LBS LATAM 2010

Junaio – Location Based Social Network with Augmented Reality

URL: http://www.junaio.com/

Rate this LBSN (2 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“…junaio is a mobile and online augmented reality platform that allows you to create, explore and share information in a completely new way. You will be able to see any kind of location-based content – images, websites or notes – on your personal junaio homepage and through the display of your mobile phone. junaio is bringing the Internet to the real world around you… Now…”

Grindr – Location Based Social Network for gay, bi, and curious men

URL: http://grindr.com

Rate this LBSN (4 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“…Meet Guys Near You  With Grindr.

Meet men at home or on the road for free with Grindr for iPhone. No strings attached. Start chatting with
local guys in seconds!
The go-to place for gay, bi, and curious men to meet, the location-based Grindr is FREE, FAST, and FUN. It uses GPS technology in your The go-to place for gay, bi, and curious men to meet, the location-based Grindr is FREE, FAST, and FUN. It uses GPS technology in your iPhone and WiFi in iPod Touch to determine your exact location and instantly connect you with guys in your area…”

Stalqer- Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www.stalqer.com/

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : NONE

Note: This Social Network was in Alfa mode – is waiting approval of Apple to run in the Iphone. From different websites comments, seems it implements some Augmented Reality component. Let’s see when it comes to the market.

Gowalla – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://gowalla.com/

Rate this LBSN (2 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“… Share your experiences and discover new places. Everywhere you go

Share your experiences through Gowalla with your Facebook & Twitter friends

Stamp your passport and earn rewards at the places that you visit

Discover and create locations anywhere in the world with your iPhone

…”

NAV2US – A GeoCommunity for friends on the move!

URL: http://www.nav2us.com/

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“… Our Community members here can:

…”

gpsME- Share your travels

URL: http://gpsme.cc/gpsme.html

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“… 1- gpsME gets your location using GPS automatically
2 – You add photos or text (if you want)
3 – Then share it with your friends over Twitter, SMS and email in just a few touches…”

Tooio – Location Based Social Network – In Spanish

URL: http://tooio.com//

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“…Recibe cupones descuento Consigue tus ofertas personalizadas: 2×1, Gratis, -30%

Localiza a tus amigos Conoce dónde están tus amigos y queda con ellos

Guarda tus lugares preferidos Comparte los restaurantes, bares… que más te gustan con tus contactos

Descubre eventos Únete a las fiestas, reuniones y quedadas organizadas por tus amigos

Envía mensajes y SMS gratis Comunícate con tus amigos estén donde estén…”

myWingman – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://getmywingman.com/

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
“…GPS enabled social networking for your phone.
myWingMan is your digital co-pilot for meeting new people in your area with similar interests.
myWingman allows users to broadcast their profile and proximity (using GPS) to each other so you can meet a new friend or that special someone. myWingman also provides compatibility ratings based on your preferences and the profiles of people around you. Once you find someone you’d like to get to know better, you can use myWingman’s “flyover” feature to get more details about that person. Next, myWingman allows you to chat, or instant message with the other user using the “flutter” feature. What happens after that is up to you and your new friend…”

Friend Mapper – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www.amigomapper.com

Rate this LBSN (No Ratings Yet)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website :
Friend Mapper brings you the technology to share your live location with your friends. When someone is awaiting your arrival, the touch of a button is all he or she will need to track your progress! A marker representing you will be presented on a map, moving as you move!.

Add and remove friends as often as you like. Choose whether you want to show your location to your friends or to remain hidden!….

Location in a Cloud – a Unique Approach to Provide Location-Related Information and Services

In one of my first posts, I noted that one of the main components of the LBS Value Chain is the ability to acquire and transport a user’s location and give access to that data to many service providers. Getting this information is, in many cases, expensive and presents obstacles to online service providers who would like to develop services based on mobile a user’s location. I was looking for the missing link between the mobile and the web world.

While there are many different approaches (and we might present some of those in the future), Xtify, a company based in New York City, caught my attention. They are creating a cloud of location information where authorized service providers can make available services using the location of their subscribers.

As usual, I was more interested in the business perspective of their operation. The following is a synopsis of my conversation with Josh Rochlin, CEO of Xtify.

I want to thank again Josh for his time and kindness to open up his business for us to learn. I believe many will have much to comment and say.
Follow up.

What is the difference between Xtify and other companies providing similar services?
We are currently the only company that is deriving location persistently from mobile devices and then building business rules around it. We source the location directly from the mobile device, rather than through the wireless carriers. This allows us to make location information available on a persistent and affordable basis.
Read the rest of this entry »

GyPSii, Market Approach and Business Models for a Truly Mobile Digital Lifestyle Application

NEW

Listen to the podcast

Download the Podcast

INTRODUCTION:
For a few months I’ve been writing about Location Based Services business models and how to monetize LBS applications, particularly in the newest area of Location Based Social Networks.
I invited a few companies to share their vision and show how they approach this market. I would say it takes leadership and real confidence in your business to open your company strategy for others to learn. It is not surprising that the first company to accept this challenge was GyPSii. They were recently awarded a core patent in mobile social networking, but GyPSii goes beyond the mobile social networking platform, it is a mobile digital lifestyle application.
I had the privilege to share some time with Shane Lennon, GyPSii’s SVP Market Development (Thank you again!). The result of our conversation is summarized in the following text. In my next post I’ll evaluate the interview, add the full interview on podcast, and comment about their market / business approach. In the mean time please leave YOUR comments

Q: Can you please give me a few words about GyPSii, how it started and your perspective of the company?

GyPSii is a global company, unusual for a start-up. The founders are based in Amsterdam. They had a mobile lifestyle vision that’s more than an LBS vision: “I want to capture my world; I want to be able to share with others”. On the technical level, it translates to creating a searchable mobile index of user-generated content based on the actual world. This is different from what you see on Internet today, which is built by companies, indexed on search engines, and driven more from their perspective and less from that of the user.
Read the rest of this entry »

Glympse – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www.glympse.com/

Rate this LBSN (6 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “…Why Glympse

Think about it: How often do you share information about your location with friends, family or colleagues each day? Where are you? When will you be home? I’m running 15 minutes late for the meeting. Let’s meet at the restaurant at 6 p.m. With Glympse, you no longer need to make a phone call or send a text to communicate common location-based information. Designed to keep up with an increasingly mobile lifestyle, Glympse visually answers the question of “Where are you?” with a dynamic map that updates your whereabouts in real-time.

You can now “glympse”" anyone in your contact list and share your location as easily as sending a text message, but a lot more fun. Recipients know exactly where you are, when and for as long as you want them to. In short, Glympse is simple, safe location sharing — in an instant….

Will Location Based Social Networks be like the restaurant business industry? Check their menu!

After the long weekend pass and I had the opportunity to summarize many of the emails and twitts received during the last weeks, I was surprised to still find new Location Based Social Networks coming to the market… not. This week I added to my List of Location Based Social Networks:  Match2blue, My Adventures, Snikkr , Mizoon, Nulaz , Toai , and Glympse.

I also found a few social networks closing or going through difficult times and struggling to survive. Then I remembered last Friday I was saddened to find one of my regular lunch places out of business. I just entered the Subway next door and had a sandwich. Today I found a “coming soon” sign at the same place.

Is there any parallel? Certainly there are LBSN for many tastes. There are gourmet types of Social Networks, others that appeal the masses, some that serve particular type of people, some are for dating, some are for business, some you need certain hardware to get in, and others that are by invitation only.

The fact is that in both cases the owners invest a considerable amount of money to get in, they dream to have fun and be unique, and in some cases they understand very little about the business model and end loosing all their savings.
Read the rest of this entry »

TOAI- Location Based Social Network (in Portuguese)

URL: https://www.toai.com.br/Default.aspx

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “…O que é o Toaí?

É a primeira rede social que integra Internet e celular com o objetivo de reunir amigos através de uma mensagem. Ele estende a sua rede social da Internet para o celular, do virtual para o real.

Qual o custo de usar o Toaí?

O cadastro e acesso ao site é gratuito.

As mensagens do celular são cobradas: as operadoras cobram o valor quando você ou seus amigos recebem uma mensagem SMS (R$ 0,31 + impostos). O envio não é cobrado.

Para controlar o recebimento e com isso o custo, você tem vários recursos no site definindo de quem receber, quando quer receber e quanto você quer gastar com o serviço. …

My Adventures – Location Based Social Network for Outdoor Enthusiasts.

URL: http://www.myadventures.com/

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “…
MyAdventures.com was created to fill a huge void.

Outdoor enthusiasts want to share, socialize, and gain recognition for their adventurous deeds. And to make new friends for future adventures.

That was difficult before this social network was developed.

There are hundreds of travel sites set up to sell travel. And there are hundreds of social networks set up to support idle chatter. But there’s only one site that enables outdoor adventurers to both share their trips with current friends and to meet new friends. That site is MyAdventures.com.

The inspiration for this site stems from my lifetime of adventure and world travel and all the wonderful people I have met from the Australian Aborigines to the Kalahari Bushmen and the polar-living Inuits to my fellow members in The Adventurers Club of Chicago, The Adventurers Club of Los Angeles and The Explorers Club of New York.

The motto of The Adventurers Club of Chicago fits MyAdventures.com quite well—“to provide a hearth and home for those who have left the beaten path and made for adventure”.

Helen Keller’s comment sums it all up “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”. If you feel the same way you’re an adventurer… and I hope you’ll join this site.

My sincerest welcome
Keith Bates

Keith Bates
Managing Partner

February 1, 2009
…

Snikkr – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www2.snikkr.net/

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “… Snikkr 1.0 is the next-generation social productivity tool for smart-phones. It brings together social networking, productivity and location-based services on your mobile phone, in one easy-to-use, low-cost package.

Snikkr provides great location-based services on your mobile device: mapping, directions, and local search. Snikkr knows where you are, and can help you get where you are going with just a few clicks.

Unlike other location-based application Snikkr lets you do a lot of this without a lot of typing or re-typing….

Pownce – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://pownce.com/

Rate this LBSN (1 votes)
 Loading ...

UPDATE: Shut Down in December 2008

Excerpt from the website : “… Pownce was closed down on December 15, 2008. The engineering team and technology are now a part of Six Apart, makers of the best blogging tools around.
Thank-you

We want to give our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated on Pownce. We all got to meet and know so many wonderful people through Pownce and we’ll dearly miss sharing stuff together in the future. Hopefully we can all stay in touch through other means and keep these friendships alive.

Thanks to all of you,
The Pownce Crew…

nulaz – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www.nulaz.net/

Rate this LBSN (2 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “…With Nulaz you can see where your friends are, share locations, and view local info. A cool party or the newest movie: Nulaz tells you what’s happening!…

Mizoon – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www.mizoon.com/

Rate this LBSN (3 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “…Social Networking in a Social Setting mizoon is a FREE location driven social networking service.

Find your friends. Meet up with people near you. Find a restaurant or cafe, its menus and specials. Looking to shop? Locate a store down the block. Bargain hunting? Check out sales in your area.
FREE, EASY and FUN
Login to mizoon.com on your phone or computer
Choose your location, find friends, specials and sales
Discover interesting locations and events nearby!
mizoon does not require GPS or an application download-just an Internet connection.
…”

Match2Blue – Location Based Social Network

URL: http://www.match2blue.com/cms/

Rate this LBSN (6 votes)
 Loading ...

Excerpt from the website : “…We at match2blue mobilize communities.
We offer an innovative interest and location based mobile social network.
Imagine …
… you are on a business trip and happen to check your phone using match2blue to be reacquainted with an old friend from college who works just around the block

…your phone informs you that the beautiful girl in the park is a fellow activist match2blue user who needs help organizing a fundraiser event.

… you are at a trade fair and with match2blue you meet the precise business partners you were looking for amongst thousands of attendees.
match2blue is a new mobile communication channel that is programmed to target feedback … in real time.

… you are the owner of a Jazz club. You send out a message to every match2blue user interested in jazz and cocktails, within a 10 miles radius, inviting them to your “2 cocktails for the price of 1” special until midnight

…you are an event promoter. You have the luxury of posting your events through match2blue, targeting those who have a high likeliness to attend

…you are the marketing manager of a well-known brand. match2blue allows you to send exclusive and targeted news to selected customers … and even ask for their feedback … in real time.
…”