With only four days until SXSW (which we’ll be tracking live at our Twitter profile – follow us!), the hottest tech services are primping in order to make a good impression in Austin. And, with a slew of SXSW sessions covering location-based services, the leading LBS vendors are clearly doubling-down.
For starters, let’s check-in with Foursquare, who we covered in our recent Potty Posting. Looks like they’ve done what many people do when they’ve achieved newfound celebrity: they’ve headed to Vegas. As shown in the picture above, Foursquare partnered with the city’s Miracle Mile Shops to broadcast Foursquare check-ins, tips, and mayorships on a number of digital billboards around town. You can bet that something similar will be heading to Times Square soon.
Of course, Foursquare’s other big news means that what happened in Vegas might not stay in Vegas. The site is overhauling its previously spartan History section, and now complements where you checked-in with who else checked in with you. Don’t worry – this only goes for people who you’ve friended on Foursquare, so that seedy individual accompanying you to the craps table is still your private little secret. For now. Additionally, your Foursquare History section can now be organized by categories, so you can separate your shopping check-ins from your bar visits and who-knows-what-else. This inches the service closer to sites like Yelp, since you’ll presumably be able to search by these categories in the near future. Stay tuned.
Gowalla also went under the needle in order to look sharp for SXSW, but another LBS is looking to put on a few pounds. Foodspotting is a niche-site within the LBS niche (clearly, a Niche Network), allowing diners to take pictures of food, review the meal, and tag the restaurant via geolocation. For SXSW, Foodspotting will be offering local guides and scavenger hunts, since even techies love to chow down on some good ol’ Texas BBQ.
Undoubtedly, we’ll have more to share on LBS this week. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (and tell a friend!) to get up-to-the-minute updates!
