Intel's Useless LBS Scenarios

Intel is “examining” the world of indoor WiFi positioning. The scenarios of usage of such a technology are laughable and cannot be seen as a serious entry into LBS.

The technology could be used, for example, to alert you if your dog leaves the yard, to decide which printer on a network is most efficient for a pending print job, or to determine the shortest route to an emergency exit in a building.

The punsh lines “It can make medical research easier” and “It’s making computing more intelligent and user-friendly ” are no less than plain scary. Surprising for a company founding the Place Lab project that has some studies of user experiences and LBS.

Related are the DoCoMo scenarios for their ubicomp technologies (Interconnected World).