers a free "lite" application on the iPhone that I’ll have to take for a spin. If it seems worthy of my $10, I’ll upgrade to the full version since being on the run can earn back some money and make the overall system better for everyone who uses it. This makes me wonder: how did Skyhook Wireless create what’s arguably the largest location database for WiFi access points and cellular towers?
CNet reported that Skyhook has been sending wardriving cars around the country collecting APs for a few years now. Now that their database is at critical mass, getting users to grow/maintain the data organically is a genius move.
While I’ll prob download the light version to help them build their database (like Kevin, I believe in contributing for the greater good), I’m really not sure what the $10 app gets me. Buddy tracking? Not sure many (any?) of my friends REALLY are keen for that – I can send them a message of “where are you”.
I do think that there are some fantastic location based apps that are yet to be built, but at this point I don’t think this is one. Let us know if you find otherwise, Kevin!
You don’t actually have to pay cash for the full version – just collect 10,000 points using the ‘lite’ version and redeem them for the $10 upgrade fee, so then if you find you can’t collect enough points to make it worthwhile, you won’t be out of pocket…