Skyhook announced two more Android partnerships this and last week.  The first was with a popular social networking app called Aloqa.  Aloqa adds a social networking element to its local search capabilities by notifying users to places, events and friends nearest to their current location.  Users get real time alerts of changing content like movies and concerts.  The app also teamed up with Facebook to alert users to the whereabouts of their Facebook friends.

Skyhook’s second partnership announcement with its first app in the Security category: SIM Checker.  SIM Checker is an application that helps recover stolen Android devices. SIM Checker users set a phone number and email address to which SIM Checker will send alerts if a different SIM card is installed in the device. These alerts contain the location of the stolen device. The app was among five other apps nominated for Best Security App in the Android Network Awards last month.

Both of these apps represent innovative apps in some of the most popular app categories on Android.  While Social Networking has established itself as a staple category for LBS apps, security is getting more popular as users are placing more value on their mobile devices.  We look forward to enabling innovative uses of location in additional finance and social networking apps in the future.

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnership announcements, follow us on Twitter: @SkyhookWireless

This week we found three new iPhone apps that flow together perfectly to help with any weekend expeditions.

Center’d by Center’d Corporation brings the popular Center’d experience from the Internet to the iPhone. Center’d was created with the goal of helping people decide what to do or where to go without having to spend the time and effort that normally goes into that process. Center’d suggests activities simply based on what type of crowd you’re with (date, group, etc) and what type of mood you’re in. Using location the Center’d iPhone app suggests results closest to you.

Once Center’d helps you chose your next destination, TomTom US & Canada, a new turn-by-turn navigation app by TomTom International B,V will help you get there. Users familiar with TomTom GPS devices can now find a similar high quality navigation experience on the iPhone.

And finally once you arrive at your destination and find that lucky parking spot, A Parking Spot by apalms drops a map pin to mark your car’s location. Once you’re on your way back to that spot the app will trace a line from your current location to where you parked your car. It also displays the remaining distance and the quickest way back to your vehicle in a visually compelling way.

Skyhook announced two more Android partnerships this week: Sherpa, by Geodelic, and TIE Your Money.

Sherpa is the overnight success Android app created by Geodelic.  Sherpa allows users to discover the most relevant information based on their location and preferences. The app learns your likes and dislikes through behavior and user feedback, and prioritizes recommended retailers, restaurants and attractions. Sherpa is an app with high performance standards. The app’s need for excellent location necessitated Skyhook.

Our second announcement, TIE Your Money, was our first in the finance category.  Finance is an increasingly popular category for location-based apps, as consumers are realizing the benefits of being able to track their expenses by the precise locations of their transactions.  TIE Your Money helps users to better manage their money.

These partnerships indicate that developers need better location than Android provides natively. Developers are not willing to compromise the quality of their apps by using the Android location platform.

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnerships announcements follow us on Twitter @SkyhookWireless

With the App Store hosting over 50,000 apps, sometimes it’s hard to know what’s worth your attention. That’s why we’re here to tell you about some cool new apps we found digging through the App Store.

Meeting someone halfway is a common way of seeing distant friend without having to travel an excessive amount of time. Middow by Servron simplifies the process of meeting up by telling you the halfway meeting point between any two specified locations.

Increasingly people want real-time information about what’s going on as it happens. City Stream by Metosphere creates a social network of users who upload geotagged pictures of what’s happening wherever they might find themselves. Any user can view all these picture updates on a map and now visually see what might be going on nearby them at any given moment without having to be there.

Every driver has bits and pieces of interesting information about where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going. Aha by Aha Mobile helps any user capitalize on this plethora of knowledge by connecting drivers in their own social network. Drivers can post updates on traffic situations, leave reviews for good restaurants, alert fellow drivers to known speed traps, and see any updates fellow users have posted. These updates are all geotagged so you can easily see what location any particular update is referring to. Together drivers can have a more informed travel experience provided in an appealing, easy to use interface.

Skyhook has submitted a panel proposal for SXSW 2010 and would love your help in making our idea a reality.  The title of our presentation is “Location-Based Advertising: Making Us Rich… Someday?”

The description: Advertisers pay more to reach their exact target audiences, so precise location-based ads could make mobile app developers rich. But, have you ever really seen a Starbucks coupon magically appear as you walk by the storefront? We’ll discuss the future of location-based ads for both advertisers and developers.

The panel will focus on location-based advertising: who’s doing it, the potential it has, and what it can bring in the future.  We will discuss current state of this topic and its impediments, and how location can be reliably determined.  In addition, we will talk about how much more effective high targeted ads are, how much developers are currently making, and how much more they could potentially make.  As evidence, we will exhibit some case study examples of successful LBS ads, and show what a location-targeted ad would actually look like.

So please help out by voting for our panel.  You must register on the site, and follow the link in your confirmation email.  Once you have done that, just click on the “thumbs up” symbol next to our proposal.  That means you like us.  Here is the link to do so: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/2613

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnership announcements, follow us on Twitter: @SkyhookWireless

This week in iPhone apps saw the release of an official Taco Bell locator app along with two useful medical apps to help with any potential fast food related after effects, helping maintain a nice balance to the App Store.

Taco Bell Locator by The Hyperfactory is the simplest way to satisfy that latenight carving for the infamous “fourthmeal”. This app will locate all Taco Bell locations within a specified radius of your location and will conveniently display all restaurants on a map.

DoctorFinder by Michael Quach let’s you select which medical specialty you’re in need of and will then list all nearby doctors in that field, including name and contact information. Perfect for anything from minor quesadilla burns to hot sauce packet slip and fall injuries.

LifeButton by antilia.biz is an essential app that provides you with one touch access to emergency services including police, fire, and emergency medical services. For when those burrito related emergencies take a turn for the worse, look no further than this app in a moment of need. It will also update any specified contacts with your current location via email.

Skyhook announced partnerships with two different Android location-based apps this week.  The first is Find Starbucks, a local search app that helps users find the Starbucks coffee shop nearest to them.

The second app we announced a partnership with is Apot, a Twitter client app.  The app is very straightforward: it posts geotagged tweets. This way, your followers can view your location on a map.

These apps are simple but both depend on location. This is where Skyhook comes to the rescue.  It is becoming increasingly clear that Android apps which rely heavily on location need Skyhook in order to provide the best functionality for users.

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnership announcements, follow us on Twitter: @SkyhookWireless

As if we all weren’t dependent enough on our shiny iPhones, this week the App Store got some great new apps that highlight the little problems that never had a good solution until now.

I’m In Town by MEDL MOBILE fixes the longtime problem of forgetting to call a friend when you’re visiting in town. With the touch of a button the app scans all the addresses in your contacts list and alerts everyone living within a certain radius of your current location that you’re in town with a text message. Whether just visiting or traveling on business, I’m In Town simplifies the process of letting friends and associates know that you’re in town.

MapMarker by Worqbench is the app you need when exploring a new area. Did you ever pass by a unique shop or eat at a local restaurant you didn’t want to forget? With MapMarker you can easily and quickly make a note of where you are and why that place might be worth remembering. The app seamlessly integrates with Google Maps to mark your locations in a familiar interface.

Wake Me Up (GPS Alarm Clock) by G. Di Pietro & J. Gander finally lets the weary traveler nap with peace of mind. This alarm clock can be set to wake the user based on when they arrive at their desired destination. The app periodically checks the user’s current location and the distance remaining to their destination to ensure the most accurate activation of the alarm. Once the user specified destination is reached, the app will start ringing and (hopefully) wake up the user.

By Amir Shaikh

This week in iPhone apps yielded a couple of interesting new apps that provide some helpful new tools for iPhone users.

iSunBurn by Monika Morris provides you the UV index for any location in the United States. Either enter which location you are interested in manually or allow the app to access your current location to receive a quick update of your area’s UV index. iSunBurn helps turn the guessing game of sun tanning into a predictable science for beach goers this summer.

Community Leash by Shawn Grant lets pet owners everywhere band together to help each other locate lost pets. Users are alerted to lost pets close to their location. They can also upload pictures of their own lost pets to the community or even use their iPhone camera to take photos of other potentially lost pets.

By Amir Shaikh