I got my beta invite for Check.in on Friday and after just a few check-ins, I’m already loving it.

Now, before you let out a heavy sigh and say, “Really? Another location service I have to check into?,” you’ve got to know something about Check.in. It’s a website set up for mobile use that allows users to check into location-based services such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite and (Seattle-based) Whrrl all at once. It’s catchphrase is “one checkin to rule them all.”
A line at the bottom of the site says it’s a Brightkite product and credits Martin May, Brady Becker and Jordan Harband with the site’s creation after suffering “severe check-in fatigue.” A Tech Crunch post from last month details how it works.

Now, I wouldn’t classify myself as a check-in fatigue sufferer, but I am totally stoked to see this service available. Of course I had signed up for Foursquare, Brightkite, Whrrl and Gowalla, but I had only been using Foursquare. Checking into multiple services seemed to be a waste of time.

As a result, I was missing out on some pretty cool location-based gameplay on Gowalla and some pretty excellent social networking on Whrrl by not using those services regularly. Check.in solves that problem. Now I can check into all four with just one checkin.

So, if you’re into location-based services, you need to go to http://check.in and sign up for a beta invite. I’m not sure how long it will be before a general public roll out of the site, but a quick look at the @checkdotin Twitter feed shows that they are thinking about (and hopefully working on) integrating even more location-based services. I can’t wait to see how it grows and evolves over time.

What other location services would you like to see available on Check.in? — Google? Facebook? Yelp? What else?

A month or two ago, I started using an iPhone app called RunKeeper to log how far and how often I take long dog walks. I’m trying a variety of routes to see which one are easiest, longest, etc.

The program uses the GPS in the iPhone to track exactly where you are walking. Of course, you can make the maps private if you’re afraid of stalkers. It’s a free app, so it’s worth a try.

If you have the first-generation iPhone (like I do), you’ll have to go in and manually clean up the map coordinates after your walk, because the first-generation iPhone’s location reporting is based on unreliable cell tower triangulation, not GPS. But, if you have an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS, it will probably work perfectly for you. It’s a good alternative to the Nike + system.

Check out a (cleaned up) map of my latest 5.21-mile walk by clicking the above image or going to http://bit.ly/M4AL8.

Originally published on my lifestream at MichealFoley.com

I’ve decided to get serious about my consumption of podcasts. I gave up TV all together just after the Super Bowl (in February 2009) and I’ve gotten most of my information through blogs via RSS feeds and links from good people I’m following on Twitter.

While I love getting information this way, it limits me in a couple of ways. I can’t do this stuff easily while walking around or exercising (and I really need to start exercising). And I can’t do it easily while in the car (and I spend more than an hour a day in my car).

This weekend, I fixed my car stereo auxiliary cord (actually, the guys at Car Toys did) and I bought and installed a windshield mount iPhone holder (WindowSeat by Griffin). I’ve tested it out and it works very well.

Now I have to get a pair of excellent iPhone earbuds that I can stand to have in my ears for an hour or two at a time. The goal is to be able to take a long walk with my dog while listening to Leo Laporte’s two-hour “The Tech Guy” podcast.

Maybe once I can commit to a regular long walk, I can start the “Couch to 5K” program iPhone app that I’ve heard so many good things about.

Anyway, if you have any suggestions for good podcasts (I’m looking at you Matt Whiting and Jeremy Meyers), please let me know in the comments.

As of 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning, I was winning in my Foursquare battle against my work friend Jen P. (Photo by foleymo)

I started playing Foursquare on my iPhone almost two weeks ago and I’m totally addicted.

If you’re not familiar with Foursquare, it’s a Web and mobile app that turns real life into poin-accumulating game. Players are rewarded for being adventurous and outgoing in real life.

Here’s how it works:

When you go out to a favorite restaurant, attraction or venue, check in online or with a mobile app.

Foursquare will award points based on your check-ins — five points for adding a new venue, five points for checking in at a new place, one point for checking in where you have been before.

There are also other goals. You can become “mayor” of a venue by being the person who has checked in there the most over the last two months. You also can collect badges by accomplishing certain tasks. It’s also a good way to keep tabs on what your friends are up to. For example, when a friend of mine checks into a bar down the block from me I can easily drop in on them or text them to set up plans for later.

After explaining Foursquare to my friends and asking them to join, I usually get one of two responses — “Sounds like fun. How do I join?” or “What do the points get me? Nothing? Why would I want to do that?”

Their answer tells me a lot about them. If they are for it, I assume they are the kind of people who grew up accumulating points in Pac-Man, for no other reason than to have fun. If they are looking for the real-world personal payoff for this online game, I can gather that they are solidly grounded in the real world and don’t like to feel like they’re wasting their time.

Anyway, I think it’s fun. And I’m determined to beat Jen P. in this week’s game (it ends at midnight).