Even if you've never used Foursquare, you've probably heard of the location-based social networking service which lets users check into restaurants, clubs, and other venues and businesses for discounts or simple bragging rights. Foursquare makes the jump from desktops and smart phones to the PlayStation Vita ($299, 4 stars)?as one of the most well-rounded apps in Sony's marketplace. In fact, Foursquare for PS Vita packs just about every feature found in the smart phone versions. It's a free app, has a useful recommendation engine, and lets you connect other social networks to share your check-ins. In short, if you're one to explore your town's scene, and like the idea of sharing your thoughts about it with others, this is your app. Note: If you live in a non-urban area, the app may not be as useful due to the lack of venues at which you can check in?a limitation that applies to all versions of Foursquare.
Getting Started
You begin by logging in with an existing Foursquare account or creating one from within the app. The app brings you to the home screen, which has tabs for Friends, Check In, Explore, To-Do, and Me at the top?it's very similar to the mobile phone versions. Most of the tabs are self-explanatory, but a few require explanation if you aren't familiar with the service. "Explore," for example, offers recommendations for popular and much-discussed locations, thus making it a valuable tool for discovering new places to visit in your area. I know of a few extra lunch options thanks to my testing of Foursquare.
"Me" is your personal profile. It displays your total number of check-ins, the last check-in location, badges and mayorships earned (rewards earned for checking in on a consistent basis), and other information. The PS Vita's camera comes into play here as you can snap a photo of yourself to use as a profile picture. The PS Vita doesn't pack the best imaging hardware, so you may want to bathe yourself in light as you snap the photo.
Checking In
Like the mobile phone versions, you check in by tapping "Check In," conducting a location search, bringing a finger to the Check In icon, and crafting a message. For example, I keyed PCMag into the search engine, which I highlighted, and then checked into by tapping the Check In icon. I also uploaded a snapped photo (you can use either the PS Vita's front- or rear-facing camera), which I thought was a nice way to add the personal touch to check-ins. Speaking of the personal touch, you can add helpful tips to Foursquare such as "The deep fried Oreos are to die for!" and other users will see them when they look up information about the venue or business.
The To-Do area is where saved tips live. The Foursquare smart phone mobile apps lets you save both tips and/or the venue itself, but the PS Vita app limits you to just tips. It's not a big loss, but I would like to have the same options as smart phone users.
You can opt to share check-ins with your Foursquare friends, and to your Facebook and Twitter social networks (unfortunately, you can only connect those external services using a Web browser). That said, if you're an avid updater who cares about your followers' mental well-being, you may want to leave these settings deactivated to avoid flooding their streams. You can search for friends by name, Facebook ID, Twitter handle, email, and phone number.
There's also a scoring system which rewards points for various actions, such as checking in to a place for the first time or checking in as a group. The points are tallied on a leaderboard where you can see where you rank among your Foursquare friends.
Preferences lets you set the distance units (imperial or metric), add friends, see friend requests, logout, and more. You can't, however, toggle all privacy options within the app. Earning mayorships and being included in a list of people who are checked in at a venue requires you to visit the Foursquare website.
It's Hip to Be Square
All these features add up to an app that you'll use often. I was an admitted Foursquare non-believer before reviewing?the idea of broadcasting my location to the world didn't appeal to me in the least?but I now understand why the service is so popular. It dangles just enough achievements and freebies to keep you checking in. Thanks to its ease of use, rewards, and venue discovery features Foursquare is easily the best PS Vita app available, and it wins a PCMag.com Editor's Choice.
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