Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Despite numerous speculations regarding the end of the never-ending row of online coupons, but investors continue to pump large sums into companies like LivingSocial and Plum District. The deal portals, which have specialized themselves in location-based group deals, especially wish to expand their unique selling points with the extended financial support in order to improve their position against competition. But the competition is still strong: the leader of the pack Groupon has introduced a new online-booking possibility with an appointment planner with its new Groupon Scheduler. Read the rest of this entry »

Tupalo.com – a local search platform which doubles as an international directory and rating-community – has announced a new partnership with the technology start-up Yext. Tupalo users in the USA should now be able to find local service providers even more efficiently with the help of the new Yext information provided. Read the rest of this entry »

With the growing threat of a financial crisis in Europe, it’s easy to think that this would hinder the development of the tech sector. Fortunately, this is far from the case. As Ben Broshi reported at the beginning of October, Berlin has been gaining international attention for its rampant growth in the tech world, especially for new startups. Now, the German news provider Der Spiegel has also turned its head towards the Hauptstadt. Read the rest of this entry »

Now you don’t have to just maintain virtual contact to all of your Facebook friends – with the new app from discounter airline Germanwings, “FriendFlights”, users can book flights directly to their friends throughout Europe. The app lists Facebook friends and calculates flights from your current position to their home. Read the rest of this entry »

The US-Patent Office has promised Apple a patent for location-based information services that may effect other providers of location-based services. The industrial property law with the code RE42,927 and the title “System and method for obtaining an using location specific information” is broad enough to affect all mobile services using location-based material. Read the rest of this entry »

The tantalizing scent of roasted almonds, waffles, and mulled wine is in the air and invites guests to visit the popular Christmas markets. Now a special local search app shows us where the nearest market is: the free Christmas market search application for Apple and Android smartphones from Das Örtliche. Read the rest of this entry »

In the growing overkill of daily deal e-mails, users are beginning to see the daily alerts as spam in their mailboxes. Daily deal aggregator Yipit is trying to change this with its new app for iPhone users. Users can now find daily deals from over 800 sources, including Groupon, LivingSocial, GiltCity, and many more. Read the rest of this entry »

Future Tap is introducing user experience reports to its mobile, location-based iPhone application “Where To?” with the new 4.0 update. User can rate their experience on the spot at newly visited locations.
Ortwin Gentz, Future Tap’s CEO, described the new feature in a short and concise: “Where is the next Pizzeria, the next dentist or the next hair salon? The local search app Where To? for iPhone finds it at the drop of a hat. It is familiar with 700+ local categories and thousands of brands and chains. The new 4.0 version now displays ratings and reviews and allows to review places right within the app. So users know right away whether a visit is worthwhile.” Read the rest of this entry »

There’s certainly little doubt that Google is the leading power for local search. But this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any competition. In fact, Google chairman Eric Schmidt seems to believe that Google is not immortal, as he writes in a letter to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights. The giant’s biggest threat? Siri. Read the rest of this entry »

The search engine giant’s social network Google+ has launched a new service, der Einführung der Google+ Pages for Businesses, Parties, and Organizations, giving these the opportunity to present themselves to the community, inform them of new happenings, and directly connect with users. These new pages especially offer local businesses the chance to develop actively in the social media realm and to be discovered. Read the rest of this entry »