I had briefly mentioned Loopt in a previous blog about my iPhone addiction.  Loopt is an app for the iPhone that allows you to update status messages which can be linked to Facebook and Twitter, and let other uses know where you’re located at the given time of update.  However, for 2 weeks, you can test the new background Loopt where the application will run constantly, allowing other users to see when you’re on the move.  However, after the first 2 weeks, Loopt will start showing up on your AT&T bill as a $3.99 charge.  I’d recommend you be very aware of who you give this access too, because as I mentioned before, this is a stalker’s dream!  If you should perhaps decide to let your friends know every move you make, the application will alert you if you have a friend that is close by so you can meet up for a Venti Mocha Frapp at Starbucks – which by the way, Loopt can help you find!

Loopt is available on most major carriers, and on various phones.  There are some non-invasive ads on the app which Loopt is currently working to make location based.  I’m very indecisive yet highly suggestible when it comes to dining out so I feel that these advertisements would actually help me if I was hungry!  It looks like a pretty functional idea, but I don’t see it going very far with a $3.99 monthly price tag.  However, I’m sure Loopt won’t be $3.99 for very long if they acquire some solid advertising deals.  When they recognize the power of advertisement and stop charging the users monthly fees, I think this app could become very popular.  GPS social media at its finest.  Also, don’t worry about your battery life, as the entire app isn’t actually running in the background.  I see this technology going far with the iPhone.

Kermit the Frog claimed it’s not easy being green but in today’s age, more and more companies are producing bio-friendly products.  One of those companies is Samsung.  The Samsung Reclaim is made from a corn derived bioplastic.  Even the box is made from recycled material and the phone has an alert to let you know when to unplug it from the power source so as to not waste electricity.  To top it off, Sprint will be donating $2 from every sale to Nature Conservancy.  It comes in blue and green and is a very economical purchase at just $50.  The phone has a full QWERTY slide out keyboard perfect for constant texters and a good idea for the tween market who are pushing out thousands upon thousands of texts per month.  It has the capability to connect to popular social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter; however, it only has a WAP browser.  It uses a 2 megapixel camera capable of recording video.  I imagine this would also be a good phone for the technologically deficient people out there, like my parents, who have trouble with multi-tap texting and have no desire or use for a smart phone.  It’s far less complicated than a lot of mobile phones out there.

This is the first edition of the Samsung Reclaim and rumor has it that it will only get better as time goes.  Future editions will be configured with full web browsing, touch screens at less than double the cost of this first generation Reclaim.  I look forward to more cellular phone makers following suit and producing eco-friendly cellular phones.  Samsung is a brand I definitely trust and I hope this phone does well on the market.  The Samsung Reclaim will be available at Sprint stores starting August 16th.