Disney Imagineers have been working on mobile GPS or location aware visitor guides for more than 6 years. Disney has done pilot tests using 5 different manufacturers products over the years starting with PDA devices back in 2004. In 2008 Disney developed a GPS visitor guide for the Nintendo DS. Currently Disney is beta testing their own device on the Andriod platform.
The interesting thing about this test is they are using obsolete HTC devices which makes their cost to deploy very affordable when compared to more custom devices. Disney is a great example of a company that continues to pilot and test transitioning software and hardware platforms annually until the Imagineers create a “Disney” visitor guide. One of the interesting features is the special discounts and exclusive offers (such as meeting characters) only available to folks with the devices. This is an excellent marketing tool to promote its use.
