Geosocial networking, as it's called (though it's surely destined to be savagely abbreviated) is now the big growth area for mobile internet applications. The number of startups fighting their way into the sector is staggering, and reminiscent of the dotcom boom; they all claim to be offering a unique and exciting service, but few seem to be financially viable propositions, and they appear to be waiting to be bought up by internet giants with huge user-bases and deep pockets. Brightkite, WhosHere, Zintin, Whrrl, Loopt and Dokiru are just some of the names that have, as yet, failed to resonate much with the general public; however, Gowalla and Foursquare have achieved a little more market penetration, and the latter's front-running has spawned yet more startups offering services that bolt on to Foursquare: Foodspotting, Hot Potato, FourWhere, SocialGreat, Layar and many others.
But despite the seemingly endless selection of methods by which we can locate our pals, we've shown some reluctance to do so. Too many services are chasing too few enthusiasts, and in the words of one observer, "it's like a big room without many people in it." And those of us who are in the room are curious, early-adopter geeks like myself who you probably wouldn't want to hang out with in any case.