This IDC study examines the current and future state of the U.S. consumer location-based services space. Key LBS applications are reviewed and forecast, and essential guidance is offered to IDC clients. Dating from the July 2008 launch of the Apple iPhone Apps Store, location-based services (LBS) innovation has clearly accelerated. Location-aware social networking is now being incorporated into applications like gaming, and location-enabled social networking is now being incorporated into mapping applications like Google's Latitude. Competition among the major emerging ecosystems will further accelerate LBS innovation as well.

"Mobile LBS applications such as those from innovative developers such as Smule and industry giants such as Google will be among the key drivers of the evolution of the mobile Internet and mobile applications in the coming decade," notes Scott Ellison, vice president of Mobile and Wireless. "The LBS market will be a key beneficiary of the rapidly emerging competition among the mobile ecosystems including Android, Apple, BlackBerry, BREW, Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile, all of which offer LBS as a central core value proposition for application developers," he adds.

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