The market for GPS-based mobile phone applications is huge and growing bigger everyday. East Coast Diversified Corporation (OTC:ECDC), a leader in GPS-based RFID solutions, recently announced they are considering developing social networking and mobile applications based on GPS tracking technology. A subsidiary of ECDC, EarthSearch Communications, has developed a new division to explore the opportunities in this exciting new market.
Based on current estimates, there are 300 million cell phone users in the US, with 5 billion cell phone users globally. The majority of cell phones come with GPS navigation capabilities pre-installed, so the market potential for GPS-based mobile apps is enormous.
Many people have already heard of Foursquare, the GPS-based social networking application. Foursquare is great for keeping in touch with friends and family on the go, but there are many more useful possibilities for GPS-based cell phone apps. With GPS devices already in most cellular users pockets, uses for GPS related mobile applications could really be left up to ones imagination.
For example, imagine not only being able to know what day a package will be arriving, but being able to know exactly what time the delivery truck is going to arrive at your doorstep. A GPS-based mobile app is capable of doing this.
Potentially you could “see” where the delivery truck is located in real-time. So if you were waiting for a package to be delivered, but also needed to run a quick errand, you could use the app to see if you had enough time to complete the errand based on the truck’s location. So if the truck was in your neighborhood, you would stay put, but if the truck was still a few miles away, you would be able to step out.
As another example, a GPS-based child tracking app would be useful for parents to know if their kids are safely in school, or hanging-out in places they are not supposed to be. A cell phone app could also be used to track objects such as cars, boats, bicycles, airport luggage, pets, or anything else worth tracking.
About EarthSearch Communications:
EarthSearch Communications, is a US-based business whose flagship product, LogiBox, integrates GPS and RFID at the hardware level.
No one knows exactly how EarthSearch will capitalize on the GPS-based social mobile app market, but the company may be set for some impressive growth in the coming years.
The market is pretty hot right now for social networking companies. Recently LinkedIn Corporation, a very popular social networking company went public in one of the strongest IPO’s since Google was publicly listed. Facebook is also set to launch an IPO this year and may reach close to a $100 billion valuation.
Several social networking companies are taking advantage of higher investor interest such as China based Renren, Inc. (NASDAQ:RENN), China’s biggest social-networking website by page views.