Loopt launches real-time Reward Alerts local deals program

Location-based social mapping service Loopt introduced Reward Alerts, a new program enabling brands and local businesses to offer limited-time and perishable-inventory deals to area consumers. Integrated into Loopt's free iOS and Android applications, Reward Alerts will formally launch later this month in conjunction with the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas--the startup will team with brands including Fox Broadcasting, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft and Altec Lansing, giving out $45,000 in rewards. Loopt will notify users of the reward locations the moment the deal goes live; each alert tells users where to go and what to do to claim their prize, with all rewards given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Loopt launched version 4.0 of its mobile app in late 2010, introducing a series of new features promising to more effectively leverage smartphone communication and discovery capabilities. Chief among the Loopt 4.0 enhancements is the new location-sharing options designed to simplify the check-in process. Users can now turn on background location sharing to constantly update close friends and family on their whereabouts, even if the Loopt app isn't open--others see your location only after formal check-in. Loopt also unveiled Ping, touted as an all-encompassing, location-based text message, as well as Notifications (an activity feed spotlighting nearby places your friends like to visit) and Places, a button that incorporates check-in functionality along with new friend- and place-finding tools.

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