So when Android, the open source mobile phone platform becomes the “normal”, you know, widely distributed, and of course I imagine it will, we will soon be carrying a cute little personalised Google spy in our pockets!

Hang on a minute, you what?

Ok think about this for a sec. Google Android is open source, it is an operating system, the thing which will make your phone work. Currently there are a variety of operating systems in use for mobile phones and depending on which provider you are signed up with will depend on how much access you have to “tweak” the that operating system.

Open Source

Yes Android is open source meaning the code is available for anyone to look at, therefore anyone can develop applications for. You know, all these widgets will appear, widgets like you see in your Facebook account? Well not exactly I predict many more useful applications will be available.

Personalised Info

Already your phone is capable of sending a signal back to HQ (where ever the HQ application is) stating “hey I am currently here at these coordinates”. Of course where this becomes particularly interesting is when your shopping habits and destinations are “learnt” by these new “lifestyle widgets”, yes folks when the crafty marketing peeps dip their toes in this, it will be game on.

Let’s say you often enjoy a morning pastry at the local Starbucks. Starbucks sign up with the application data service which sends the application server new information about offers they may have on at any point. You walk close to Starbucks and the suddenly “beep beep” you receive a text stating “Starbucks special offer half-price pastries today”.

Life Style Widgets

I’m going to go out on a limb and name these cute data mining packages Life Style Widgets. Do I mind this, will it bother me I can be profiled and offered various different products based on my geographic reference AND passed buying habits? Not at all, I’m really looking forward to the messages I’ll get when I walk passed a lap-dancing bar!

Seriously though folks it is coming, are you going to embrace that, or develop for it?

You Android you!

Technorati Tags: android application cell data facebook marketing mining mobile phone server starbucks widgets android marketing server widgets application mobile phone cell starbucks data mining facebook

So today I had a business lunch in the centre of London with a friend of mine, Mike. We are both what you might call “eager beavers” when it comes to using new technology and might even go so far as to call ourselves new-media operators and thinkers.

Certainly today we were operating and discussing new-media technologies, for example we created an audio interview which will become available on the internet through an RSS feed along with being streamed somewhere at some point. We then went on to discuss online social networking tools one of which being the current big-gun Facebook.

Mike was asking if I had seen the footage concerning data-mining and the connection of some of the venture capital funds for the company, and I hadn’t. He then forwarded me the link to the YouTube video below.

So, personally I must say if this is true, so what?

Every time I place something about me on a site, a blog, a forum, I’m accepting that it could be used in some way for other data purposes, and more than likely it is, is that something I should care about, is that just the way the modern world works?

As a disclaimer, I’ve not personally researched the story behind the video, nor will I, as I’m not bothered, isn't it the point that I'm sharing I'm an atheist, or I'm straight, or I am male, or I like music, with everyone?

I’ll continue to use Facebook.

What’s your take on it?

Technorati Tags: data facebook fbi federal human media mining new new-media privacy social data mining facebook human fbi federal social media new new-media privacy