When Loopt launched in 2006 it was ahead of a curve that is just starting to be recognized: Location. Now, with services like Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, and even Twitter fueling the location-based services frenzy, Loopt realized that it needed to shift its strategy a bit. Enter Pulse, a new feature launching today.
Previously, Loopt was more of a passive service — you started it up on some device and it kept track of where you were. Other users could see where you were if they opened the app too, but generally it wasn’t about pinging your friends to let them know where you are and what you were doing. But Pulse makes Loopt much more of an active service. It recommends hot places, hot events, and lets you know what your friends are up to.
This new feature is already live on Loopt’s website, but as we alluded to back in May, this will also be a part of the Loopt 2.0 iPhone app, which should be released shortly. But things have even changed since then. As you can see in the screenshots, a key feature of this new Loopt is the idea of the “Check In.” Obviously, this is a direct reaction to competitors like Foursquare and Gowalla which are built around that very idea. This is a key part of the new Loopt as checking in helps it recommend things for your friends to do.
But Loopt is also using other data to recommend places. It has a partnership with Zagat to get restaurant information and pulls data from sources like Citysearch to further its recommendations. All of this data has allowed Loopt to create what founder Sam Altman refers to as a “local search engine.”
And this is altering Loopt’s business as well. As we’ve previously covered, location is a potentially powerful tool for business models involving things like coupons. Foursquare is starting to delve into this, but it isn’t yet making money from it. This new version of Loopt is taking full advantage of this. The company has already struck deals with partners such as Jack In The Box to serve up virtual coupons when users of Loopt are nearby a restaurant.
Fans of Loopt will still recognize many of the features of the service, but everything has been improved, Altman says. One thing not included however is Mix, Loopt’s service that helped users potentially find dates. That was spun off into its own app last month.
Loopt also offers some things that Foursquare doesn’t such as the ability to see where all your friends are checked in on an actual map (rather than just a list of where they are). And you can also see not only that friends are at a particular place, but how others have rated it (with a smiley face or a frowning face). This allows you to see if a restaurant is not good, for example.
The iPhone is proving to be a boon for location-based services, but it also has a very big weakness: Third-party apps cannot run in the background. This is one reason why the previous version of Loopt didn’t work well on the device; it kept track of your location, but only when you had it open. Loopt recently launched a new feature that allows you to get around this by pinging your phone to get your location with the help of the carrier. But that service costs extra money, a huge barrier. Moving to the concept of check-ins seems like a better way to keep people using your application.
So can Loopt take on the younger location-based upstarts with its new features? We’ll see, but Loopt has a couple of big advantages: 1) It works on over 100 mobile devices (Foursquare, for example, works on only a few right now — but any phone can access its mobile website). 2) Apple seems to love Loopt. They’ve included it in commercials, and routinely feature it in the App Store.
Disclosure: Loopt offers a TechCrunch branded version of the service here.
loopt is way overhyped. when i heard paul graham claim loopt will go IPO b/c of the kid who runs it, I lost a little respect for paul.
That “kid” deserves more respect than you’re giving him, whether Paul Graham was right or not.
Regardless of loopt is hyped or not, presence / location based social network services are clearly on the rise and an interesting brand engagement opportunity
My general impression of these location applications is that they lack focus. At least with Fadsquare the focus is on checking in — with Loopt it’s kind of an afterthought, I mean it’s jammed right next to the phone button. KISS fail.
Now it’s a party!
adoption is everything. loopt is not the greatest domain to launch personalized LBS services. you cant make sense of where everything is if you cant make sense of your identity. over 100 million domains registered its really easy to get lost in the heap.
Interesting. I dunno if their checkin strategy will work. They do seem to just adding stuff hoping one of these features will stick. There is so much competition in this space now. Part of me feels that Foursquare will always just appeal to a narrow audience while a service like Loopt or Google’s latitude can appeal to anyone. Also all these apps make huge assumptions that people WANT to be tracked. I’m not sure if a critical mass of people want that. I know I don’t. I just want to find stuff.
Loopt just copied the Pulse of http://www.pocketlife.com. I believe this might get them into trouble.
I wrote about this kind of thing a while back. Here’s my take on what’ll make a kickass and simple Location Based Service: http://www.tawh...-based-service/
In search of business model mobile social networking companies are missing their raison d’etre. There is still so much scope for a good proximity social networking solution.
Oh cool. According to the screenshots, their using Google maps instead of Microsoft maps now. That’s good. That was my least favorite part.
Loopt certainly has not set the world alight; but the entrepreneur is a bright guy. Who knows, maybe he can yet turn it around.
They’re certainly on the right track to draw together more valuable data about a users surroundings.
Creating a really useful social app is more than just game play or showing what or who is nearby. It is combining disparate sources of data and information into something meaningful – and more importantly, meaningful to the user at that moment, on that day, at that location.
That is a seriously tough challenge – very easy to say but very hard to do well – and we’re all taking continuous but baby steps to solving that goal, hopefully awesomely!
Here @Rummble we’ve been flying under the radar a little bit for our friends in the US of A. We’re not so good at flying the flag or shouting as loud – although we frequently spend time in the pulsing heart of the web world, which is San Francisco and the Bay area.
Watch out for an interim upgrade version of our Rummble app soon with some very cool features indeed…
http://twillage.com is similar but it feeds off Twitter directly to get events happening anywhere in the world, from happy hours to conferences
But we don’t have an iPhone app, yet
This is amazing, they copied Centrl exactly!!!
All the features, even the map icons!
Not even close. Loopt’s design looks far superior to that.
This is a strong business. Pretty soon, the govt will keep track of where everyone is at all times
It seems to me that all of these location-based social networking apps are classic products of the Valley Echo Chamber.
Ask most people in the street whether they’re interested in having their location tracked so that friends, colleagues and family can meet up with them unplanned, and you’ll get a confused stare.
People want their freedom and privacy, and to be able to get on with their days without interruption. When they want to meet up with other people, they make it happen with an easy phone call.
The rest of the time they want to be left alone.
Why are all of these startups missing this most basic psychological fact?
I guarantee you that flyover states will eventually pick up the FourSquare, Gowalla, Loopt concept.
+1,000,000
I think the biggest problem with LBS are, most of the people you already talk to , you pretty much know where there going, or coordinate with them prior.
Peoples immediate social network in general is pretty small, meaning people you will socialize with everyday, or even once a week. Also the places you go to , are generally not that varied from day to day, or even week to week.
Until someone comes up with a better reason, other than just tell people where you are, then I don’t think its ever going to take off.
That’s why it needs to be integrated with facebook. Seriously, what’s taking them so long to get on the location bandwagon? Coupled it with privacy controls and it should be hugely popular.
Loopt is running out of cash. Getting desperate. Treading on other people’s inventions.
Teenage Geek Altman should change his name to Steven Glass.
Installing loopt or any LBS is the opposite of what I want to do. I don’t know about you guys, but I like to explicitly make plans with people I want to meet with. When I run into someone I know on the street, I usually cringe and walk the other direction hoping to avoid that awkward bump and chat convo. Maybe I’m just a hermit crab but making it easier for people to bump into me and start up those awkward conversations is the exact opposite of what I want to do.