New intuitive location based service to be available on TrueLocal from August 2008

New intuitive location based service to be available on TrueLocal from August

News Limited has today announced that an innovative new intuitive location based service (LBS) will be offered as an option to customers when seeking directions to local businesses on select carriers from 1 August.

Rather than manually entering current location details into their mobile phone, LBS automatically registers where a user is and details step by step directions to the desired location accordingly.

According to TrueLocal CEO John Allan, those able to access this service will include 3 mobile and Optus Zoo mobile phone customers. “In fact this is the first time an intuitive location based service has been available on Optus Zoo and the first time TrueLocal has been available on the network,” he explained.At the same time TrueLocal will also go live for the first time on the Vodafone network.

 “Our intuitive location based service offers a whole new level of convenience to consumers looking for a local business solution while on the run. By avoiding the need to pinpoint your location upfront, this makes the service so much faster and easier to use. Maximising and harnessing the potential of what mobile phones can now deliver, content wise, is an area of constant evolution. With the TrueLocal product now being distributed across Optus, Vodafone, Virgin and 3 mobile, we plan to continue to work with our partners to stay on the cutting edge,” John Allan added.

The LBS complements some of the other mobile-based functionalities already offered by TrueLocal. These include a ‘what’s nearby’ search which is useful if a user is in an area they are unfamiliar with. By clicking on ‘what’s nearby’ they will be given a list of popular businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and medical centres, within close proximity to their identified location. This service is available to Optus and 3 mobile customers.

In addition, Optus, Vodafone, Virgin & 3 mobile customers can place a call straight from their mobile phone to a local business selected from a TrueLocal search. Alternatively, users can choose to SMS themselves the business details for later use or reference.

The TrueLocal website has also been optimised for iPhone users and lists complete and interactive business profiles including maps, detailed descriptions of products and services and independent customer reviews.

“A little like MySpace meets business, TrueLocal offers the best of social interactivity and consumer opinion matched with depth of business information. And it’s all potentially accessible from your mobile phone,” added John Allan.