GPS, The Verizon Platform, and Social Lending

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GPS’s Time to Shine? – It’s times like this when I’m glad I included the Yahoo! Shopping Blog in my aggregated Official Yahoo! Blogs feed. They provided the nifty tidbit of info that searches for “global positioning systems have doubled over the past 30 days”. The Google Trends graph for ‘GPS’ within the U.S. also indicates that while there’s been a surge of interest around the holidays every year, this is by far the largest.

Combining this with CNet’s report on a pocket-sized GPS unit on sale for under $100, and I think we’re seeing the beginning of a tipping point for location-enabled web services. Further evidence? How about Verizon’s announcement that they’re opening their platform [via GigaOm for added context] to phones and devices not made by Verizon, and AT&T’s announcement that they’re now publicizing the fact that they do the same. The key word I want to focus on is “devices”. While cell phones have become remarkably powerful tools, they are first and foremost phones, and in some areas will not be able to compete with purpose-driven devices of a different focus.

Another CNet article, discussing Verizon’s plans to upgrade its network to GMS-compatible technology, specifically states:

In a press release announcing its decision, Verizon noted that this type of bandwidth won’t just be for cell phones. “Discussions with device suppliers have expanded beyond traditional suppliers, such as LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson, as consumer electronics companies anticipate embedded wireless functionality in their future products.”

I may write more on this later, if there’s interest.

Updates in the Social Lending World – I’ve updated my article, Small Loans, Big Bucks: The World of Social Lending to include information on Zopa’s launch in the U.S.(where it will compete with Prosper) and Italy. As TechCrunch’s coverage notes, both Zopa and Prosper share a common investor, Benchmark Capital. But as I’ve stated in my updated post, though I am not a CPA, it appears to me that Zopa USA is going after the wealthy-and-cautious social lending market, while Prosper is accepting the full range of borrowers and allowing lenders to judge risk vs. return.

The update also contains some minor info about the (lack of) progress social-lending site GlobeFunder is showing as it continues preparing to re-launch in the U.S.

What’s been on your mind lately?