Street Fight Daily: Apple Moves iOS Into Car, Yelp Revamps Nearby
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.
Apple Announces ‘iOS in the Car,’ Offers Access to Maps, Messages, and More (Verge)
At WWDC 2013, Apple unveiled iOS in the Car, a new platform that mirrors your iPhone on your in-car display. The company has been working with numerous car makers to get Siri into automobiles but iOS in the Car takes “integration to a whole other level” by letting you access your Maps, messages, and other services without having to take your eyes off the wheel.
It’s 2004 All Over Again: Mobile Spending Forecast to Double in 2013 (Street Fight)
Terry Heaton: According to a Borrell Associates client memo made available to Street Fight, local mobile advertising will increase 100% this year. That’s right; double. In some markets that number may translate into tens of thousands of dollars; in the largest, it’s $100 million or more. Gordon Borrell told us that what’s happening with advertising at the local level is “nothing short of phenomenal.”
Just like Foursquare, Yelp Now Recommending Nearby Places (CNet)
Local search and reviews app Yelp is now serving up nearby venue suggestions to people based on a variety of factors, including previous check-ins, reviews, and friend activity. The recommendations feature is included in the latest version of Yelp for iPhone and bears a striking resemblance to Foursquare’s Explore neighborhood discovery assistant.
Case Study: Meineke Partners With Full Slate for Online Scheduling (Street Fight)
As consumers get more comfortable going online to book appointments and services, companies nationwide are rushing to keep up with demand. For larger businesses with multiple locations, however, instituting an online scheduling system isn’t always a cut and dry process. Rather than jumping in head first, Meineke Car Care Centers has taken a measured approach to online appointment scheduling. The company partnered with Full Slate and launched a pilot program at 30 Meineke locations.
Mobile Companies Crave Maps That Live and Breathe With Data (New York Times)
As mobile phones become all-in-one tools for living, suggesting where to eat and the fastest way to the dentist’s office, the map of where we are becomes a vital piece of data. From Facebook to Foursquare, Twitter to Travelocity, the companies that seek the attention of people on the go rely heavily on location to deliver relevant information, including advertising.
Foursquare Morale Hits a New Low and Employees Look for Ways Out (Business Insider)
Sources both in and around the company say the negativity is starting to take a toll on investors and employees. Morale is low and employees are looking for ways out. Investors have been patient but in recent weeks, that patience has worn thin. And the company’s leadership isn’t doing enough to put fears to rest.
A Year After Big Scores by SinglePlatform and Yext, Locu Makes a Quiet Push (Street Fight)
It’s been nearly a year since Yext announced a massive round of funding and SinglePlatform sold to Constant Contact within a week each other, and the value proposition for a real-time data and content network continues gain steam. As both firms put that capital to use, a third company, Locu, is trying to carve out its own share of the market with a similar model and sizable — albeit smaller — stack of cash.
Waze is Just the Beginning: Google Focuses on Location (PandoDaily)
The near-ubiquity of its search engine has allowed Google to develop all kinds of products with the sole purpose of helping you better navigate your digital world. Now the company is trying to do the same thing for the physical realm, having recently announced a newly-personalized Maps product and the rumored acquisition of the Israel-based social mapping service, Waze.
Google Launches G+ Dashboard for SMBs (TechCrunch)
Google today launched a new dashboard for businesses and Google+ page owners that will provide them with a single dashboard to manage many of their daily activities around Google’s tools. The new dashboard will, for example, allow businesses to update their info, including their website URLs, store hours and phone numbers, across Google Maps, Search and on Google+ right from the tools Overview tab.
Amazon Expands Grocery Service to L.A. (Mashable)
Amazon announced Monday that it is expanding its AmazonFresh grocery service to Los Angeles, confirming last week’s reports. Residents of Los Angeles can now place orders for same-day and early morning delivery on a selection of fresh produce and items from local restaurants. Amazon’s other products, like toys and electronics, can also be included in same-day delivery orders.
The Breaking News Network Thinks It Can Fix Hyperlocal Journalism With Lots and Lots of Twitter Feeds (PandoDaily)
Unlike a traditional news organization with a front page news site, Breaking News Network aggregates relevant local news from blogs and city officials and curates them through individual Twitter feeds with accompanying Rebelmouse pages for over 350 cities – metropolises and small towns included. BNN gives a few people in each city the power to be “authorized tweeters,” meaning anything they tweet, using the city’s designated hashtag, will be retweeted by the official BNN Twitter feed for that city, without review from BNN.
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