Thought for the day

It seems that there is a growing trend in the corporate world to get into peer-to-peer technology. Take 'Skype' for example, created by the founders of the file sharing program 'Kazaa', this software allows you to make long distance phone calls over the internet for next to no cost.

How do you apply the peer-to-peer mentality to mobile phone applications ? I've been thinking about this and am getting quite excited by the possibilities of peer-to-peer apps on phones. If you merge in Geo-position information then and you could create a useful service that alerts people when someone interesting is in their vicinity.

By creating a profile, users would be able to advertise who they are to the world and receive alerts when someone else who matches their search criteria is in the nearby area. This could lead to interesting networking opportunities for salesmen for instance, or for people who share obscure interests. On a more practical level you could advertise that you are looking for a builder to patch up your roof - the service would alert you when someone with the right qualifications passes you.

The idea of online-directories for finding services is not new, but take it to the next level with real-time, real-world integration and you have the beginnings of a datamap which you can overlay on your everyday life.