Google Latitude

Multiple wireless technologies help Google’s new Latitude service pinpoint your location

Yesterday, Google Inc. released the real-time location tool Google Latitude and opened up a new world of location-based services (LBS) for both PC and mobile phone users.

Latitude enables you to track friends, family, employees and so on — and vice-versa — in real time.

Can I use Google Latitude? According to Google, if you have any mobile device that supports Google Maps for Mobile v3.0 and above, you’re probably good to go. These include Android-powered devices with Maps v3.0 and above; most color BlackBerry devices; most Windows Mobile 5.0 and above devices; and most Symbian S60 devices.

In the near future, you’ll also be able to use Latitude on iPhone and iPod Touch with the Google Mobile App in the U.S., and on many Sony Ericsson devices.

How to download and install

Googlemobile, the official blog, tells you how:

There are two primary ways to use Latitude right now:

1. On your mobile phone: visit google.com/latitude from your phone’s mobile browser to download Google Maps for mobile with Latitude. We currently support most of the popular smartphone platforms: Android, Blackberry, Symbian S60, and Windows Mobile, and we are hoping to see Latitude on the iPhone soon. It will be available through Google Mobile App, and you’ll just need to download or update the app from the App store to find Latitude in the Apps tab.
2. On your computer: go to google.com/latitude from your browser and add the Latitude gadget to your iGoogle homepage. What’s neat is that if you’ve installed Google Gears or if you’re using Google Chrome, you can choose to automatically share your location from your laptop or desktop computer — no smartphone required!