Twitter turns on geolocation feature
updated 05:55 pm EST, Thu November 19, 2009
Twitter apps get location awareness
Twitter today added its promised geolocation feature for tweets. The addition gives any app using the API, but not the Twitter site itself, the option of tagging posts with a location as well as to automatically draw on the location for position-based features, such as finding tweets in a certain area. It isn't exclusive to GPS-equipped devices and will work with Wi-Fi and other methods that can generate the relevant data.
The feature is already exposed in a handful of apps, including iPhone apps like Birdfeed ($2.99, App Store), Foursquare (free, App Store) and Twittelator Pro ($4.99, App Store). It appears in the web through Seesmic Web and is available for Android phones through the free Twidroid client. The upcoming release of Tweetie 2.1 for iPhones will also bring the feature set.
Twitter is careful to address privacy worries and notes that users have to enable the option in their settings on the web before position information comes through. Users can also switch it off at any time and delete information collected by the app if they want to clear their existing histories.
