Cell phones make it easier to pinpoint pals

Users are now able to combine GPS technology with social networking
The Wall Street Journal

John Peattie was worried some of his friends would be late for a 7:30 p.m. movie so he turned to his cell phone to track their whereabouts.

With one click, the 22-year-old chemical engineer pulled up an electronic map of the San Francisco area with his friends' locations pinpointed. From the map, he could tell some were as much as 45 minutes away. "We basically knew they weren't going to make it," he said.

The new buddy-tracking tool is from Loopt Inc. and is available from wireless operator Boost Mobile, owned by Sprint Nextel.

Loopt is one of a host of companies putting a fresh spin on social-networking services by adding in a new element: phones equipped with Global Positioning System receivers.

Loopt alone has about 100,000 users since it kicked off last fall.

Many young people are obsessed with two things: social networking and their cell phones.

Now, GPS technology is adding a new dimension to wireless social-networking services, letting cell phone users find each others' locations — just as GPS-equipped phones are becoming more prevalent, partly in response to federal rules that require carriers to make it easier for emergency officials to locate cell phone users.

GPS-equipped services like Loopt that help users find their friends' mobile phones generally work anywhere in the United States and can zoom in to show a city or zoom out to show the country. For now, the appeal of the services seems largely limited to urban areas or college campuses — places where users are more likely to meet up with friends on the fly.