AT&T is offering an SMS location-based offers service, while Verizon is delving deep into the handset to cull web and app usage information for its deal targeting purposes. Both programs are opt-in only in an attempt to head off the inevitable concerns over privacy.…
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Qualcomm tackles indoor location with new generation of chips
Qualcomm is building indoor positioning into its IZAT platform in hopes of making indoor location-based services just as common as outdoor services. The upgrades are going into its current generation of smartphone chipsets, but Qualcomm is working with Cisco on a network-based platform as well.…
Read MoreThe big market Facebook is missing out on
In going global, Facebook forgot to think about local. Entrepreneur Brian McConnell says the behemoth—or a competitor—could quickly and easily make a hyper-local service to benefit both users and local advertisers too.…
Read MoreESRI buys location services provider Geoloqi
Geoloqi, a small Portland, OR startup that made it easy for mobile developers to add background location tracking and geo-fencing to their apps, has sold to ESRI, a longtime provider of mapping and planning tools for governments, companies and educational institutions.…
Read MoreWhy Apple took the risk with Maps
As the mobile game is shifting from hardware to services, Apple needs to have more deep services of its own, rather than relying on competition. And maps is an important control point for the company.…
Read MoreLocu opens its local business data trove to devs with API
Locu, a Boston-based startup that came out of MIT, is releasing a local business information API for developers and publishers. The API will let them access deeper local data on not just menu items but all kinds of detailed information on product descriptions and customization options.…
Read MoreToday in Mobile
Nokia, Samsung and 20 other companies have formed the In-Location Alliance, a consortium aimed at increasing the adoption of indoor positioning and…
Read MoreTomTom gets social, adds Foursquare to iPhone nav app
Standalone GPS navigation makers continue to face the battle against smartphones and location based service apps. At least one of them is embracing the change: TomTom first added support for Facebook Places and now it includes Foursquare, making it easier to get directions and check-in.…
Read MoreGoogle-Frommer’s deal shows travel and local are two sides of same coin
Google's move to buy travel publisher Frommer's highlights how local and travel are coming together. Increasingly, the best travel services are focused on treating you like a local. And local services are becoming great resources for people looking to spend time in an unfamiliar city.…
Read MoreFord taps Roximity to debut the drive-by daily deal
Why check your phone for deals when you can check your car dashboard instead? Ford has integrated deal-broker Roximity's location-based offers app with its Sync connected car platform, allowing drivers to verbally search for nearby bargains without slowing down.…
Read MoreWifarer’s mobile app doesn’t just map the indoors: It maps the objects within
Indoor-positioning-startup Wifarer has landed its first customer, the Royal BC Museum, in Victoria, Canada. Wifarer and the BC, however, aren't just slinging location-triggered coupons. The museum is using Wifarer technology to create an object-aware virtual guide to its exhibits.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble tablets get maps before Kindle Fire
Barnes & Noble is skipping out on Google Maps for tablets and is partnering instead with Berlin-based mobile map company skobbler. skobbler's ForeverMap 2 app is available in the Nook store today, and Nook will open up to location-based app developers later this year.…
Read MoreFoursquare goes into monetization mode with promoted updates
Location-based social network Foursquare is rolling out its long awaited promoted updates, an advertising product that allows local and national businesses to push out specials, news and pictures to Foursquare's more than 20 million users. It's the start of Foursquare's big monetization push.…
Read MoreFoursquare beefs up merchant tools as it prepares to make money
Foursquare is building out its merchant services by adding a new tool called Local Update that allows businesses to reach loyal customers nearby with news and updates. This is part of an effort to make Foursquare's business tools valuable enough that merchants will pay for it.…
Read MoreSkyhook offers devs battery-friendly persistent location
Location data provider Skyhook has an update to its mobile SDK for Android that will provide persistant background location tracking with no or negligible impact on battery life. That could be a big help for location-based apps that have suffered because of battery constraints.…
Read MoreToday in Social
Lots of local activity in social and online media today. A local marketing services company, Momentfeed, says its data analysis implies that…
Read MoreFoursquare hopes new mobile apps make it a go-to local resource
Foursquare's ambitions to become the primary recommendation resource for users is the driving vision behind the latest update to its iOS and Android apps, which include a host of improvements to its Explore feature and an improved social structure that encourages more interaction.…
Read MoreSkobbler wants to take on Google in the maps biz
Skobbler until now has been known as the maker of the popular GPS Navigation 2 app, which is built using the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap platform. But the company sees a much bigger opportunity in turning its experience with OSM into a tool for other developers.…
Read MoreFoursquare looks to personalized offers to generate revenue
Foursquare plans to offer personalized coupons through a redesigned app in July, part of a larger effort to start making money through the location-based social network. The Wall Street Journal reported that Foursquare will allow merchants to pay for special placement of personalized local offers.…
Read MoreAmex is all potential in social commerce
After attracting attention last summer for social commerce initiatives with Foursquare and Facebook, last week American Express announced a new coupons hook-up with Twitter. Amex has the potential to be a powerhouse in social commerce, but so far that potential remains unrealized.…
Read MoreLoopt sales shows future of location is commerce
The future of location-based services is in commerce, payments and deals, said Sam Altman, founder of Loopt. He just sold his startup to pre-paid card provider Green Dot and is working on mobile payment products. That's where he said location will have the biggest impact.…
Read MoreEarly leader in NYC BigApps competition: Foursquare
New York City kicked off voting on Thursday on its third annual BigApps competition, which rewards apps that use its open data sets. But one of the most popular resources appears to be Foursquare, which is in use in more than half of the top apps.…
Read MoreHow Siri could help boost location-based services
Mainstream mobile users have been slow to embrace location-based services. But location apps could really see a boost through the smart use of voice activated AI systems like Siri, which can help users more easily unlock the world around them.…
Read MoreLife360 pulls in $3.5M round, hits 10 million users
Life360, a mobile family safety app, has been on a tear and is now up to 10 million users. That growth has helped the San Francisco start-up pull in a $3.5 million Series A round from a host of investors.…
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