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BBC News reported yesterday that the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre in Portsmouth is tracking the movement of people from the location of mobile phones within the site. The report (video) says that 4 aerials have been erected on the site which track whereabouts a phone will be at any time.

The developer of the technology was adamant in the report that no personal information can be collected, they can’t even tell the phone number of the phone that is being tracked. Gunwharf is simply using the information for shopping trend analysis in an attempt to improve facilities for visitors.

Personally I have no problem with this as I have nothing to hide, but, having been to Gunwharf regularly since it opened I have never seen a sign telling me that this information is being collected during my visit. It would have been nice to know.

Of course, when you’re attending a major event such as the Gunwharf Quays Italian Job Mini Event, the statistics will be all screwed up. The owners of the vehicles will wander around at random, visiting places within the centre with no particular direction.

Hey, perhaps we should organise for a couple of hundred people to visit the shopping centre, each with two or three mobile phones in their pocket and just wander around the centre without going to a single shop, bar, restaurant or other facility. See what that does to their “anonymous” statistics…

Wow, I have 12 posts lined lined for the next week or so and I think this is my third today! I must be a nerd…

Whilst away with some friends a few weeks ago I borrowed a iPod touch, haced the hotel’s broadband (ok, they gave me the password, but saying I hacked it sounds better!) and looked at this blog. It was almost impossible to read the text in the posts. Due to the sexiness of this blog, the associated sexiness of the iPod touch and the iPhone and my desire for global device domination¹ I have installed a plugin called WPTouch.

It’s a highly customized iPod specific theme that will allow this blog to present just the useful information (ie the posts!) in an easily readable format on the iPhone and iPod touch. Apparently it automatically knows if you’re lucky (or rich or nerdy!) enough to be in possession of one of said devices the blog should be much easier to read. Unfortunately I’m not lucky, rich or nerdy enough so I don’t actually know if it works! If you are reading by iPod or iPhone could you comment and let me know what you think please you lucky rich nerd? Thanks y’all!