Foursquare’s mobile recommendation engine, Explore, hits the web

Chances are that the insights gathered from one-and-a-half billion check-ins and 15 million tips are better than your own eyes and ears at sleuthing out the best places to eat, drink and see nearby or afar. At least that’s the logic and science behind Foursquare Explore, a popular recommendation feature migrating from mobile to web today.

Foursquare is the New York-based location-sharing startup that popularized the place check-in. But spend a few minutes talking to … Continue Reading

GetGlue prepares to take social TV mainstream with $12M in funding

It’s not in the same league as Facebook or a Twitter, or even half the size of Instagram, but GetGlue’s highly-specialized social network for entertainment watchers could be on its way to superstardom.

On GetGlue, more than two million die-hard entertainment fans check-in to television shows and movies, over the web or from mobile devices, to share their enthusiasm and get rewards for their viewing behaviors. Seventy five major television networks have already taken notice, … Continue Reading

Foursquare’s claim to fame, the check-in, could become its downfall

What is Foursquare? The answer is far more complex than it should be. The startup’s purpose in life is so muddled that it now finds itself in the midst of a self-imposed identity crisis that could cause it to fall victim to Facebook.

“The biggest misconception about Foursquare is that it is a check-in service,” founder Dennis Crowley told me in a recent in-depth interview. “We’re most interested in taking the data from check-ins to … Continue Reading

Google+ check-in offers go live on its Android app

Google recently revealed its social network Google+ will support check-ins for businesses providing discounts through their Google Places page. Today, the capability was launched, but only through the Google+ Android application.

The social network is purposefully getting outfitted with as many Google features as the company can pack into it. Larry Page noted after Google’s quarter three earnings that the Google+ team feels as if it has delivered the “plus,” but is now sewing in … Continue Reading

Foursquare finally makes its website as cool as its mobile apps

Location service Foursquare is showing off its new coat of paint. The company today unveiled a website redesign with a whole new experience for people sitting at their desks. What started as a check-in game all of a sudden seems a lot more like a formidable business in the making.

The fun of Foursquare has long been the ability to check in at destinations using a mobile phone and share location information with friends, but … Continue Reading

Foursquare Radar on iOS5 automatically finds cool things to do

Location-based check-in service Foursquare released a new version of its iPhone app today that adds a new feature called Radar, which takes full advantage of the latest version of Apple’s iOS 5 update.

Using iOS 5′s new region monitoring functionality, the Radar feature sends alerts to users about things they are interested in whenever they are physically near the area. For instance, if a group of your friends are at the bar next door to … Continue Reading

Foursquare revises checking-in at home addresses (again)

Location-based check-in service Foursquare today revised how it handles people who choose to check-in at their home or other personal addresses (say, grandma’s house).

The revision enhances the privacy of Foursquare users who want to share their locations at all times.

“A lot of people love checking in to their homes on foursquare. They want to be Mayor of their house, or they may want their friends to know they made it home safe after … Continue Reading

Foursquare celebrates one billion check-ins with updated mobile apps

You know what’s cooler than a million check-ins? A billion. Popular location-based check-in location service Foursquare today announced on its blog that it has reached one billion check-ins, as well as launched updated versions of its popular iPhone and Android apps.

Check-in growth on Foursquare has nearly tripled in a year, going from around 200 million in July 2010 to almost 750 million in June 2011. The company claims the one billionth check-in occurred … Continue Reading

GetGlue gets more social with new iPhone app update

GetGlue, the social network that lets you check in for all things entertainment, is rolling out a big update to both its iPhone app and website today.

The update pulls in conversations about different kinds of entertainment (TV shows, movies, games, etc.) from around the Web and surfaces the most interesting pieces.

“Usually, conversation about entertainment is drowned out by lots of noise,” said GetGlue founder and CEO Alex Iskold. “The new features we’ve added … Continue Reading

Miso makes it easier to share what you’re watching on DirecTV

TV and movie watching social network Miso just made it easier for DirecTV customers to share their viewing habits with friends.

The company announced a partnership with DirecTV Thursday that will allow its users to easily find and share what they’re watching via a DirecTV set-top box when checking in from the Miso iPhone app.

“We thought the cable and MSO (satellites) were the most natural paths because that’s where most people are watching TV”, … Continue Reading

Gowalla trims feature set, eliminates virtual items and notes from check-ins

Location-based social network Gowalla is trimming its feature set to improve the overall user experience, according to Gowalla founder and CEO Josh Williams, who made the announcement in a blog post Thursday.

The company will eliminate the use of virtual items within Gowalla that users could attain by checking in to different locations. Also gone is the note taking feature, which Williams hinted may return further down the line.

Williams said Gowalla’s feature reassessment addressed … Continue Reading

Foursquare wins major victory with death of Facebook Places

While Facebook was rolling out some changes to its privacy policies today, the company also quietly announced it was killing off the Foursquare-like Places function inside of its mobile app.

The Facebook Places feature was unveiled a year ago and let users “check-in” to various locations. Many saw this as a serious threat to other social location services like Foursquare and Gowalla because Facebook has an incredible number of users. But by October you could … Continue Reading

Finally: Foursquare lets you check in to movies, sports games and concerts

Location-based social network Foursquare now allows its users to check in at specific events, the company announced today on its blog.

The new check-in feature means time-specific events such as movies, concerts and sports games will all be treated the same way as locations. So, in addition to checking in to a specific venue (a.k.a. location) using Foursquare on a mobile device, people can now choose the event itself.

For example, when attending a Titans … Continue Reading

Localmind’s check-in app update gives you the power of omniscience

When mobile location service Foursquare released its API, Lenny Rachitsky wondered what he could do with all of that data. Foursquare is designed to tell people where you are at any given time. But what if you could be in two places at once?

To achieve “anywhere at any time” Rachitsky landed on the idea of an app called Localmind, which is being featured by Apple in the Appstore today.

Localmind lets you get real-time … Continue Reading

Locai slims down to focus on check-in conversations

For Locai, which makes an iPhone app that lets you have conversations around check-in locations, less is more.

The Dallas, Texas-based company is launching the second version of its free iPhone app today, which strips out confusing features from its first iteration and focuses on making it easy for you to start conversations with other people checked-in to locations.

On the chopping block from the first Locai app are Klout-like gamification features that allowed you … Continue Reading

LocalResponse eyes big brands with full-service check-in advertising

LocalResponse, a company that lets businesses monitor and respond to check-ins, today announced the launch of its service for agencies and brands. The company initially rolled out the service to local merchants just two weeks ago.

The company aggregates what it calls “explicit” and “implicit” check-ins across multiple social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Gowalla, Foursquare and others. Explicit check-ins refer to those from sites like Foursquare and Gowalla that announce a specific location and time, … Continue Reading

Loyalize takes social TV apps beyond the check-in

As more companies jump on to the social TV bandwagon, a new startup called Loyalize is offering tools for brands and content providers to create their own apps for real-time participation around any event — including TV shows.

I can’t go more than a week or two without getting an email about a new TV check-in startup, but it seems like there’s an audience here. For example GetGlue, which runs its own content check-in service … Continue Reading

Foursquare co-founder: How to stop worrying and love data overload

As people share ever-increasing amounts of information online, are we heading to a future of data overload? Naveen Selvadurai, co-founder of popular location-sharing app Foursquare, said there’s no stopping the data flood — but that doesn’t mean users have to drown in it.

Selvadurai was speaking at a panel today at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin. VentureBeat’s Owen Thomas, who was moderating, complained that he’s constantly bombarded by notifications from all his … Continue Reading

Foursquare explains itself better to businesses and brands

Popular location check-in application Foursquare just launched a new “Foursquare for Business” page to encourage businesses and brands to claim venues and create partnerships.

With millions of consumers checking in to locations around the world, Foursquare has quickly become another marketing tool for companies. Previously, Foursquare had a less-than-stellar set of pages explaining how a business may claim a venue.

With today’s launch, the new page, dubbed “Quick Start Guide,” is much more dynamic, interactive and spotlight … Continue Reading

Scvngr grabs $15M more to locate challenges abroad

Scvngr, the maker of a check-in app that asks users to complete activity challenges, today announced it has secured a second round of funding for $15 million, according to the company blog. Investors included Balderton Capital, with participation from previous investors Google Ventures and Highland Capital Partners.

Founder and chief executive Seth Priebatsch told me that the company’s biggest motivation for this round was getting Balderton Capital partner Barry Maloney on board to help with … Continue Reading