Location applications continue their steady increase of around 100 new apps per week.  There are now around 1,800 total LBS apps in the App Store.  The majority of these applications continue to appear in the Local Search, Public Transportation, Routing and Travel categories, although this week there were several new applications in the Social Networking, Photography and Sports categories.

Two major brands launched location-aware apps this week.   Match.com has released an app in the Social Networking category that is very similar to their online website, but uses location to find singles closest in proximity; however it does not release exact location information for privacy reasons.  Anheuser-Busch has introduced Bud American Ale Finder which locates bars, pubs or restaurants that carry Budweiser products in addition to the closest package stores to pick up a six-pack.  Major brands like these two are anticipating the need to create mobile apps that take advantage of location and engage with their consumers on their mobile devices.

More and more, we are also seeing a trend to create location apps for navigating concerts, conventions and college campuses.  Otago Maps was released this week by the University of Otago in New Zealand.  The app provides accurate location pinpointing and is great for new students or visitors finding the way around the campus.

APhoto GPS Marker takes geo-tagging photos to the next level allowing the user to label their pictures with not only location (longitude, latitude), but distance to or from a selected location, the altitude the picture was taken at, and the current speed.  This type of application provides a new way for users to view their pictures and is an asset to those in the photography field.

By Courtney Teeling