Google Latitude Shares Location Info with Friends

Google has released a new enhancement to its Google Mapsservice called Latitude. This allows individuals to share their location with others whom they approve.

As a feature of Google Maps Mobile and an iGoogle gadget for the desktop, Latitude shows the approximate location of friends and loved ones who have decided to share their this information.

In addition, Latitude allows users to communicate via SMS, Google Talk, Gmail, or by an updated status message. It also allows for the sharing of profile images so that "who" is being located is easily determined.

Video Demo

Availability

Latitude is currently available for Blackberry, Windows Mobile, andSymbian S60 devices. An Android-compatible version will be available in a few days time, and an iPhone version is currently under development. Desktop/laptop users will be able to use Latitude after installing the Google Gears plug-in for Internet Explorer or Firefox.

Latitude is available through 27 localized versions of Google Maps Mobile and iGoogle -- with more versions to come.

For more information, and to download Latitude w/Google Maps, visit the Google Latitude website.