Wondering why you keep getting followed by shadowy figures in trenchcoats and fake moustaches? Worried that those snipers on the rooftops always seem to know exactly where you are? We think we know what's going on: it's the Pre in your pocket. Turns out that Palm has code tucked away in webOS that's uploading your location periodically -- once a day or so -- along with a list of applications you've used and how long they've been open. Here's our take on the situation:

• One of the very first screens you see when you power on the Pre for the first time is a disclaimer asking you to allow Google to collect, aggregate, and anonymize your location data in order to improve the performance of location-based services. Furthermore -- and this is important -- "collection will occur regardless of whether any applications are active." We don't know whether Palm acts as a conduit for that data to get to Google, but we'd be surprised if Palm had built services to pipe location data straight to Google within webOS itself; in all likelihood, Palm's getting the data first, which is why it's being uploaded there. Bear in mind that you're seeing this warning outside the context of any Google app on the Pre -- it's right in the operating system. Palm has its own terms and conditions that you agree to above and beyond Google's, too, and they flat-out say they "may collect, store, access, disclose, transmit, process, and otherwise use your location data." There you have it.
• App usage is a pretty benign stat -- equate it to TiVo anonymizing and selling your viewing habits, except even less interesting, because we have no evidence to suggest Palm's trying to sell this. We can totally understand why Palm would want insight into app popularity, and when you think about it, this could actually lead to some pretty clever ranking systems in the App Catalog; the iPhone has starkly demonstrated that download volume doesn't equate to replay value, and Palm might be able to do something about that. Oh, and seriously, you need to cut it out with the Jon & Kate Plus 8.
• When an app crashes, Palm gets some more in-depth information about the crash, most notably a list of installed apps. You know what else collects and sends a crapload of information when an app crashes? Mac OS. Windows, too. If they really wanted to go into CYA mode, they could ask before sending the way those desktop OSes do, but we're not sweating bullets here -- we just want stability, and this kind of data helps them get there.

Bottom line: we're all carrying phones that can identify who we are and where we are -- and they have the wireless means to ferry that data wherever their makers wish. And let's not forget that your Palm Profile lives out there in the cloud anyhow, right?

[Via PreCentral]

Update: Palm has issued a statement on the situation, basically confirming what we suspected -- it's collecting information to offer "a great user experience," which we take to mean that it's trying to squash bugs and keep location-centric apps functional, among other things. They've also mentioned that it's possible to turn data collecting services off without going into details -- ostensibly they're referring to the checkbox at setup (see above) that lets you stop sending aggregated location results to Google.

Following its competitors down the path of familial omniscience, AT&T has rolled out its aptly-named FamilyMap service for tracking signed-up phones from afar. Interestingly, any AT&T phone is supported -- if you're looking to track one that doesn't have GPS / AGPS, it simply falls back to less-accurate techniques like tower triangulation, which is better than nothing. Besides simply scouting your kiddies (or spouse, or whomever else agrees to your oversight) on a map, you can do cooler things like set up automatic emails or text messages to get location updates, track a swiped phone, and more. Sadly, your ability to spy is limited by the fact that AT&T periodically sends tracked phones text messages reminding them they've got Big Brother on their tail, but it's better than nothing. The first 30 days are free to try, then you're looking at $9.99 a month for up to two phones or $14.99 for up to five.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

As if the addition of TeleNav GPS to the T-Mobile G1 wasn't evidence enough, Google is totally into exploiting the GPS capabilities of its Android-based handsets. First up is My Tracks, which quite simply "records tracks of outdoor activities using the phone's built-in GPS." From there, it shows the data points on a map and presents live statistics (which even includes an elevation profile); obviously, sharing said routes is a lesson in simplicity thanks to Google Maps and Google Docs. Next up are location-based Gmail signatures, which oddly enough, use your IP address in order to append a current location to your sent emails. Granted, this approach is better than nothing, but there's certainly the chance of it missing your real whereabouts by a town or three. At any rate, feel free to dig into both in the read links below.

Read - Google My Tracks
Read - Location-based Gmail signatures

If your crew is just too occupied to keep tabs on your every move via Qik, you should probably give Friend View a spin. Fresh out of the Nokia Beta Labs comes this application, which queues up your location and then enables you to socially network with other online buddies in order to plan a meetup, just say hello or engage in acts of stalking. The app has been tested to function on the 5320 XpressMusic, 6110 Navigator, 6210 Navigator, N95, N95 8GB, N82, N96, E71, E90, N80 and E61, though it should do just fine on any device running S60 3rd Edition. Hop on past the break for a riveting demonstration, or tap the read link to get straight to the download.

[Via Beta Labs]

Pretty much everyone's saying that location-based services for phones are the Next Big Thing -- thing is, they've been saying that for three or four Things back now. Integrated GPS, AGPS, and comprehensive, highly accurate cell databases are finally making trackdowns a reality these days, but finding decent software to take advantage of the capability can still be a challenge thanks to some of the same issues that have been plaguing mobile platforms for years: platform dependence, slow uptake on downloads, bugginess, the list goes on. Wouldn't it be great if you could just hit up your favorite mobile-optimized site and get a location lock, no app required? That's what Google's hoping to do with its new Gears Geolocation API, which third parties can plug into their sites and automatically take advantage of both tower and GPS-based positioning. It only works on Internet Explorer on WinMo pieces at the moment, but naturally, they're looking to spread it far and wide over time.

[Via Phone Scoop]

There's not too many deets on this just yet, but apparently, UK's CSR is getting set to showcase a technology known as eGPS (enhanced Global Positioning System, if you couldn't guess) at Mobile World Congress 2008. According to the firm, it delivers a "universal positioning capability that will not only work reliably indoors and in zero GPS signal conditions, but greatly speed time to fix in poor GPS reception areas where most handsets are used." More specifically, it can "exploit data available from the cellular network to speed GPS fixes and provide complementary, fast, and reliable location sensing when GPS signals are weak or unavailable." Best of all, the firm is hoping to add eGPS capabilities to handsets for under $1 per unit, and it's also using the stage in Barcelona to trumpet a single-chip GPS receiver with embedded Bluetooth and FM radio. Unfortunately, mum's the word on when this stuff will actually find its way into mobiles.

[Via NaviGadget]

It's not like we weren't already aware of SiRF's participation in the Open Handset Alliance, but nevertheless, the company is sounding pretty ecstatic about the software developer kit it "just received." Reportedly, the outfit is already hard at work on "end-to-end location-enabling features" for Android, and in case you couldn't guess, it's also providing Android platform support for a plethora of products based on its famed SiRFstarIII architecture. Essentially, the firm is hoping to take advantage of having location as a "native feature" within Android, and it makes the obvious sound a whole lot more intriguing by teasing us with visions of "out-of-the-box locative experiences" involving geo-tagging, geo-searching and social networking. Still, we'll tip our hat to any form of tight integration, but this here's probably nothing to get riled up over.

From listening to your phone calls to reading your text messages, Big Brother will always find a way to keep up to date with our lives. For a 10 year old boy from Pennsylvania who was waiting for a heart transplant, it was an indispensable technology that saved his life. While waiting for a phone call notifying him a donor had been found, they boy was out with his family and unreachable. Luckily for him, his mother had a Sprint celly and the authorities where able to locate them while at a local jazz festival using the phones integrated GPS. Soon after being located, the boy was rushed to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh where the surgery was a success.

It doesn't seem too useful at first glance, but imagine being able to text your mates with a simple "I'm here" to get your point across. Especially on a device with a numeric keypad, busting out an SMS with crossroads or landmarks can suck since predictive text systems aren't terribly skilled with proper nouns. Korea's KTF has launched what it calls "location-tracking MMS," allowing users to automatically attach zoomed in maps of their present location to outgoing multimedia messages. The carrier is also shopping around the feature for emergency use, since it's a quick and easy way for a subscriber to communicate their coordinates to rescue personnel (a la e911). With accuracy to within about 500 meters, though, you better deploy a big ol' group of rescuers.

It's quite possible that you're at least somewhat familiar with Skyhook's ability to use WiFi in order to track down various objects, and while you've likely become desensitized to SiRF after seeing it in just about every GPS / NAV device ever produced, the two are teaming up to deliver a GPS / WiFi hybrid module for wireless carriers. Skyhook's WiFi Positioning System (WPS) will be getting a boost after inking a deal to get inside SiRF's Multimode Location Platform, which "promises to boost the availability and adoption of location-based services." The new duo will join ACCESS (among the throngs of others) at 3GSM next week in order to showcase the new technology, which is slated to provide a new level of accuracy by giving handsets the ability to find your way with two tracking protocols. Additionally, the inclusion of WiFi is said to help lock onto an initial signal much quicker than a typical standalone GPS receiver can, and if all goes as planned, we could see the hybrid technology alive and well in SiRF's Star III series of chipsets "later this year."

[Via GigaOM]

Intelligent roadways and traffic monitoring systems have been available (albeit not always entirely accurate) for some time now, but if IntelliOne and AirSage have their way, finding out about real-time roadblocks (and voyeurism lawsuits) could become a more fleshed-out reality. The firms are looking to utilize that oh-so-telling "anonymous" location data from each traveler's cellphone to pinpoint locations and overlay that information with maps. If wireless companies open up that data at a rate of "twice per second" while users are conversing and "once every 30 seconds" when not on a call, the entrepreneurial duo hopes to offer more detailed information and pragmatic advice than "radar, helicopters, or cameras" currently do. While keeping a keen eye on traffic developments certainly has its benefits, the real issue here is privacy (or the lack thereof); while government uses have already been in place, carriers are (understandably) more hesitant to turn over consumer data for locating purposes. While the service would be marketed free of charge to wireless carriers, interested customers not enraged by such intrusions could purchase the data for a monthly fee, and if all goes as planned, the Tampa pilot that is currently ongoing will lead to "40 other markets" being invaded by this time next year.

[Via The Wireless Report]