'Social Mapping' Comes to Cell Phones

(CNSNews.com) - Sprint customers who sign up for a new "social mapping service" will be able track their friends using GPS capabilities. "The most common mobile question in the world is 'Where are you?,' and we're excited that loopt will be able to answer that question for Sprint customers who choose to participate," said loopt Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Sam Altman. "The way we communicate on the mobile phone is about to change forever, as loopt on Sprint puts an end to missed connections and facilitates real-world interactions." The new feature can automatically update the location of everyone in a user's private "friends" network. The information will be displayed on a map on the phone's screen. The service "even sends an alert when a friend is near, putting an end to missed connections in the mall, at the movies or around town," the press release said. "It also allows users to send messages to groups of friends or send proximity messages to friends when they are nearby, so they never miss an opportunity to meet up." The loopt service will be available in coming weeks on certain Sprint and Nextel phones for $2.99 a month, plus standard data charges. The company said loopt users can easily turn location-sharing on or off at any time on a friend-by-friend basis or for all friends (parents!) at once.