Vicinity is planning to use its database of more than 4m physical businesses, which already helps web surfers find the nearest Levi's store or FedEx drop-off point, to allow retailers to transmit discount coupons to the cellphone of a consumer who happens to walk by and lure her into the store.
Another Thomas brainchild: a wireless gadget that can sense its physical location, match it to a geographic database defining the various frequencies in use and then adjust its transmissions to avoid interference.