Booyah’s latest LBS creation, InCrowd, has gone live in the Apple App Store. Initially announced at Facebook’s “Places” launch event, InCrowd is the first app built off the Facebook Places API and the only location-based app that has exclusive access to Facebook search.
Leveraging data straight from Facebook, InCrowd takes the concept of “social gaming” to an entirely new level. Beyond basic checkins and social utility, InCrowd allows users to create their own customizable avatars, “interact” with old and new friends nearby as well as accumulate status and virtual goods.
Targeted more for high school and college students, the app allows several interaction types such as “high fives,” “fist bumps” and “dropkicks.” Each of which earns points towards a user’s popularity, which include levels such as “trendsetter” and “VIP.” Since the app is hooked directly into Facebook, interaction with friends can begin from day one, instead of trying to get all your friends using the app.
The next step, according to Booyah, is to foster partnerships to make virtual locations as real as possible, so that eventually the InCrowd Starbucks will look like a Starbucks, the InCrowd Best Buy will look like a Best Buy, etc. This will definitely play into future plans for rewards and LBS offers that are inevitable.
