Nokia announces GPS tracking for social networkers

Nokia has announced a new phone tracking Service, called ‘Friend View’, which allows social networkers to locate each other via a handset’s GPS system.

Following the announcement, StrategyEye Digital Media analyst, Thomas Warren, reports that the service could have implications that aren’t immediately obvious.

With Friend View, members of a social networking group can automatically map their friends’ locations and display them simultaneously on certain Nokia handsets, with a different avatar allocated to each contact.

According to Thomas Warren, the service will make it easier to meet up with friends, provide security when out late at night, and help to prevent phone theft.

However the report suggests that the service might not be profitable for several years because of the high investment costs needed.

The press release announcing the StrategyEye Digital Media report doesn’t mention possible safety issues with the service, but it is to be hoped that it will come with warnings to social networkers to guard their location from anyone but their most trusted friends and family.