In the long run, everybody will have the necessary hardware in their PDA/cell phone etc. But I can imagine this could be a great solution for the time being -- you go to a conference and they hand you one of these devices to use while you're there -- then you give it back at the end.

I don't think individuals would buy these things in the U.S. purely on their own because outside of a specific venue like that where they are given out, they don't solve the critical mass problem. Why should you buy a networking device that nobody but you would have on Day 1? A software solution would be at least as likely to achieve critical mass. But in a setting where all participants would be given one, it would work great.

It is therefore kind of interesting that perhaps a company such as this could leverage success into the conference market into selling them to individuals who go to a lot of conferences (it might store some kind of persistent info so you don't have to enter it every time) and then into the pure software market (if you have their software in your PDA you don't have to carry around 2 things at the conference).

As ubiquity grows for a particular protocol (or piece of proprietary software) it eventually will become a tool not only for business, but for strictly social networking such as dating.

Spotme may do very well if they play their cards right and things generally fall their way.

[Thanks to Matt pointing this product out in an email.]

4:30:59 PM    

Microsoft couldn't possibly mean to use this to expand their monopoly into other areas, could they? Naaaah.
4:09:59 PM