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Loopt for Android Update – Browse Places and Events!

Hey Android users! Loopt is now just as cool on your phone as it is on the iPhone and BlackBerry (some might argue it’s even cooler - keep reading to find out why).

Get the update now by searching for “Loopt” in the Android Market.

 

You’ve always been able to find your friends on Loopt’s Android application, but now you can take advantage of all the local content that Loopt has to offer too. Browse event info from Metromix, Zvents, and SonicLiving and check out nearby Places with info from Zagat, Citysearch, Tasting Table and many more. Loopt’s new Android app is the perfect tool for helping you plan your next move while you're on the go!

Check out all of the things you can do with this latest version of Loopt:

• Discover the best events and places around you or your friends - browse comprehensive listings, rate them, and leave your tips
• Find out where your friends are, what they’re doing, and Ping them for more
• Share directions and other detailed information on local events and places from Zagat, Citysearch, Bing, TastingTable, Zvents, Metromix, & SonicLiving – even music clips!
• Check In to instantly share your updates with friends – show your Facebook and Twitter friends what you’re doing with photos and places in one Loopt Check In

And what's that new menu I spy? It's a grid view, and it makes jumping to your favorite features in Loopt even easier! Wow, even the iPhone and BlackBerry versions of Loopt don't have that...yet. ;)

Don’t forget - Loopt is available on over 100 devices across all of the major U.S. carriers. To download Loopt, visit www.loopt.com on your phone’s mobile browser.

CNN Interview - Sam on the iPad: "It's Portable Enough"

Sam was interviewed by CNN Money this week discussing the iPad and demoing the new Loopt Pulse app for the iPad. Although you can't put it in your pocket, Sam sees the iPad as a game-changer in location-based services.

Click on the image below to watch the full video.

Plan Your Next Move with the New Pulse on Loopt for BlackBerry!

The Loopt update for BlackBerry smartphones is out, get it now!

This update adds the Pulse tab to your Loopt for BlackBerry, which brings together the best Event info from Metromix, Zvents, and SonicLiving and combines it with Places info from Zagat, Citysearch, Tasting Table and many more! Pulse is the perfect tool for helping you plan your next move while you're on the go. It's a Pulse of what's happening in your city, and it's available at your finger tips with the new Loopt - get it now!

Here's what else is new:

• Loopt Pulse is even better at helping you plan your next move with new Events info from Metromix, Zvents, and SonicLiving
• Listen to music clips from concert Events and RSVP to see who else is going on Facebook!
• Search for Events and Places by date and distance around you, your friends, or specific places
• Share button on Events and Places to share them with friends 
• Ping your friends directly from the Friends list to quickly find out where everyone is!

This latest update of Loopt for BlackBerry is available to U.S. users on the BlackBerry Curve 8520, 8530, 8900, BlackBerry Bold 9000, 9700, BlackBerry Tour 9630 and BlackBerry Storm 9530 & 9550. The previous version of Loopt is still available for legacy devices such as the 8330. To see if your device is supported and get Loopt, visit www.loopt.com using your BlackBerry browser.

Download the update to Loopt for BlackBerry now » 

Learn more about Loopt for BlackBerry »

Apple's OS 4.0 Announcements - Loopt's Perspective

We're really excited about the Apple OS 4.0 announcements today.

This will mean that we can bring the full Loopt experience to our iPhone users so you know what's going on around you right now, where your friends are, and what they're doing without having to even launch the app.

Two years ago, at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference, we said that Loopt makes serendipity happen. Serendipity is all about accidental discovery. That can mean finding out that a friend is eating at a nearby restaurant, but it also means unexpectedly receiving an alert that an old friend is sitting in the airport two gates away from you waiting for her flight. Or telling you when a cool event is happening that you've told us you're interested in.

Loopt has offered these features on many of our devices for a long time, and our users love it. We can now plan to bring the full Loopt experience to the iPhone as well, and our users can expect to see it the moment OS 4.0 ships this summer.

What's really important in all this is keeping the user in control. We allow our users a "hybrid" model of Check Ins and background updates, and this is the model we'll adopt for our iPhone users too.  That is, you might Check In and tell many friends exactly where you are right now (optionally posting to Facebook and Twitter). But for a smaller subset of friends and family, you can choose to keep them informed all the time about where you are without having to Check In or even launch the app. And you always have full privacy control.

We're really excited about what this is going to mean for our iPhone users. We look forward to hearing what you think too! Please comment here, or visit the Help section on our site.

It’s All on the Map

There’s an update out in the App Store for the Loopt application on the iPhone and iPod touch. Go get it.  

You may have noticed the evolution in the last few major updates for Loopt. We initially added Places content to Loopt so you could find the right restaurants, bars, etc. to go to once you’ve met up with your nearby friends. Our next major update incorporated Events to provide you with comprehensive, real-time info on concerts, shows, etc. happening nearby (complete with music clips). With this update, we are making sure you can easily view these Places and Events on the same Map tab where you see where your friends are. We’ve always thought maps are the easiest way to visualize information on what’s going on around you, so now you can check out who’s around, what to do, and where to go ALL on a single screen. 

Here’s what’s new in this latest version of Loopt for the iPhone and iPod touch: 

• Improved Map tab shows local events and places results from Pulse in addition to friends 
• Filter Pulse tab results by keywords or categories (restaurants, bars, coffee, family) 
• General performance enhancements 

Go to www.loopt.com/iphone to learn more about Loopt for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The Vision Behind Loopt Pulse for the iPad

Loopt has always been about discovering the world around you. With the Loopt app, we help you immediately connect to the friends, places, and events that matter the most to you while you’re on the go. With the Loopt Mix app, we introduce you to the people nearby that you wish you knew so you can make new friends. With the brand new Loopt Pulse app for the iPad, we’re now letting you explore places to go and things to do with your friends in beautiful photo and map views before you even step out the door. 

As Sam says, “[The iPad] is the first device with an interface that makes photos the natural way to interact with information...it will sit somewhere between the mobility of a cell phone and a laptop and so we tried to design Loopt Pulse to fit that mode of functionality. [Loopt Pulse] is a great experience when you’re sitting at home on a couch, it’s a great experience when you’re sitting at Starbucks trying to figure out where you’re going to go next...” 

Watch this demo of Loopt Pulse for the iPad with Alok and Sam for more: 

Go to www.loopt.com/looptpulse to learn more about Loopt Pulse on the iPad. 

Loopt Pulse for the iPad

Loopt is excited to launch Loopt Pulse - a brand new application for the iPad designed to let you explore places to go and things to do with your friends. Some of the highlights include: 

• Browse beautiful photo and map views of places and events. Share them with your friends with just a tap. 
• Experience restaurants, bars, and other places nearby through photos and detailed reviews. 
• Get comprehensive, real-time info on the concerts, shows, and other events happening nearby – even music clips! 
• Find out where your own friends like to go to eat, drink, and play. Share your recommendations by logging into Loopt Pulse with Facebook Connect.   

Loopt Pulse for the iPad is available for free from the App Store. Go to www.loopt.com/looptpulse to learn more about Loopt Pulse on the iPad. 

Read the press release »

Loopt Q&A @SXSW with Sam Altman

Nice Q&A about the latest version of Loopt for the iPhone and iPod touch by Jay Donovan of CrunchGear when we were at SXSW. To see the entire article, go to CrunchGear. Here's the video.  Jay apologizes for the shaky-cam. But hey, it's real!

Loopt @SXSW

SXSW is here. If you’re going, check out the fresh update to the iPhone and iPod touch that we released this week. Pulse on Loopt has the consolidated guide for all the panels, films, bands, AND parties going on at SXSW (Pulse! tab -> Events). You can listen to music clips from the SXSW bands and see who else is going on Facebook BEFORE deciding if you should go to their concerts. Make sure to also use Pings so you don’t lose your friends amidst the SXSW crowds (Map tab -> Ping). Hey, all that Pinging and Ponging might even get you rewarded with a t-shirt too...

Come check out some of the Loopt @SXSW stuff going on:

Austin Giveaways. Find sweet offers on Loopt from participating Austin businesses. Like dollar Lonestar Longnecks from 219West or a free appetizer from MAX’s Wine Dive happy hour food menu with your next purchase. Look for the Loopt signs!

TWiST party. Party with us on Saturday, March 13 - 4-7 PM @ Six Lounge, 117 West 4th Street. Go here for more details.

Dine with Dino. Look for the inflatable dinosaurs to eat food and get free stuff. March 14-16 @ ? (Invading secret locations all around SXSW). Go here for more details.

Learn about the Life Graph. Find out more at our panel on Monday, March 15 - 12:30 PM @ Hilton K. Go here for more details.

Claim your t-shirt. They’re pretty sweet - just have your friend Ping you and show it off to a member of the Loopt Street Team, March 14-15 - 3-7 PM @ Austin Convention Center

Get ready to Rumble. Check In with Loopt to cut to the front of the line, March 17 - 6-12 AM, March 18-20, 12-6 PM @ Shangri-La, 1016 East 6th Street. Go here for more details.

The Life Graph: You Are Your Location

Loopt's CEO and Co-Founder, Sam Altman, appears in the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital today writing about the Life Graph. Sam offers insights into the future of location-based services and how your Life Graph can surface applicable content to you, our users, to make the the service we build more useful: 

"There’s a lot of attention being focused on location-based services and mobile social networks right now, and for good reason. These applications represent the future of social media. They’re expanding our circle of friends online and offline. They’re changing how we meet people. They’re affecting where we go and why. They’re forging important connections between our online networks and real life..."

Read the rest of the article here. 

Sam will be joined by a panel of individuals at the forefront of location-based services field to discuss the Life Graph at SXSW this Monday, March 15. If you’re going to SXSW, get more details on the panel and RSVP to join the discussion here.