{"id":205032,"date":"2010-01-20T18:32:05","date_gmt":"2010-01-20T23:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=92514"},"modified":"2010-01-20T18:32:05","modified_gmt":"2010-01-20T23:32:05","slug":"with-the-iphone-geodelic-finds-dollars-seoul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/205032","title":{"rendered":"With the iPhone, Geodelic Finds Dollars & Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

\"\"Ever since we first tried out Sherpa, a location-based services application, we became fans of Geodelic<\/a>, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company<\/a> behind it. The app, which automatically learns a cell phone user’s favorite locations and lifestyle behavior and was initially<\/a> launched exclusively<\/a> for T-Mobile\u2019s myTouch phone, has been downloaded some 350,000 times. Adding to that user base are the recently released versions of Geodelic for Android devices as well as the iPhone. (Click here to download from the iTunes App Store<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Geodelic has just signed a deal with Korea Telecom that will see the company create a Seoul-specific application for Korean iPhone users. The move is expected to bring in revenues in the \u201chigh seven figures,\u201d CEO Rahul Sonnad told me. Korea Telecom, an iPhone distributor in South Korea, signed a multiyear deal with Geodelic.<\/p>\n

\"\"This revenue boost will prove to be quite significant for Geodelic, which is hoping to put some distance between itself and a growing number of competitors including Foursquare and Gowalla. Sonnad explained that the reason his company is able to build Seoul Tour is because of its publishing platform. Using it, Geodelic has worked with Universal Studios Theme Parks and Best Buy Stores to create what Sonnad calls \u201cexperiences.\u201d It’s also worked with Greenopia, which has created an experience around \u201cgreen shopping\u201d across the U.S. The company now plans to create airport experiences, which will not only show flight information and airport maps, but will also be able to showcase location-based promotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe publishing system makes us unique,\u201d Sonnad said, \u201callowing major brands to create hyper-local experiences around it.\u201d But that\u2019s not all. The company is hoping to open up this publishing system to consumers sometime later this year. \u201cMuch as Ning made it easy to create social networks for everyone, with Geodelic you will soon be able to create your own location-based, hyper-local experiences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"It’s a clever idea. Imagine, for example, an experience that centers entirely around the best pizza joints in a particular city. Now imagine thousands of such \u201cexperiences.\u201d Geodelic, thanks to the efforts of others, will end up with a fairly deep and accurate database of many different places around the country. I especially like the fact that it’s using location as a way to provide context to local information.<\/p>\n