Posts tagged foursquare

Social Check-In Comes to SCVNGR

Jul 20th

The up and coming check-in service known as SCVNGR has just announced a rather cool feature today that rewards users for going places with friends. Starting today, folks running SCVNGR on their Android and iPhone handsets can check-in with friends by bumping phones together. Cheers! Points are assigned based on the number of users checking in together at a rate of two per friend. Ten friends at the office party equates to twenty points!

Even better is the fact that you don’t have to literally be friends with everyone, nor bump phones. Using their “near-field device-to-device recognition technology”, an entire conference or stadium worth of people can check in “together”. If you happen to share your location over Twitter or Facebook, the service will automatically @mention everyone associated with the check-in. That is, of course, provided you are into that whole broadcasting thing. The next time you arrive for dinner or a drink, open SCVNGR and check-in. Don’t forget to tell your Android-toting friends to do the same! NOTE: You will need an Android device running 2.1 or higher to take advantage of SCVNGR.

You’re probably asking what makes SCVNGR different from say, Gowalla or Foursquare. That’s easy! Rather than simply providing badges and stickers for checking in, SCVNGR turns the whole thing into a game. Each place listed on SCVNGR comes with a list of options and associated points. Start with snapping a photo or leaving a comment for a few points. Business owners and frequent visitors can also add their own challenges for rewards, too. “Take a picture of yourself eating the Belly Buster” for five points!

NOTE: Social Check-In Comes to SCVNGR originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

Quick App Updates: Tweetie, Loopt, Foursquare, Flickr — Including iPhone 3.2 Compatibility(!)

Mar 12th

Posted by Rene Ritchie in Mobile

No comments

Tweetie, Loopt, Foursquare, Flickr updates

Tapped on App Store and what did I see? Updates for Tweetie, Loopt, Foursquare, and Flickr — and a couple of those say iPhone OS 3.2 (aka iPad) right there in the What’s New listing. (Yeah, that doesn’t mean 3.2 is coming to the iPhone or these are 1024×768 versions, likely just that they’re built using that SDK for maximum blackboxing on the iPad).

Tweetie [$2.99 - iTunes link] has just hit version 2.1.1 and brings iPhone OS 3.2 compatibility(!), Foursquare (4sq.com) integration, Vodpod video uploads, Post ‘message’ parameter to TwitPic, and Instapaper Mobilizer. See our previous Tweetie coverage for more on the app.

Loopt [Free - iTunes link] expands the product’s Pulse feature to include tens of thousands of local events, and allows check-in to events, public Tips, and the ability to RSVP to events posted on Facebook. It’s also got you covered for SXSW, and adds content from SonicLiving, Zvents and Metromix.

Foursquare [Free - iTunes link] brings a whole new look and feel (see below), faster, better checkin, and categories for Places view. Also, it has history for Places, and uses Tweetie-style pull-to-refresh.

Flickr [Free - iTunes link] iPhone OS 3.2 support (!)

Quick App Updates: Tweetie, Loopt, Foursquare, Flickr — Including iPhone 3.2 Compatibility(!) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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App Store Apps, app updates, Apple, apps, flickr, foursquare, ipad, iphone, ipod touch, Loopt, News, Quick Apps, tweetie

FlyScreen Integrates FourSquare into Latest Release

Mar 12th

Posted by AndroidGuys in Mobile

No comments

FlyScreen just dropped a great new feature into their Android lock-screen app. FourSquare integration allows user to check-in from their handsets without the need of opening an actual app. For those of you who are fanatical about maintaining your “mayor” status, you can appreciate how important time is.

This “version 1″ of FourSquare support also allows users to search nearby for more places providing they have GPS enabled on the phone. Other features include the ability to keep an eye on your friends, share your update with social networking services, and shouting. Wonder what they’ll add to the next version?

If you already have FlyScreen, look for an update in the Android Market. If you’ve never heard of the app but would like to try it out, simply scan the barcode below with your Android handset!

Download FlyScreen 1.8

Might We Suggest…

FlyScreen Comes out of Beta, Arrives in Android Market
Many of our readers and staff here on Android Guys have had a chance to experience the awesomeness that is FlyScreen. However, for those who haven’t been fortunate enough to receive beta testing privi…

android apps, flyscreen, foursquare, Software News

FourSquare, Ramp Champ, Let’s Golf, Video Panorama, Consume — TiPb Picks of the Week

Jan 19th

Posted by Rene Ritchie in Mobile

No comments

tipb_pick_of_the_week

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: FourSquare

I am really getting into the whole location-based check-in concept. There are several tools out there but my favorite right now is foursquare. The app and service is free, it scans Twitter, Facebook and your iPhone’s address book for friends. This makes finding friends that use foursquare easy. You have weekly leaderboards to compete with friends and a todo list of places to check out. Give foursquare a try! [Free - iTunes link]

Chris’ Pick: Ramp Champ

After all the buzz, I decided to download and try Ramp Champ, the skee ball style game. And I have to say it is a blast. Graphics are great, game play is smooth, background music is entertaining, and you even get tickets to trade in for prizes! This is a fun little game that.can be used as a quick diversion, or spending time to hone your skills. Add in the fact that you can use in-app purchases to add additional levels (or games) and we have ourselves a winner! [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Derrick’s Pick: Let’s Golf

Recently Let’s Golf was free and I decided to check it out. I don’t know why I didn’t buy it sooner. Let’s Golf is a fantastic golfing game for the iPhone. It’s a very well designed and I’d suggest it to anyone looking for play a few rounds on their iPhone. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: Video Panorama

Video Panorama allows you to take a video with your iPhone or use a pre-recorded video. It then automatically selects frames from the video to be used in the panorama, stiches them together and then allows you to save the image to your library. A great way to quickly get panoramas! [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Rene’s Pick: Consume

Consume is another in a long list of simple, elegant apps from Bjango that shows how many voice minutes and how much data you’ve used on your iPhone. This may not matter to people on unlimited plans in the US, but those of us in other countries with tiered service, or those on pay-as-you-go plans (and reward cards) may just find it very welcome. Sure, some carriers SMS you when you get to 80% or 100% of your monthly limit, but being able to check any time, and as often as you like right from the comfort of your iPhone — priceless. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

FourSquare, Ramp Champ, Let’s Golf, Video Panorama, Consume — TiPb Picks of the Week

App Store Apps, Apple, consume, Featured, foursquare, Games, iphone, Let's Golf, picks of the week, Ramp Champ, Video Panorama

Twitter and Foursquare Become the New Loyalty Program at Tasti D-Lite

Jan 13th

Posted by Jennifer Van Grove in Social

No comments

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/tasti-d-lite-tastirewards/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/tasti-d-lite-tastirewards/” align=”right”/>

href=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mytasti.jpg”> class=”alignright size-full wp-image-183149″ style=”margin: 10px;” title=”mytasti” src=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mytasti.jpg” alt=”" width=”260″ height=”190″ />Customer loyalty programs are stuck in the dark ages, especially as they pertain to social media. However, href=”http://www.tastidlite.com/” >Tasti D-Lite, the frozen dessert chain popular in New York, is taking one step towards the light with its social media rewards program.

Today Tasti D-Lite has announced the rollout of href=”http://www.tastidlite.com/index.php/Home/treatcard.html” >TastiRewards, a rewards program that incentivizes customers to associate their Twitter and Foursquare accounts with their Tasti D-Lite membership cards. /> id=”more-183147″>

TastiRewards: How it Works

Customers can use their TreatCards — which also double as gift cards — to earn points for purchases, but those that opt in to the social media bonuses will automatically earn additional points. They’ll also update their Twitter and Foursquare accounts each time the card is swiped and points are earned or redeemed.

The program is pretty self-explanatory. Once you register your TreatCard on the href=”http://mytasti.com” >MyTasti website, you can optionally enable your Twitter and Foursquare accounts to send tweets or automatically check you in (shout included) on Foursquare respectively. Each purchase will net you an additional point for each social network connection. You’ll also earn one point for each dollar spent, before taxes, on Tasti D-Lite goods. For every 50 points you accrue, you can redeem a free medium cup or cone.

In case you’re wondering. The autotweet will look something like this:

href=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tastirewards-tweet.jpg”> class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-183151″ title=”tastirewards tweet” src=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tastirewards-tweet.jpg” alt=”" width=”620″ height=”270″ />

And Foursquare check-ins will look like this:

href=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tasti-dlite-checkin.png”> class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-183215″ style=”margin: 10px;” title=”tasti dlite checkin” src=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tasti-dlite-checkin.png” alt=”" width=”582″ height=”158″ />

Social Media as Currency

This marks the first time that a restaurant chain has tacked on social media rewards for social media exposure to their customer loyalty programs, and it’s been a long time coming. Finally, the connection between customers’ social media behavior and their in-store behavior is coming full circle.

Of course, we’re not exactly loving the idea of the autotweet message as it stands, but Tasti D-Lite is open to suggestions on how to the evolve the program. We’ve got one simple one: Let people customize what their tweet or check-in says in their online account profile.

As it pertains to the bigger picture, however, here are just a few reasons why this logical next step is pretty significant:

Social Media ROI: How do we measure social media initiatives? It’s a question of great significance to marketing teams across the world. While there’s many different approaches, this program is perhaps the most efficient way to tie social media to the bottom line. Imagine the data that Tasti D-Lite can now collect, analyze and apply to budget discussions around allocating resources to social media efforts. Will the company get accurate accounts on the quantity of tweets and checkins with card swipes? Absolutely. Can it quantify those social media updates with sales figures? Yes. Plus, it can track change over time, as well as the influence of these TastiRewards tweets and checkins as it pertains to growth of the program. It’s social and smart.

The Social Customer Wins: Tasti D-Lite may have launched first, but it certainly won’t be the last company to get social media savvy. Its efforts will motivate other stores and restaurants to adopt similar programs, which could even create a social media loyalty competition between businesses in the same market, with companies upping the social media rewards to beat their competition. All of sudden your online social value will be worth more than just a retweet. Doesn’t that sound sweet?

Location-Sharing More Commonplace: It won’t happen overnight, but you can expect that the TastiRewards program and others like it will make location-sharing more commonplace than it already is. The tie-in with Foursquare is quite genius, and one we expect to see repeated, which means that more and more customers will become acclimated to the notion of sharing their locations for additional rewards/points.

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/494047-Foursquare” >Foursquare, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/foursquare/”>foursquare, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/marketing/”>MARKETING, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/”>twitter

business, foursquare, Marketing, News, Social, social media, social networking, twitter

Harvard Teams Up With Foursquare For Collegiate Check-Ins

Jan 12th

Posted by Jennifer Van Grove in Social

No comments

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/harvard-foursquare/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/harvard-foursquare/” align=”right”/>

href=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/harvard-foursquare-badge-1.jpg”> class=”alignright size-full wp-image-182589″ style=”margin: 10px;” title=”harvard foursquare badge-1″ src=”http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/harvard-foursquare-badge-1.jpg” alt=”" width=”260″ height=”191″ />It’s hip to be square. href=”http://foursquare.com” >Foursquare, that is. The esteemed academic institution Harvard has partnered with href=”http://mashable.com/tag/foursquare”>Foursquare to create a campus-based game that rewards students with badges and points for exploring the school and surrounding places of interest.

id=”more-182585″>

The news hails from the href=”http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/01/harvard-and-foursquare/” >Harvard Gazette, which describes a partnership that essentially tacks an official Harvard-specific game with a special collegiate badge on the existing Foursquare functionality and purpose.

The primary idea behind the collaboration is to encourage students to connect more with friends and professors through location-based game play, as well as to inspire campus visitors to explore the grounds and uncover tips or share to-dos.

If you think about it, tapping into the hyper-local university scene is brilliant. Think about freshman still trying to acclimate to a new campus. They can use the app and game to uncover the university hot spots, find the best social gatherings (maybe even a great kegger), bond with their peers and actually learn a thing or two about social media in real-life context. We think it’s genius.

For another look at a university getting creative with Foursquare, check out what href=”http://jasonkeath.com/foursquare-goes-to-college/” >UNC Charlotte is playing with.

[img credit: Stephanie Mitchell, Harvard Staff Photographer]

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/494047-Foursquare” >Foursquare

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/foursquare/”>foursquare, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/harvard/”>Harvard, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/higher-education/”>higher education, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/mobile/”>Mobile 2.0, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-networking/”>social networking

foursquare, harvard, Higher Education, Mobile 2.0, News, Social, social media, social networking

6 Foursquare Apps We’d Love to See

Jan 11th

Posted by Shane Snow in Social

No comments

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/foursquare-apps/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/foursquare-apps/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/foursquare-logo.jpg” alt=”foursquare image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Foursquare is one of the crucial new social networks to keep tabs on, and for entrepreneur types, the recent href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/16/foursquare-api/”>release of its open API is big news. It may be time for developers to start shifting away from Twitter and start tinkering with something a bit more Square.

Here are 6 Foursquare apps we’d like to see developed. What other location-based apps would you like to see take advantage of the Foursquare API? Let us know in the comments.

1. MenuSquare />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/menu.jpg” alt=”menu image”>

When you check in at a restaurant on Foursquare, you can see what feedback your friends and others have left. Usually it’s recommendations –- “Try the lobster ravioli!” –- or warnings –- “The green curry is wicked hot!” But wouldn’t it be great to be able to see the actual menu from your phone? We’d love to see an app that allows the crowd (or zealous programmers) to add a list of every menu item, perhaps even with prices, to every popular venue. Want to plan your meal while waiting for a table or a slow waiter? Maybe you’re just trying to decide where to eat? Just fire up “MenuSquare.”

2. OrderSquare (a la SeamlessWeb) />

Building on the aforementioned menu idea, how about being able to order food from your smartphone, using Foursquare as the backdrop? The API makes it easy to grab all the nearby restaurants’ info, which will give this app a leg up in a lot of areas. The app could also be used to broadcast to your Foursquare friends what you actually ordered, leaving a record for everyone’s sake and encouraging reviews on individual dishes.

3. TextSquare />
/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/texting.jpg” alt=”texting image”>

Not all our friends are on Foursquare, and many of yours probably aren’t either. Could be they’re just not hip, but it’s also likely they just don’t have the right smartphones. How about an application that allows you to send selected check-ins as text messages or e-mails to non-Foursquarers that you’d like to meet up with. Invite those technoramuses to the party, too.

4. SquareDeck />

We don’t generally sit around tapping refresh on our phone to see where everyone’s at on Foursquare. We’d like to see a desktop application or widget that shows a feed of friends’ announced Foursquare coordinates and shouts. This way, we could see what we’re missing out on while we’re at work, or what gig we should get to. Integrate this app with Twitter and the rest of our social networks, and we’d never be lonely again.

5. EventSquare />
/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/concert.jpg” alt=”concert image”>

Teens and party-going twenty-somethings have plenty of disposable income to make this app worthwhile. Build them an application that shows where the nearest parties, concerts, or events are going on at any moment, based on their location. Great for those bored Friday nights, this app could really help you find something to do any time you want.

6. GroupSquare />

Sometimes you may check in and only want certain friends to know — you can’t always invite everyone. That’s why we’re proposing an app (or a built-in feature) that lets users categorize their Foursquare friends and then choose which ones to alert upon check in. It shouldn’t be so hard to implement (says the writer to the programmers), and it would definitely enhance the experience.

Conclusion />

Foursquare’s API makes it easy to tap into location data for virtually every venue in most big cities, and now that Foursquare has href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/foursquare-anywhere/”>opened up globally, this information will start flooding in from smaller locales as well. Developers: Now’s the time to get in on the app-building action early. With the right foresight and a bit of ingenuity, the possibilities are endless.

More Foursquare resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/10/fourquare-tips/”>6 Tips for Getting the Most out of Foursquare /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/25/foursquare-gowalla/”>Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Location-Based Throwdown /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/19/twitter-foursquare-2010/”>The Twitter of 2010: Foursquare as Next Year’s Breakout Hit /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/31/2010-location-predictions/”>Location, Location, Location: 5 Big Predictions for 2010

Images courtesy of rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php”>iStockphoto, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=614330″>photoposter, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=455509″>dwphotos, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=898682″>macroworld

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/494047-Foursquare” >Foursquare, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/android/”>android, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/api/”>api, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/apis/”>APIs, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/apps/”>apps, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/blackberry/”>blackberry, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/foursquare/”>foursquare, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/geo-location/”>geo-location, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/geolocation/”>geolocation, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/iphone/”>iphone, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/mobile-applications/”>mobile applications

android, api, APIs, apps, blackberry, contributor, features, foursquare, geo-location, geolocation, iphone, List, Lists, mobile applications, Social, social media, Social Media Lists, social networking

Posts tagged foursquare

Quick App Updates: Tweetie, Loopt, Foursquare, Flickr — Including iPhone 3.2 Compatibility(!)