theregoesdave

With Steve Jobs’ announcement yesterday about the inclusion of GPS into the new iPhone 3G, location-based services for the iPhone are set to take the mobile web by storm. However, there are already some really great location-based applications for iPhone that you can use to start getting local and social on your cell phone today. Check them out here.

1. BuddyBeacon for Where.com from uLocate

BuddyBeacon allows you to update your location and status via an iPhone. You can choose to update either your location and status separately or at the same time. Then you can see a map with the location of your friends on your handset. BuddyBeacon also has a Facebook application that will show your location on a map on your profile and update your status

2. Earthcomber

EarthComber is a buddy finder service for your iPhone that also lets you find Points of Interest in your area based on category and get directions to them. You can also do a local search based on your current location.

3. Navizon

If you have a jailbroken iPhone, you can use Navizon to get your approximate location based on your cell signal. They also use GPS on other platforms, so you can bet they’ll make a play on the iPhone 3G. Once you have Navizon on your phone, you can then use their buddyfinder and local search features. Navizon also lets you update your location in Fire Eagle, which then broadcasts it to other services. You can also get your location via XML and use it in Google Maps like I do here.

4. Fire Eagle

Fire Eagle makes your location available to other applications and services on the web. You can update it using Navizon or extract the information from Google Maps using Jesse Newland’s script. Fire Eagle allows you to decide which applications can access your location and how closely they can pinpoint you.

5. Lightpole

Once you’re updating your location in Fire Eagle, you can then use Lightpole to discover places and events around you. They tap into Yelp! to get reviews on restaurants from Yelp! users and allow blogs to publish the location of their stories so that you can find news around you.

6. Metosphere

Metosphere is a web application for iPhone application that is based on FireEagle and allows you to tag locations and see events from Yahoo Upcoming and Eventful. That way you can look around to see if anyone has tagged their favorite restaurants around you or whether there are any local events in your area.

7. Movable Type Sidebar Plugin

If you’re using FireEagle and Movable Type, you can also broadcast your last known location onto your sidebar using this blog plugin.

8. MobileCierge

MobileCierge is a subscription mobile assistant service for iPhone that is location aware. You can contact them via a phone call or email and ask for their assistance for $7.95 per month.

9. Brightkite for iPhone Coming Soon

Brightkite allows you to update your location, status and share files or links with your friends in real time. They currently have web interfaces for mobile and iPhone, and are expected to release a native iPhone application this month.

10. TomTom Coming Soon

TomTom’s car navigation units are immensely popular. While Google Maps for Mobile can get you directions, their view isn’t nearly as good for navigating in your car. They announced that their application already runs on iPhone and that they will be releasing a commercial iPhone application in the near future.

• Navizon Enables Fire Eagle Location Updates
• Google Opening My Location API to Developers
• TellMe Location-Based Mobile Voice Search for Blackberry
• Killer FireEagle Hack for iPhone
• Streetview in Google Maps for Windows Mobile and S60