• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, April 2, 2010

What happens when social location meets the iPad? You can't exactly stick the thing in your back pocket as you "check in" at your favorite haunts around town. (Or can you?) With the release of its new Pulse app for the iPad, Loopt has revamped its geolocation service to be more of a city guide than a way to connect with friends on the go.

The new app is designed to push information to users about nearby events and venues based on their current location, complete with a new array of photos of places and things to do geared to the iPad's larger screen. It also includes content found in the original version from partners including Zagat, CitySearch, Microsoft's Bing, TastingTable and Metromix.

In a blog post Friday, Loopt CEO Sam Altman explained how the iPad turns Loopt into more of a planning than a tracking tool. "[The iPad] is the first device with an interface that makes photos the natural way to interact with information...it will sit somewhere between the mobility of a cell phone and a laptop and so we tried to design Loopt Pulse to fit that mode of functionality," he wrote. "[Loopt Pulse] is a great experience when you're sitting at home on a couch, it's a great experience when you're sitting at Starbucks trying to figure out where you're going to go next."

The new service is also integrated with Facebook via Facebook Connect so people can log in to share recommendations and RSVP to public events. Because it is less portable, the iPad would seem to favor more traditional online guides like CitySearch and Yelp rather than a game-focused service like Foursquare, which rewards users based on how often they check into local venues. Ditto for Gowalla.

Services like Loopt and Yelp have added check-in features to compete with the likes of Foursquare, but it could be harder for Foursquare to adapt to the iPad because people are not as likely to bring it to bars, restaurants and clubs like an iPhone. But it's hard to image the hottest social location service not creating an app for the hottest new device.