NTT Resonant, who is doing the portal site “goo”, released a mobile lifelog service “Kiseki” integrating GPS automatic recording and mobile/PC diary/blog in greater Tokyo area on 29th May, 2008.
With supported cellularphone (FOMA 905i/904i/903i series having GPS) in Tokyo/Kanagawa/Chiba/Saitama prefectures, Docomo users can download a free i-appli (mobile application) and set it as a stand-by application of their phone. Then, the app automatically records your visiting points’ address and visiting time on both mobile and PC websites bound with your account.
If you take pictures on the cellphone camera, the photo’s info is also connected with the record.
On the PC site, there is also a blog bridge, by which you post your private diary to external blog services.
Shop Recommendation by your place
At the timing of the user’s location are sent to the server, Kiseki sends you a recommended shop/restaurant/event info to your phone and those info will be shown on your stand-by screen.
The recommendation includes direction and distance from your current location to the point.
The PC side “My page” also provides recommendation for tomorrow and weekend, which are gotten by analizing your weekday and weekend moving behaviour.
On either mobile and PC, user will get more accurate recommendation as more data are collected, as they say.
Privacy?
The Kiseki page having “ver. 0” in its logo, and served under the name of “goo Labs“, which means it is somewhat experimental, and can be withdrawn. Their FAQ has almost nothing around security and privacy issues, which should be easily questioned by privacy-concsious users.
“NTT” is a big brand in Japan so people may trust them and feel comfortable to give their all activities, if they get more convenience from it.
The word “Kiseki” has two meanings in Japanese, the one is “Locus/Track” and the other one is “Miracle”. The service name seems intentionally written in Katakana (Japanese phonetic letter) not to say whether it is Locus or Miracle, or trying to attach it double meanings.
This is such a cool service. I’ve been waiting for something like this for ages!
AU also recently released a portal for runners which includes social features and also makes uses of GPS for tracking your runs and recommending routes: http://www.au-run.jp/ (Ja)