Loopt®, a revolutionary social-mapping service that is changing the way people use mobile phones to keep in touch with their friends, has been named one of the 10 wireless entertainment players to watch in 2007 by IDC, the premier global market intelligence and advisory firm in the information technology and telecommunication industries.
In the "10 Emerging Entertainment Players to Watch in 2006," report issued today, IDC highlights some of the most interesting and pioneering companies in the wireless entertainment sector.
"With its 'social mapping' service, Loopt is a prime example of the new wave of data services combining Location-based Services (LBS) with key features such as mobile community and mobile user-generated content, which have become gating factors for data consumption," said Julien Blin, research analyst for IDC's Wireless and Mobile Communications.
"IDC research suggests that LBS, social networking/mobile community, mobile user-generated content, and mobile advertising markets should start to experience a fairly significant growth in 2007 and beyond," Blin adds. "IDC believes Loopt is poised to emerge as a serious player in those respective markets through its consumer-oriented and secure social mapping application and its growing relationships with leading U.S. carriers, media companies, and LBS technology providers."
The Loopt service is currently deployed on Boost Mobile. Later this year, Boost Loopt will be pre-installed on every one of the carrier's handsets. Boost customers currently may download Boost Loopt directly from their Java®-enabled Boost Mobile phone or from Boost LIVE at www.boostlive.com. Loopt will be available on other major U.S. carriers in the near future.
"We are honored to be selected by IDC as one of 10 companies having a major impact on wireless entertainment and driving the adoption of mobile application services," said Sam Altman, Loopt CEO and co-founder. "As the IDC points out, Loopt goes beyond traditional LBS applications, which may only give users their current location, to instead provide them within array of services, including status messages, friend alerts, mobile journaling, and other on-the-go experiences."
Unlike other social location services, Loopt automatically updates the location of everyone in a private network of friends and displays that information directly on a map on the phone. Boost Loopt even sends an alert when a friend in the network is near, putting an end to missed connections in the mall, at the movies or around town.
Boost Loopt also protects the privacy of its users by incorporating a variety of safety features and privacy controls. For example, users of the Boost Loopt service can choose who can see their location at any time.
For more information about Boost Loopt safety tips, terms of use and privacy notice, visit www.loopt.com.
About Loopt
Loopt is a Palo Alto-based startup building a revolutionary social mapping service to change the way people use mobile phones to keep in touch with their friends. Using new location-based technologies, Loopt lets you know where your friends are by automatically updating maps on your mobile handset and the web. Loopt also lets you send messages to nearby friends or receive automatic alerts when they're nearby so that you never miss an opportunity to meet. With Loopt, mobile subscribers put themselves on the map.
Earlier this year, Loopt announced a $5 million Series A financing led by venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates, the same firms that helped found Google and TiVo among many other technology innovators. Loopt has launched on Boost Mobile and will be available on most major US carriers in the future.
Contacts:
Erica Jostedt
SutherlandGold Group
415-848-7172
ejostedt@sutherlandgold.com