14 DAY TRIAL // While Foursquare has already been available around the world, more or less officially, it is now starting to make an actual move on the international market. It's looking to launch versions in five new languages to help it conquer local markets.
Foursquare is also touting some of its more noteworthy stats, like the fact that there are now 6.5 million users of the location-based service. Founder and CEO Denis Crowley was on stage at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, now in progress.
While the expo is a place for manufacturers to showcase their latest products, the apps and online services that make use of mobile phones are becoming an increasingly crucial part of the experience, the software is finally becoming more important than the hardware.
Crowley announced that Foursquare is now available in five new languages, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese.
These new languages should be included with the new version of the app which is now available, on its main platforms, the iPhone, Android and Blackberry.
The commercial parts of the service, i.e. the ways through which Foursquare wants to actually make money, aren't becoming available outside the US just yet, but the localized versions of the app should help Foursquare pick up more traction internationally.
That said, Foursquare is not doing too bad already. It has over 6.5 million users, a huge rise over the past year. Foursquare was 34 times bigger at the end of 2010 that it was at its start.
Foursquare also sees over 2 million check-ins each day, adding up to 420 million in the past year.
Recently it added the possibility to include photos with check-ins, leading to a surge in usage. Foursquare's big appeal, Crowley believes, are the game mechanics, users are rewarded with badges for their activity on Foursquare.
While there has been a surge of new location-based services recently, Facebook's Places being touted as a big competitor, Foursquare can still stand out with its emphasis on fun rather than utility.