Foursquare has launched version 2.0 of its iPhone app, adding new functionality and the introduction of new “Add to My Foursquare” buttons for the Web.
For v2.0, Foursquare puts heavy emphasis on Tips and To-Dos, which are now front and center in the bottom navigation bar, while also connecting the dots between “web discovery and mobile activity.” Co-founder Dennis Crowley had said the new functionality in v2.0 would be like “Instapaper for the real world,” to encourage app users to look at Foursquare as a way to easily save the places they want to visit and store activities that might be of future interest.
What’s interesting is that Foursquare has debuted a new “Add to My Foursquare” button to take that concept even further. The new embeddable button for the web allows anyone to publish it on a Website, similar to a Facebook “like” button, whereby visitors can tag a venue or “Tip” as a To-Do for future discovery. The new button has already been tested on sites like The Wall Street Journal, and will soon start popping up on sites like Time Out New York, Time Out Chicago, Eater, New York Magazine, The National Post, Zagat and The New York Times.
The whole “Web discovery meets mobile” concept is brilliant really; a user can read about something they want to do on the web, clip it with the button and then have access to that activity or venue inside the mobile app. To make things easier, when you’re using the updated app, Foursquare will visually alert you to nearby saved To-Do’s — just look for the blue dog ear denoting the To-Do in question. You’ll also get a reminder about a saved To-Do when you check in at the corresponding venue.
This will undoubtedly play nicely with future rewards and loyalty programs Foursquare is likely working on, and shows decent progress towards the utility aspect of the LBS app. V2.0 of Foursquare [iTunes link] is available now in the Apple App Store.
