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Google Dashboard (beta)
February 03, 2006
Here comes the Google Beetle.
Volkswagen has formally announced it's working with Google and nVidia to, as Reuters reports, "build an in-car navigation map system and a three-dimensional display so passengers can recognize where they are in relation to the surrounding topography." VW says it's also working with the two partners on ways to deliver "automatic personalized content updates for its vehicle navigation systems," according to a press release. "Automatic personalized content updates" sounds like "ads" to me.
Smart move. There's been a lot of speculation about delivering location-specific advertisements over cell phones, but car dashboards may be an even better medium for mobile ads. You can certainly imagine local shops, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses bidding to deliver map-based ads targeted not just to your location but to your consumer profile and even your car's current status. Imagine how the price of a gas station ad would go up as your tank empties.
Assuming carmakers get a cut of the ad revenues, you can expect navigation systems to make a quick leap from pricey option to standard feature.
Comments
R u suggesting that Google stock will go up even further? I recently ate in their gr8 cafetaria and was amused to hear that the stock was not overvalued at all, as per the Google insiders, since Sergei and Larry were fans of the Oracle of Omaha, and do not believe in stock splits, and the stock will keep going up, like the 5 figure value of one Berkashire Hathaway stock. This, in spite of me trying to address the Goog bubble by stating that to someone inside a bubble, everything is normal, i.e., they don't see a bubble. Only people outside the bubble can see the bubble...
Posted by: Sam Mishra at February 4, 2006 02:23 AM
You are assuming it is a bubble based on your understanding but is your understanding based on perfect information? No. Do you know what Google will be doing within the next 6 months? No.
Posted by: theCreator at February 4, 2006 11:30 AM
Hmmm...well it would be good to know where the nearest gas station is when I've only got half a gallon left in the tank. Sounds like a positive feature/benefit to me. Of course now Google will have to make sure their maps are completely up to date...
Posted by: TechTrader at February 4, 2006 01:49 PM
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