Loopt brings users closer to Facebook friends

Loopt, an early leader in location-based services, today announced it has integrated Facebook Places into its mobile check-in application. The application is available for iPhone and iPod touch.

Loopt users will now be able to seamlessly connect their Facebook profiles with the Loopt application. Through the connection, users will be able to not only see where their Facebook friends are on a map (see above), but also have dual check-in capabilities. For example, a user checking in to McDonald’s through the Loopt app will also have their location shown on Facebook Places. The Loopt app will also allow users to see their Facebook friends in their Loopt friend list.

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The company is one of the early leaders in the location-based space, but has seen a lot of competition from other companies. Gowalla, a check-in service, is already integrated with Facebook Places and continues to work on building out its partnerships, including recent scavenger hunt with NASA. While Foursquare’s chief executive and founder Dennis Crowley may still be deciding on Facebook Places and how it may work with the service.

However don’t count Loopt out just yet, the company continues to make waves with a recent major hire of mobile industry veteran and former senior vice president of mobile at Yahoo Steve Boom as its first president. In addition, Loopt recently launched Loopt Star, including its availability for Android users, which allows users to check-in to places and get rewards.

The Mountain View, Calif. based company, founded in 2006, has raised a total of $17 million from Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates. It was incubated by Y Combinator.