“Verizon Wireless is the newest company to team up with Loopt, a social mapping company, to create a new service for their customers. Loopt, a Silicon Valley based company, allows customers to share location information, status messages and tagged photos with their friends.”
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Verizon Wireless is the newest company to team up with Loopt, a social mapping company, to create a new service for their customers.

Loopt, a Silicon Valley based company, allows customers to share location information, status messages and tagged photos with their friends.

However, the service is 100 percent permission based – you won’t have random people showing up wherever you are. The service also gives the option of turning the tracking device off for each individual friend or as a whole to ensure only friends know where you are.

Laura Merritt, public relations manager for Verizon Wireless, said their biggest concern is their customers’ security and privacy.

You have to allow people to be Loopt with you, she said.

She explained that people see their phone as so much more than just a phone – it’s become a part of mainstream America.

Our younger customers see their phones as so much more than a business tool, she said. They express their personalities.

This system however, will not be available to customers until later in April.

Earlier this month, Verizon Wireless announced that all of their customers would have direct access to MySpace through Mobile Web 2.0 capable phones.

The company added a direct connect, eliminating the need to type in the URL to access the Web site. This gives people the chance not only to view their profile but also to edit it, add and view friends and post and receive comments from their cell phones.

In addition, they added unlimited access to Mobile Web 2.0 into their V CAST VPack, which also includes VCAST Video, Music and Get it Now applications for $15 a month.

Today’s announcement brings us a step closer to fulfilling our vision that every user has access to MySpace, anytime, anywhere, Brandon Lucas, senior director of mobile business development for MySpace, said in a news release.

Lucas said, It’s all about mobile, being able to connect, listen to music and doing wherever.

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