The State of Location-Based Social Networking On The iPhone

Sun, 09/28/2008
Mark Hendrickson, Tech Crunch

Where is an iPhone app developed by a Boston-based startup called uLocate that has received a considerable amount of funding (at least $15.5 million) over the last several years. It has everything but the kitchen sink. Along the bottom of the app is a dock-like menu that shows a variety of sub-applications, each meant to help you find something in your area:

  • Buddy Beacon: find nearby friends
  • GasBuddy: find nearby gas stations with low prices
  • Starbucks: find nearby Starbucks franchises
  • Quibblo: see location-based poll results in your area
  • HeyWhatsThat: identify mountain peaks in your vicinity
  • The Skymap: learn about the stars and constellations in the sky above you
  • Zipcar: find pickup points for Zipcar rentals
  • Yelp: find nearby places listed and reviewed on Yelp
  • Eventful: learn about nearby events and their venues

The UI needs a bit of work (too many popups) but regardless, this app is handy for quickly finding the nearest of some particular thing on an interactive map (coffee, friendship, wheels, etc).