Gadgetopia

Geolocation tech slices, dices Web: A good, summary article on the next killer app of the Web: geolocation.

Type “dentist” into Google from New York, and you’ll get ads for dentists in the city. Try watching a Cubs baseball game from a computer in Chicago, and you’ll be stymied. Pre-existing local TV rights block the webcast.

The same technology is also being used by a British casino to keep out the Dutch and by online movie distributors to limit viewing to where it’s permitted by license, namely the United States. […]

As so-called geolocation technology improves, Web sites are increasingly blocking groups of visitors and carving the Web into smaller chunks — in some cases, down to a ZIP code or employer.

Thank God they’re keeping out the Dutch…