GyPSii unveiling event Dorchester Park Lane

by: admin Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

Rating: vision of a connected future

The common mistake for new company start-ups in the white label space is to position new services as competitors to white label services. A baby can’t compete with a toddler and this new social geo-location white label search, community and GPS service from GyPSii can’t compete with Facebook.

But what it can do is provide operators with one significant part of the value chain that will allow operators to launch their own connected, branded or white label community to their own audience.

Why is this important?

Well basically, white label services are the good eggs right now. Operators haven’t got the potential of 2.0 and “their” ability to plug and play new communities funded by advertising into the portal eco-system.

So what about GyPSii

Well. GyPSii is a facilitator. It’s a broker for communities and connection via GPS. It’s a solution that will enable users to dynamically upload content to the Internet that is relevant to the place that they are in. This means: I am in Paris. I take a picture or the phone locates me in Paris. I am then able to instantly see the communities responses, recommendations and feedback on Paris. This is better than LBS “locate me now”. Its better, because it’s more accurate and the device not the user does the work so cumbersome requests for “where you are” are avoided.

On top this – there is huge untapped potential in the geo-locate advertising space. Go2 has started this assault. Companies like Loopt and Click Mobile are integrating bits of it into the community – but the opportunity is arising and is not already here.

So that was the good bit.

But now the not so good.

Nokia purchased Navteq. Nokia’s whole Ovi solution might be a thorn in the GyPSii side.

Google Maps Mobile and Live Maps are available and ready. But interconnecting with advertisers and connectors to facilitate a Google or Windows service will mean that the branded search or branded player (NOT THE MOBILE OPERATOR) will own the customer and the value chain.

If GyPSii can embed itself into as many devices as possible – or offer a direct to consumer download then it might be able to start to become a broker for services and a way in which GPS fans can connect. I don’t want to stick to only GPS fans – but it’s important to mention the lack of GPS affordable handsets in Europe today and the fact that in the next 18 months nearly all devices will be GPS enabled.
The concept of GyPSii is one of truly enabling cross-border global interaction of content from sources and new users that brings location and GPS (FINALLY) to the party.

There are a lot of other points and some seriously good questions from attendees at the event that I will write up in The Mobile Search Analyst. But

What do we think?
Geo-location is going to be huge. Its very early days. Search, advertising and community are the future and discovery and recommendation THE way of making purchasing decisions.

Mobile phones locating people and finding content in the local area is virtually impossible. But Nokia has started to experiment with location directory services which provide true local directory content to users. Nokia believes GPS, maps, navigation and the community is the next biggest opportunity. So does Google and now so does GyPSii. Everyone else now needs to wake up.

But last call. I hate the name Gypsi. But I do like (spell with me) GPSii – I think that the latter is the more effective than the connotation with travellers. But – hold on. This is a white label solution so the name doesn’t matter – it will be re-branded a brand, probably from a mobile operator.

Aha. Yes. This is white label. Yes! And that dear readers is the point.