Fascinating. The geo-location social network Loopt was “the Foursquare of 2008,” but has kept very quiet and off my personal radar for the last year. They’ve now added some content partnerships with Metromix, Zvents and SonicLiving and launched a better Blackberry app. They also announced today they’ll be launching a new iPhone app to utilize the new OS 4.0.
Unlike Foursquare, you don’t have to “check-in” to tell your friends where you’re at with Loopt. If you give it permission, Loopt will broadcast your location in real-time, all the time – without you ever having to tell it. It may sound creepy and big-brotherish, but this is a precursor to the next generation of social networks.
In my opinion, the social network itself is less important than the technology and social adoption behind the idea of geo-location social networks, geo-aware GPS handheld devices and the opportunities surrounding the concept of “serendipity.”
There used to be more than a handfull of micromedia services before Twitter pulled way ahead. Foursquare is only a year old (although Yahoo’s pondering a buy-out), and Gowalla is too restrictive for WAP and Blackberry users, so I would argue the war isn’t over yet.
Can you locate me now? Good.