Author: JT

This tech allows the location of a device to help to determine some of its settings.

Apple has just received a new patent that involves the use of geolocation technology that is a part of a comprehensive system that will control consumer devices, adjusting their settings based on where they are.

This would allow Apple to use data based on location as provided from devices such as iPads and iPhones.

Apple would be able to use geolocation technology provided through its devices as well as the use of RFID badges or credit cards to identify the whereabouts of a user to automated systems. This would allow those automated systems to act on behalf of the user, such as adjusting climate control, turning on or off lights, or turning on or off power.

This geolocation technology functions in a way that is compared to geo-fencing.

Geo-fencing is something that Apple already uses in its own native Reminders app on its mobile device operating system. It functions by using geolocation technology to determine when a user has entered into or has exited a pre-designated location in order to trigger actions, such as providing an alert of something that the individual wanted to remember. However, this new system would take the tech a step further. Instead of sending out a reminder to the user, it would automatically take actions in the user’s household in order to achieve goals such as making it more comfortable for the person because the lights are on and it has been heated or cooled, or it could save energy.

This does make the new geolocation technology somewhat more complex than the original use. The patent provides a description of a system that would gather information so that it could not only identify where the user happens to be and where they are headed, but also the types of activities in which they will be engaging along their route and once they reach their destination. This requires a great deal of accuracy in terms of making these predictions.

It means that the geolocation technology will either need to rely on regular polling of the mobile device from regular intervals, or it will need to be accumulated from fixed remote devices such as the receivers of keycards or when certain trigger events take place, such as when a device communicates with a particular cell tower.

Mobile commerce is growing

Mobile commerce has been showing strong growth around the world, but not everyone is making mobile payments. This is largely due to a lack of experience with mobile commerce platforms. While many consumers spend a significant amount of their time on a smartphone or tablet, relatively few of these people are comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce due to lack of exposure to the concept itself. Hailo, a venture capital-backed company that matches taxi drivers and passengers through the use of mobile applications, believes that there is a promising future ahead for mobile commerce.

Hailo helps expose consumers to new concepts

Hailo can find a person a taxi in many of the largest cities around the world. The application even allows passengers to pay cab fare using only their mobile device. Hailo believes that the service is quite beneficial to those that have somewhere to go in a hurry and it has certainly become useful to those that are too inebriated to drive safely. Hailo’s line of applications are not, of course, strictly designed to function as mobile commerce platforms, but they may be exposing more users to the concept of mobile commerce than many people realize.

Application may provide a much needed introductory step to mobile commerce

Hailo CEO Jay Bregman believes that mobile commerce will change the way people live their lives. Hailo’s impressive popularity is enough to suggest that this may be the case, as it has won praise from consumers for its mobile commerce capabilities. Bregman claims that the Hailo application can open up new doors in the future within the realm of mobile commerce, with the application itself serving as a low-impact first step for those that are unfamiliar with mobile payments in general.

Mobile commerce may change the way people pay for goods and services in the future

While many consumers have expressed interest in the idea of mobile payments, most do not participate in mobile commerce because they are uncertain of how to do so. The Hailo application can be considered as an introduction to mobile commerce, showing how consumers can pay for services that are quite valuable to them without actually using any form of physical currency.