VOA常速英语2016--手机导航开启出行新时代（在线收听）

手机导航开启出行新时代

There's a well-worn phrase in real estate: "location, location, location," meaning that where aproperty is located, alone, means more than anything else when it comes to assessing itsvalue. But "location" is getting new meanings in these days of smartphones and other hand-held devices. When satellite-based global positioning and tracking became commonly availableon computers and smartphones, sales of maps and requests for directions from strangers tooka nosedive. We know of people who hardly go out of the house without first checking for GPSdirections. Some apps, or phone applications, even provide real-time alerts about traffic jams,accidents, and detours. A new study by the Pew Research Center's Internet & AmericanLife Project finds that 28 percent of adults use what it calls mobile and social-media "locationservices" every day. And not just to plan trips and get directions. "Smartphone owners areusing their phones to get fast access to location-relevant information on-the-go," said KathrynZickuhr, co-author of the Pew report. What does that mean? Lots of smartphone owners getrecommendations for restaurants, museums and theaters based on where they happen to be atthe time. Young adults use so-called "geosocial" check-in services such as Foursquare andGowalla, to keep track of friends' whereabouts and pick places to meet and eat. Foursquareusers can play a game in which rivals compete to become what they call the "mayor" of a place- even an office building or a post office - just by sending out a signal that they're in thatparticular location. We're told that a security guard here, for instance, was the "mayor" of theVoice of America for a time, reviewing our visitors' tour and even the quality of our cafeteriafood. We're scrolling our smartphones frantically to read that.

房地产行业有一句老话，：“地点、地点、地点”，意思是要给房子顾家，地点比其他任何要素都重要。但在智能手机和其他手持设备盛行的今天，“地点”这个词有了更多的新含义。由于如今卫星定位和追踪在电脑、智能手机上都普遍使用，因此地图的销量和向陌生人问路的需求都在锐减。我们还知道，很多人在出门之前一定要先通过GPS看看方向。一些手机APP甚至会提供交通堵塞、事故、绕路的实时预警。

皮尤研究中心主导的一则新研究发现，28%的成年人每天都会使用手机社交媒体中的定位服务。目的并不仅仅是规划出行和明确方向。这则研究的参与人凯瑟琳称，“智能手机使用者会利用这些服务来快速获得与位置相关的实时信息”。这是什么意思呢？很多人会根据自己的当前位置来获取餐厅、博物馆、剧院的推荐信息。很多年轻人使用所谓的“地标社交”签到服务来实时了解朋友的动向，并选地方见面吃饭，比如Foursquare和Gowalla。Foursquare玩家通过参与一个一争“市长”地位的竞技游戏（市长可以是某个办公楼或邮局的负责人），方法很简单，就是发送他们所在特定位置的信号。我们就会获得信息：这儿的某个安保就是VOA的现任“市长”，并能浏览参观者的行程，甚至了解咖啡馆食物的品质。我们如此依赖智能手机，就是想获取这些信息。