With the geolocation services catching up swiftly in the market, it’s now Google’s chance to make its mark in the arena of location apps. Making efforts in competing with the other location apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, Google has launched its new location based apps, Application Programming Interface (API), known as Google Places API. The Places API application can be easily used by web developers creating “Check in this place” feature based applications which are commonly used for searching places that can be used by the users for some basic information, such as phone numbers, addresses, business names, etc. Moreover, this information provided by Google Places API is also editable by the various businesses and cannot be cached. This hence means that the application will have to keep on pinging Places for learning their real-time information. However, in order to make this information available for free and also easily usable as that of Google Maps, the company may create a new foundation specifically for such location based apps for being used to their summit across the mobile web world. In simple words, the application will have to be simply integrated into the Google Adsense system in order to avail its features and services.

The new location based apps, is also deemed of providing genuine rating information about all the services and websites already available in the Places API, as provided by the very business websites that also appear on the Google Maps results. This will allow you to find the best rated coffee shops, restaurants, etc. located within a mile from your given location. However, with Foursquare and Gowalla, already in the market, it may get a lot difficult for Places API to create a position and repute in the geolocation services market. Released together this year itself at SXSW in Austin, both Foursquare and Gowalla have successfully captured the attention of millions of users from all across the world.

With a stronger development history that started in 2008, both Gowalla and Foursquare offer a series of interesting features to their location service users which makes it all the way more difficult for Places API to gain a thumbs up from its worldwide viewers. Compared to the list of services such as GPS locator, to-do-lists, worldwide availability, city guide, awards and game incentives, in-game competition, real life perks, etc. offered in different packages by both Gowalla and Foursquare, Google Places API has its own list of new attractive features. This hence makes it more interesting to see who actually leads the location based apps competition in the coming future.

Google Places API offers you local searches and map listings, custom QR codes and also coupons, real-time updates, photo shoots of your businesses, and more. However, it is also believed that Gowalla and Foursquare are now taking a simpler and user-friendly social approach for local business listings, offers, coupons, etc. as compared to Google’s approach from the search side. Moreover, Google Places API is specifically designed for web developers and also mobile developers who intend to provide their customers the facility to add a brief about their businesses with its location on the maps using the geolocation services.

However, seeing the rising popularity of Google Places API in the market and its attractive features, our team of professional programmers at Galaxy Weblinks has already started digging into the features provided by the apps. This will only help us implement the geolocation services for the needs of our clients, thus providing them with better advanced applications for their requirements. Let us know if you are also looking for a development team to help you with your next location based app that can use some of the latest technologies available.