Android App Helps you Find Parking Spaces

Google’s latest smart phone application, called Open Spot, helps drivers find available parking spots more easily. The app, which is available only on phones using Google’s Android operating system, allows users to mark open spots they find and share them with other Open Spot users.

Once a spot is marked, a pinpoint will show up on a map telling other users that the spot is now open. The app shows you all available spots within a 0.9-mile radius. The pinpoints appear in three different colors depending on how long the spot has been available: red for freshly marked, orange for five minutes ago and yellow for 10 minutes ago. To ensure some level of accuracy, Open Spot removes the pinpoint after 20 minutes.

There are a couple of issues we see with this great idea. One, it requires people to actively mark open spots. I don’t really know that many good Samaritans, but then again, people are really into Foursquare, so this could work. The other problem is that this application is only for Android users, which currently make up 13% of the smart phone market. For Open Spot to succeed, it should be available on all smart phones, or at least on the iPhone or BlackBerry. Ultimately, if you live in a very dense area with a lot of tech-savvy and adventurous people, this app could end up being very useful.

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