Google Latitude - Google Goes Mobile Social

If you blew all your excitement on Google Earth 5, too bad. Today Google launched Google Latitude, its solution for sharing (or not) your location from a mobile device or laptop. It uses locations from MyLocation (cell tower) or wi-fi or GPS. Then you can communicate via IM, SMS or phone.

The timing is ominous, what with the terms Google and Monoculture now so joined after this weekend’s “the whole Internet is malware” situation this weekend.

The good news for Google, this can probably generate money. The good news for LBS: another player, another platform. The good news for privacy - all opt in, option to hide or “lie” about your location. (You can “lie” about your location in Fire Eagle, too.)

Supported phones: “most"of those that support Google Maps Mobile 3.0 or higher, but coming soon to iPhone/iTouch and Sony Erricsson. Latitude is available in 27 countries.

An iGoogle Gadget version (requires Gears) is available in the U.S. on laptops/desktops.

Per Search Engine Land Latitude is not built on Jaiku or Dodgeball (Google acquisitions recently put out to pasture, so to speak).

For now it reads like a Google version of what’s out there already. But, I’m sure there’s more to come.