Foursquare unveils new app gallery

Measuring the apparent success of Foursquare is not only a question of keeping an eye on the amount of users that check-in on the app app – it passed the 40 million check-in mark earlier this week – but also a case of acknowledging the sheer amount of thirdparties that make use of its API.

Indeed, so widespread is this, that Foursquare has admitted it's finding it hard to keep a track of the number of apps out there using its platform.

Co-founder Dennis Crowley has said he knows of at least 100, but suggests the real figure may be somewhere in the region of 500.

Foursquare previously went on the hunt to tick-off apps using its API itself.

Inevitably, many slipped through the net, so its response has been to launch a rejuventated app gallery on its main site where developers can register their titles to be listed in true marketplace style.

"One of our goals since our API first launched was to create a space where we could feature your apps and make them easy for users to find," Foursquare explains on its blog.

"We did this with the first version of our app gallery, but soon realised that it wasn't flexible enough for you. With that in mind, we went back and thought about all your needs and where we want the apps community to go.

"Then we completely redesigned the app gallery. We're really excited about the way it came out."

Each app registered gets its own landing page with a custom URL developers can link back to for marketing purposes.

The page itself can then be populated with screenshots and custom download links, if the developer so chooses.

Foursquare admits it's still very much a work in progress, but given the problems some developers are expressing regarding rival Gowalla's API, it seems a wise move to keep those thirdparties loyal to the app close.

[source: TechCrunch]