Go to the coolest places with Foursquare

Foursquare is a social networking service that allows people to check-in to places and inform their friends of what’s happening around them. The Foursquare mobile app makes this fun and easy to do with its simple user-interface and great features.

After creating an account with Foursquare, users are prompted to “check-in” to a nearby venue and earn their “badges.” Badges, more or less, function much like trophies – a way to let other people know what you have accomplished in using the app. The “Mayorship” designation, on the other hand, is the highest honor or award given to persons who frequent a certain place the most under a certain period (60 days). The Mayor title, however, is not permanent as other individuals may visit the same venue more than the current Mayor.

Friends can be added via your phone contacts, Facebook and Twitter accounts, or by email invitation. Tapping on the Friends button will then let you view their activity and help keep you informed of where they have been and what they have been doing.

One of the best features of Foursquare is the ability to leave a Tip when you have checked-in at a location. This lets other people on the social network know the best deals, the problem areas, etc. at that venue. Users can even take a picture to share and publish on Facebook or Twitter.

Tapping on the Explore button lets people choose from a variety of places to go to. These are categorized under Specials, Food, Coffee, NightLife, Shops, A&E, and Outdoors. Users will see Foursquare’s recommendations first but can easily switch to what places are Trending. Changing the distance from your current location is possible; though it defaults to within 1 km, it can be changed to 1.5, 3, 5 or 10 kms. To make this easier, a map is also available to help you quickly view what’s nearby and to aid in navigating to the desired site.

So if you want to keep you and your friends updated of the best places to go to, then the Foursquare mobile app will suit you just fine. It is available for free and can be downloaded for Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia, Palm, and Windows Phone.

(Editor’s note: You can check-in to places with Foursquare via NFC. To know more about NFC, read our articles on NFC and NFC Hub)