You're standing on the corner of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and you want to find the closest cup of latte. Enter the city guide. The modern equivalent of a paper map, city guides list popular entertainment spots, eateries and small shops. The guides give directions based on your current location. Until broadband wireless networks are in place, many of these location-based applications are downloaded using a desktop Net connection and then stored on a Palm device.
Issues surrounding location-based services include maintaining the customers' privacy.
The cell tower route will require costly modifications by the wireless carrier. GPS can mean new phones, or bulkier devices. Users would be able to turn off tracking if GPS was employed. With changes in both technology and consumer thinking, the m-commerce is experiencing a pause as all involved plot out their future paths. What might you find along the m-commerce path depends how far you look.