The ultimate in contextual advertising?

Some of the We Love Mobile team were in Leeds in the UK yesterday for a client meeting when we spotted a strange looking car driving around town. Closer inspection revealed it to be a Google car, taking what we think must be 360 degree panoramic shots for mapping.

These panoramic maps are already available in the US, but the concept got us to thinking what could you do with 360 degree panoramas on a phone. Well, firstly you could use the maps to help you get around. Real-life imagery of where you are is so much more easy to use that flat graphical maps and having access to this kind of mapping via your phone is pretty cool in itself.

But then we thought, how about over-laying more information over the top of the images! You could basically have your view at street level augmented with all sorts of live info via your mobile. Add a compass and gyroscope to your device and you could get it to follow your line of site. It would be a form of Head-Up Display!

This could be great for all sorts of applications, you could be pushed interactive real-time data on your surroundings, including local info and of course commercial propositions. Hold your phone up to a shop-front, get a glimpse of what is inside, when they are open and what’s on offer. Think about it, real-world contextaul ads on your phone. Now that’s mobile advertising!