I started my GPS today as I headed out the door, and it tried to sell me tires from Sears (the GPS, not the door). This is not the first time my GPS has tried to offer me things; previously it has hawked the Olive Garden’s manicotti, followed by a hotel room at the Best Western (I think my GPS was implying I am a cheap date).

Meanwhile, Techcrunch reported this week about an ad built into the NPR app that let you customize a Vampire Weekend music video. The gimmick of the app was that it uses the iPhone’s accelerometer, so to make changes you shake your phone. Cool and kind of fun, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s just another ad.

And the upcoming Skiff reader, designed to showcase newspapers and magazines, will feature not only the ads already built into the content, but also local ads. Not to mention Apple’s sudden interest in mobile advertising, as seen by their purchase of Quattro Wireless. Plus there are a few rumors flying around that publishers are thinking about ways to insert ads into ebooks to support the $9.99 pricepoint that seems to have become the benchmark.

When did the world become “Pay less, be bombarded with ads forever”? It seems as though the mobile tech world has decided that if prices and margins are being squeezed by lower price points, they’ll find new ways to monetize us. The difference is that there’s a huge difference between slashing prices by 20% and selling advertising space in perpetuity.

I think what really bugs me is that there’s little to no way to avoid these ads. In the case of the Skiff Reader, it seems they’ve built ads into their business model. The NPR app does not, as far as I know, offer a premium ad-free version. My GPS is very concerned that I know where to find the nearest cheap italian food, but I don’t have any control over what it suggests, or how to opt out of it.

Let’s be realistic; companies need to make money, and there’s generally downward pricing pressure, especially in technology. At the same time, the answer isn’t to squeeze everything into banner ads, context ads, local ads, national ads, ads in ads…we’re all adults and we understand how businesses need profits. Why not offer us a “premium” version, that promises no ads, versus the “ad-supported” versions that are partially or fully subsidized by advertising. The App Store and the Android Marketplace both offer these kinds of options, and the nice thing is it gives the consumer choice, rather than turning them into a captive audience for more advertising dollars.

What do you think? Are you getting sick of seeing ads everywhere? Sound off below!