The podcast is good. I think it makes some very good points. As an avid user of new navigation and LBS technologies, I find all of the current LBA offers wanting. I am not aware of the advertising fees associated to the brands, but there is much more value that can be created out of this. For example, with one implementation of the NAVTEQ system (Free Traffic on a PND that is subsidized by LBA), I am continually presented with small banners that I have not had any input into whether I want that brand shown, value that brand, or if I want the banner ad or not. If I am not looking for a Best Western - or even a hotel for that matter - why would I want it cluttering up my display?

This can be much smarter. Tele Atlas and TomTom, as an alternative example, are focusing on harnessing the "where" the users are most of the time with GPS devices (phones, PND's, etc.) and those "hot zones" would obviously be better locations for certain kinds of advertising.

For my money, for my brand, I'm going to pay for advertising where it is going to have the greatest effect on sales. The "location" in LBA the way that NAVTEQ and others are doing it can only be very loosely called "location". You could actually call it "General", "Area" or "Proximity" based advertising (GAP) - but it is far from the intelligent approach the consumers and the markets need - and that can be developed by leveraging other content and services in the making.