loopt

What's to look forward to in tech for 2011? Here are a few: Consolidation in enterprise computing, a check-in shakeout (Foursquare's Dennis Crowley pictured) and a surge in crowd-sourcing businesses.

In just one and a half years, Foursquare has taken social networking to a new level by offering geo-location services that allow users to notify their friends about where they are shopping, eating or drinking. And it hasn't gone unnoticed. CEO Dennis Crowley shares his thoughts on the recent launch of geo-location application Facebook Places.

Location-based services have seen rapid growth, with Foursquare in the lead. Facebook, wanting a piece of the action, has bought NextStop. The social travel recommendation site's location-based technology and engineering talent will be valuable to Facebook.

The idea may seem somewhat silly, but location-based services, such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt and others, are likely to become an enormous market. And investors are racing to get a piece of the action, which will escalate valuations.

Are you ready to trade your current location for a discount? If you are, there are plenty of retailers looking to take you up on the trade with coupons, special deals and more. Services like Foursquare, Loopt and Gowalla are in an arms race to sign up users, and in partnership with advertisers, are...