Facebook Presents Location Services

It seems there is no stopping Facebook, the giant social networking service having just released its new iPhone Application (version 3.2) which brings us "Places,” a new location service which allows users to check-in where they are at on-the-go, as well as track down their friends based on their geographic whereabouts.

And while the new feature might be awesome, it is drawing a lot of negative feedback, as some users would rather not have their friends giving away their location.

The new “Places” feature is front and centre in the Facebook app world. Clicking on it brings up a list of your friends who have recently checked-in to various places. Clicking on those friends shows more details about the place they are. Friend check-ins are sorted according to those who are nearby and those who are elsewhere. In addition, your profile can now show these “Places” check-ins as well.

The new iPhone app also brings new additions to photo upload, allowing users who are running iOS 4, to upload photos and videos in the background, without having to wait for the task to complete. The app also introduces new privacy settings, which are available on all versions of the iPhone's operating system.

However, many users have complained the new “Places” feature raises some privacy concerns, as they wish to have their whereabouts remain discreet for whatever reason. But, it appears you can actually stop others from checking you into locations you don't wish to be checked into, using the privacy settings. If you do decide to use “Places,” you can customize who will see your pinpoints on the map and who won't.

But the new application isn't flawless. Reports across the web show the app has some bugs allowing people to check into locations, even if they weren't actually there. The new feature is also limited to the US for now, so if it's relevant for you, you can get it from the iTunes store, by simply installing the free Facebook app or updating it, if you've already got it.