Pocket Life, a geo-aware social network backed by mobile network giant Vodafone, has launched to the public. The service allows users to update their friends on their current locations automatically, and also allows them to syndicate status updates and their recent activities to popular social networks like Facebook and MySpace. You can also use GPS to create a route (say, for mountain biking or hiking) and share that with friends over the network.
At launch Pocket Life is compatible with over 30 phones, including a number of Blackberries, Nokias, and Samsungs, with the iPhone listed as “Coming Soon” (you can see the full compatibility list here). If you have a compatible phone, you can download the software by visiting http://mob.pocketlife.com from your phone’s browser. You can also use the site from your computer at PocketLife.com, though this doesn’t feature automatic location updates. To get a feel for more of the site’s features, check out the walkthrough video.
Pocket Life has many similarities with other geo-aware social networks like Whrrl, Limbo, and Loopt, which recently signed a deal to become available on every mobile carrier in the US. Pocket Life is getting a late start, but with giants like Facebook and MySpace largely sitting on the sidelines in the race to take social networks mobile, it still has a fighting chance, especially given its backers.
Vodafone is the largest telecommunications network company in the world, with huge mobile market shares in many countries (it also owns minority stakes in some large mobile companies, with a 45% stake in Verizon). If its phones started to carry Pocket Life as a default application, it could easily overwhelm its competitors in many regions.
Disclosure: Pocket Life competitor Loopt is in the middle of a patent litigation suit that we’ve been dragged into, and they’ve also created a TechCrunch-branded Loopt iPhone app.
they wont be able to compete with me.
“the company with the greatest strategic personalized custom niche offerings for businesses and consumers wins the game.”
LifeLocator.com – live it up!
Go away, stop spamming. I wish techcrunch would actually write an article about your lame idea so you would stop wasting your time here.
i’ve earned a day in the spotlight. my sincere articulate blogs and professional locator comment thread pimp tagging more than speaks for its self.
regardless, i appreciate tc leadership for understanding my startup and allowing me to express its “potential” in unique and no holds barred format.
LoopLocator.com – goes around, comes around
Vodafone is the world’s leading international mobile communications company. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its principal joint venture partner for the Indian market also.
It’s not just about providing Voice / Data services. Telecom Business is going through revolution and such services which provide better consumer experience are surely in better position to grab larger pie. Kudos Vodafone for innovative thinking and path breaking initiative.
It is funny that you didn’t mention Platial. From what I know they were the first ones to experiment with the concept, perhaps too early.
It got many competitors other than these 3 mentioned such as pelago.com, Woices.com.. apart from the fact that it has got the edge over other thru vodafone, to get more user base.
Actually tested it (web and blackberry bold). Yes, it’s early beta, but quite a good approach. Like it that it truly integrates web and mobile. And with the market power of Vodafone it should be taken serious. If they keep the pace they can easily beat the sites already out there. The first credible move from a mobile service provider in this space so far. Question is whether they will turn it into a corporate thing or keep it open to partners and platforms.
Seems like voda is getting really innovative with this one. I tested it too. It works pretty well with Telcel in Mexico as well. i hope they can pull this off globally and integrate it nicely arcoss a broader range of phones, iphone is still missing, even though on my BB it runs great.
I think Pocket Life will be a bit slow in gaining popularity but eventually would be get a lot of interests.
Vodafone has no stake in PocketLife. Jason Kincaid should have checked his facts before regurgitating a fluff piece press release from Pty Ltd in New South Wales.
Check
http://www.tele...aspx?cid=650805
and
http://www.voda...nz/pocket-life/
Guess they just try to soft launch in AUS and NZ before they approach EUR/ASIA PAC/US
if vodafone have no stake this is really quite a wrong article !
I dont see how they push data into facebook it looks like just a consumer
consume data is easy and frankly not all that useful to me at least
all the best but not for me at the moment as it just looks like another social network startup
John Jones
TechCrunch loves to write about LBS social networks, but I have the feeling that a lot of good European LBS startups (like Nulaz) are left out of the story. I wonder why…Nulaz actually won a prize from Vodafone for the best Dutch Mobile startup (Vodafone Mobile Clix); but apart from the prize there’s not partnership much coming from Vodafone, because they seem to be putting their bets on Zyb and Pocket Life.
Seems like vodafone is taking a very open service innovation approach.
Strategically releasing a Vodafone/Verizon Wireless exclusive Blackberry Storm version makes sense.
I’ll be most interested to see their upcoming iPhone version soon….
Go away, stop spamming. I wish techcrunch would actually write an article about your lame idea so you would stop wasting your time here :
I found Pocket Life on the iPhone Apps store – finally – http://itunes.c...apps/pocketlife