Buddy Beacon jumps from Helio to iPhone, more

Buddy Beacon's creator uLocate today said its service was expanding to include several carriers and web services. Previously limited to Helio phones with a GPS device, the service willl soon let Alltel, Boost Mobile, MetroPCS, and Sprint users both update their positions and their current activities. The service should now also be available through the web: users can add an iPhone application as well as a Facebook tool for updating information across the popular social network.

uLocate does not say whether these third-party devices will use either GPS receivers or any other positioning techniques to provide updates, though it says it plans to expand the service and the number of third parties offering the service in future months. The web services are currently free, though the web version for the iPhone requires that users send an SMS text message to sign up for the application.