Is 2012 the year for geolocation apps?

Location-based apps received a lot of attention in 2011, with both Facebook and Groupon investing in geolocation software, and foursquare racking up over 15 million users worldwide. Despite this, user interest in location-based apps has been tepid at best. Forrester Research reported that only 5 percent of online U.S. adults used located-based apps, excluding navigation apps such as Google Maps, at least once a month during 2011. And, that number is just a one percent increase over the 4 percent penetration rate in 2010.

Why? Users reluctant to jump on the geolocation bandwagon often cite privacy concerns or are fazed by the current selection of location-based apps primarily focused on check-ins. In the future, if geolocation technology becomes more commonplace, location will become an aspect of an app rather than its defining feature.

But, in order to reach that stage, location-based apps will need to captivate a larger segment of the population. FierceMobileContent takes a look at the current state of geolocation technology in this special feature. --Sandhya