Mapii Beta released – Loopt on steroids?

Location-based social networks are popping up all over the world targeting mobile phone users as the most suitable group because of their on-the-go status. Knowing your friends’ location nearby you, gives you more opportunities to hang out with them without advanced planning. Local businesses are the main beneficiaries of such ad hoc beer get-togethers or girlfriends’ shopping sprees. Japan’s mapii, a social mapping service, understands the lucrative potential of location-based advertising and that’s why it is planning to offer itself free of charge. It is crucial for such services to grow their user bases to attract local advertising budgets. Clean UI and ease-of-use come as important factors in differentiating yourself from rivals. Mapii bets on Flash-based maps for clean graphics and combination of GPS and cell tower location data for precise information. By using cell towers’ location data mapii ensures its spread into non-GPS phone base. Users will also receive notifications posted by other users about interesting events in the radius of ten kilometers around user’s location. If you’re in Japan, check them out from your keitai: http://mapii.jp.

Source: K-Tai.Impress.co.jp