Losing my phone last weekend was very stressful. I'm the sort of person who is typically incredibly careful with my belongings...

Read More: Researchers developing cyber security software to wipe mobile data based on location

In a blog post today, location-based app foursquare (yes, intentionally no capital F apparently) announced a new feature specifically for iOS5 called ‘Radar'. A lot of app makers are creating new features that take advantage of all of Apple's new iOS5 functionality, and foursquare was quick out of the gates to announce its own. The update for [...]

Read More: foursquare announces social location feature called ‘Radar’ for iOS5

In a blog post today, location-based app foursquare (yes, intentionally no capital F apparently) announced a new feature specifically for iOS5 called ‘Radar'. A lot of app makers are creating new features...

Read More: foursquare announces social location feature called ‘Radar’ for iOS5

Viber Media, maker of fine Android and iPhone applications that let you call and text your buddies for free, is today releasing upgraded apps for both aforementioned platforms.

Viber 2.1 comes with a fresh voice engine, providing users with HD-quality VoIP calling and improvements of call quality when calls are made over low-bandwidth networks.

Also new is the ability to share photos, enabling users to exchange picture messages by adding new or previously taken photos to texts, or sending pho [...]

Read More: Viber Adds Photo, Location Sharing Abilities To Its Android, iPhone Apps

Graphic courtesy of Wired.Do you know how long mobile phone service providers keep records about which cell tower you used? Or, text messages? Or, call detail records? Wired took a look at a photo copy of a U.S. Department of Justice summary table titled "Retention Periods of Major Cellular Service Providers" that provides the specifics.


Read More: How Long Do Cell Phone Companies Keep Information About Your Location, Usage & Bills?

Earlier this year there was a lot of publicity and concern about how the iPhone was tracking people's location. Turned out that the phone was logging cell tower locations, and not actually tracking one's exact location, but the resulting data was close enough to make people concerned. The reactions showed that people don't like the idea of others being able to track their location, but there are times when it might be helpful for people to know where you are, and a new iPhone app called Onmaway [...]

Read More: Onmaway Provides Location Broadcasting

Foursquare released real-time APIs (User push API and Venue push API) to give developers real-time access to a subset of Foursquare check-ins. This means that other apps can make use of Foursquare's large user and venue information store (assuming the user opts-in).


Read More: New Foursquare Push APIs Bring the Promise of Cool New 3rd Party Location Apps

Do your Facebook friends know where you are? If you’re like 1 in 4 Americans, they probably do. According to a new report released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, location based social media is being used by 28% of American adults.


Read More: Pew Research: A Quarter of Adults Use Location Based Social

It was almost exactly one year ago that Facebook launched Places, their location-based offering. Reading the press at the time, you would have thought it was going to be the Foursquare-killer, the Gowalla-strangler, the Loopt-beheader, etc. Nevermind that Facebook partnered with all of them for the launch — those guys were done.

Fast forward to today: Foursquare recently raised a large round of funding valuing them at $600 million. And Facebook is killing off Places.

To be clear, Facebook is [...]

Read More: One Year Later, Facebook Killing Off Places …To Put Location Everywhere

Despite what I wrote on February 2010, hyper-local marketing has made its way to the iPhone since then. The workApple Destroyed the Dream of Hyper-local Advertisements in Apps – Opportunity for Android? (Feb. 2010)TechCrunch reports that Placecast's Shopalerts service provides retailer and merchant offers and discounts to consumers via their mobile phones.Placecast Brings Location-Based Shopping Alerts To Retailer Smartphone AppsThe service works with retailer provided apps which sends a message [...]

Read More: Placecast Shopalerts Provides Opt-in Location Based Deals Alerts

Good news for local businesses – there is a new cool feature on Facebook called “Recommend this place”. It a really simple but clever update by Facebook to drive recommendations and grow its dominance among location based  service companies. You can read more about this new update at Insidefacebook.com .

Read More: Facebook strengthens its location based service offering with “Recommend this place”

BitFlx has just introduced the concept of "location-aware” in their new social video application, but what does that mean?  It’s an iPhone video application that enables users to create and share real-time video connections with other users in their vicinity. BitFlx integrates video content and "place" into a user's mobile lifestyle in a way that's timely and relevant. It's about where users find themselves now, and offers the point of view from the location.


Read More: How Important is Location in Emerging Social Video Apps?

I’m calling it – Twitter has officially dropped the ball on location.Eighteen months ago I went out on a limb saying that Twitter was the best social platform for a wide range of possible geo applications, saying that location was “in Twitter’s DNA”. Looking back, I still believe that I was right, and that a year and half ago Twitter was best positioned among the competing players – Apple, Google, Facebook and yes, even Foursquare – to be the platform of choice for location app [...]

Read More: 4 reasons why Twitter dropped the location ball, and Foursquare picked it up

 Over the past few years consumers have changed their mobile buying habits and have bought smart phones instead of normal feature phones. Iphones and Android products have taken over and according to recent data; more than 35% of the UK now owns a smart phone. 59.3% of these smart phone users are now interacting on [...]

Read More: Location Based Marketing. The Next Big Thing?

When planning an online or mobile business, founders and co-founders must begin discussing ‘location' as soon as possible. By location, I particularly refer to the launch and base location(s) of your online or mobile business.The following are four pointers I suggest you to consider in your startup location discussion:Firstly, is where you live the best place to launch and base your internet or mobile startup?If you live in countries with modest popu [...]

Read More: 4 Ideas To Consider When Choosing the Location for Your Startup