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Posts Tagged ‘lunchwalla’

22

MAR

Apple Steps into Location-Based Social Networking

Posted by: tfetherling  /  Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Nashville Tech Story (3/22/10)

With popular location-based applications like FourSquare and Lunchwalla, Apple could not miss out on the opportunity to create their own.  Apple’s newly formed patent, a location-Based Social Networking Application for the iPhone, is perfect for “events like concerts, conferences, meetings, rallies and weddings.” The application allows you to form a group based on your location.  The patent reads, “The groups can be used with various applications (e.g., calendars, address books, email, instant messaging) to provide additional content and services to the users. If the geographic location of the group at the contact time is known, then members of the group can be targeted to receive location-based services (LBS) and content.”

Twitter’s @anywhere service and Facebook’s rumored GPS-based status updates proves the mobile user’s interest in community.  Apple’s application not only allows the user to discuss tell where they are and why they are there, but allows group interaction with others at the same event, further revolutionizing location-based technology.

Group collaboration is not the only new thing coming to the smartphone. This weekend’s Tennessean Article stated, “Analysts say they believe mobile commerce will continue to grow in the future. Dawn Iacobucci, senior associate dean of Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, said there are opportunities for businesses to take on a new type of impulse buying through the cell phone. For example, stores could use GPS technology on customers’ cell phones to recognize if the customers are near one of their stores and send mobile coupons to attract them inside, she added.”

View Apple’s full patent application here: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20100070758&OS=20100070758&RS=20100070758

11

MAR

Meeting Planning’s Newest Tool

Posted by: tfetherling  /  Tags:

Nashville Tech Story (3/11/10)

With millions of restaurants and venues to choose from, www.lunchwalla.com just made meeting planning much easier. Lunchwalla combines restaurants from both Yelp and Open Table, and can be connected through the contact information or your preference, including Facebook, LinkedIn, GMail and Outlook. All you have to to do is pick which friends you would like to have lunch with, choose a few restaurants, and send the invitation. Invitees get to vote and comment on which restaurant they would like to go. Check out the demonstration video below: