Facebook "Threatens" FourSquare

VIVAnews – the popularity of location-based service, like Gowalla and Foursquare, becomes common. Responds this, Facebook also add a new feature with similar function called Facebook Places.

Similar on what is on Foursquare, Facebook Places allows Facebook users to share information about their visited location.

According to Places product manager Michael Eyal Sharon, Facebook Places is the company’s anticipation to fulfill the need of location-based service that become common, especially as the growth of the smartphone users throughout the world those are equipped with the position-tracking via satellite.

"Starting today, you can immediately tell people about that favorite spot with Facebook Places," said Places product manager Michael Eyal Sharon.

"You can share where you are and the friends you're with in real time from your mobile device." he said, as cited on Emirates247.com, Thursday August 19th 2010.

Just like Gowalla and Foursquare, Facebook users can check-in on restaurant, bar, park and the other places, then letting their friends on social-network know where are you now.

Places Application for iPhone had been previously released. Now, Facebook users with Web-Browser-enabled smartphone, also with geo-location and HTML5 can use places through the http://touch.facebook.com.

Unfortunately, this service is only available  for United States now. “If you’re not in US, you can only see your friends in US. And you, (outside the US) still can’t check-in yet,” as Zuckerberg said on Places Launching at the Facebook Headquarter, North California.

But, the site that has US$ 800 Million revenue plans to expand their new service last year. Although it’s kind of a high-sound, Zuckerberg hopes that 500 million of Facebook Users can use the new service step by step. However, smartphone users is only 61.6 Million.

translated from: http://teknologi.vivanews.com/news/read/172025-facebook--ancam--foursquare

Posted in: Facebook,GPS,Social Networking