It’s becoming more and more difficult to keep up with all the new software apps. I’m going to be caveman about it:

Google Honeycomb = mobile operating system created in response to Apple’s iPad, which leads in the tablet market.

Google Latitude = mobile software application powered by Android, created to compete with other check-ins like Foursquare.

It’s been reported that Google is giving their Honeycomb software to hardware manufacturers, the intent being to create tablets that will compete with Apple’s iPad. I mentioned in a previous post that Google has been busy working on surefire ways to kick out spam, so you could say while they’ve been investing significant resources in improving their product in one area, they have fallen a little behind in another. Apple knows how to corner their market.  Fearless Apple zealots anxiously await each new development so that they may purchase the new product as soon as it hits stores regardless of the cost — so it will be interesting to see how Honeycomb stands up.

Google Latitude was introduced back in 2009 and it appeared as a location mark on a map. Now, Latitude lets users connect that location to an acutal place using a check-in. It will automatically detect your location and send a notification reminding you to check in. Of course it is built directly into Google Maps for Android so you can link to reviews via the Place page for the spot you just checked into. What sets Google’s Latitude apart from the competition is that, beyond the notification, you can also choose to be automatically checked into favorite or frequently visted places upon your arrival so that you don’t have to manually check in yourself. Same thing with check out — Latitude will automatically let people know when you’ve left … audi, dude! Privacy settings can be customized so that you have control over who can see what you’re up to. You can even just use the check-in for yourself, opting to not let anyone know your whereabouts. Not sure exactly why you’d want to only have it for private use — maybe as part of your budgeting plan or if you frequently find yourself struggling with the question, “What’d you do last night?”