Man, this is some pretty cool technology to be used on geo sites but at the same time very scary if it is to be mis-used. Freakin Google and Firefox can now pinpoint the location from wherever you are surfing the net literally by 10 – 15 feet. No GPS required anymore like with mobile phones and any other electronic devices. Just an internet connection. Test it out for yourself… Ahh!!

So how does it work? Good question…

When you visit a location-aware website, Firefox will ask you if you want to share your location.

If you consent, Firefox gathers information about nearby wireless access points and your computer’s IP address. Then Firefox sends this information to the default geolocation service provider, Google Location Services, to get an estimate of your location. That location estimate is then shared with the requesting website.

I’ve tried this on a few computers now, at various locations and the damn thing is as spot on as can be down here in NY and NJ. Even better than the iPhone built-in locator at times…. Definitely going to try to incorporate this technology on a few localized sites in the near future. Cool stuff