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New apps let couch potatoes and bookworms check in, too

interns Contributor
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Intrigued by Foursquare, or Facebook’s new Places feature, but not sure anybody would be interested in where you go every day?

Take heart, couch potatoes — a gang of new mobile applications are starting to emerge, and they’re designed just for you.

Let’s face it — most of us aren’t hitting The Scratcher, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley’s favorite East Village watering hole, every other night or battling to be the “mayor” of our neighborhood coffeehouse.

But apps like GetGlue, Miso and Philo are geared toward more solitary pursuits — letting users “check in” to their favorite TV shows, or when they start a new book or go see a movie.

These apps let users earn virtual rewards and meet fans with similar interests. Users also can push their check-ins to other sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to keep the conversation going.

They each have their own benefits on top of that, from giving users recommendations based on the things they already like to letting them unlock videos and other extras when they’ve become “super fans” of a show.

Facebook Places, Foursquare, Gowalla and similar apps are location-based — meaning they employ GPS to allow users to tell their friends where they are. But what about those of us who don’t get out and about as much as we used to?

“Foursquare really is geared toward younger audiences and urban crowds,” said Alex Iskold, founder and CEO of GetGlue. “There’s only so many times you can check into an Applebee’s before they kick you out.”

Full story: New apps let couch potatoes and bookworms check in, too – CNN.com

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