Real-time Digital Marketplace for Parking Spaces

I knew parking spaces were precious. Now we have to compete with the alpha digerati to find them. Tele Atlas and SpotScout are collaborating to...

...help drivers find information about available parking spaces via a mobile information network. Combined with Tele Atlas’ highly accurate and up-to-date digital maps, subscribing mobile navigation system users will be able to quickly “spotscout” for and reserve a parking space that a “spotscaster” near them owns, leases or plans to vacate.

Finding the negotiated parking space should be easy, since Tele Atlas has recently announced it will be the data provider for the TomTom ONE in North America.

Q. Have you used any mobile, location-based services recently?

Will consumers tune in to a tiny TV in their hand?

Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, reported about customers' perspectives on the phenom of TV viewed over mobile devices. It showcases MobiTV by Sprint. Although Sprint launched MobiTV in 2003, the advent of 3G speeds made it work at acceptable speeds.

IDC predicts use will grow from 7 million in 2006 to 24 million users in 2010, or 9.2% of U.S. cellular subscribers. This will drive a demand from content, especially that which can fit into small timeslices on equally small screens. As we've seen with YouTube and its look-alikes, no doubt a lot of this content will be home-brewed. Vodcast overtakes podcast.

I particularly enjoyed Stephen Froehlich's, IMS Research, breakdown of viewers into three categories:

"Snackers" spend three to five minutes watching stand-up comedy clips, sports highlights and so on. "Commuters" (or lunchtime viewers) will devote 20 to 30 minutes to watch sitcoms, dramas or news. And then there are "background noise viewers," who actually use mobile TVs at home.

Q. Are you a snacker, commuter, or background-noise viewer?

Photo: by Leslie Smith, Jr., USA TODAY