Look Out, Groupon: Facebook Debuts ‘Deals’

Groupon, Foursquare, Gowalla in trouble

(NEWSER) - Facebook rolled out some new mobile features yesterday, most notably “Facebook Deals,” a kind of mashup of Foursquare/Gowalla, and Groupon. Users can check in on Facebook Places and get location-sensitive deals from nearby merchants. The Gap, for example, will give out a free pair of jeans to the first 10,000 people who check in at one of its stores tomorrow, Fast Company reports. There will also be tools to allow third-party developers to make apps using Facebook’s location services. More»

Move should bode well for Groupon

(NEWSER) - Lots of bloodshed at Facebook this week: First 'Places' was axed . Now its four-month-old Groupon-competitor, 'Deals', is officially being killed off. "After testing Deals for four months, we've decided to end our Deals product in the coming weeks," explained Facebook in a statement sent to Reuters yesterday. "We think there is a lot of power in a social approach to driving people into local businesses. We've learned a lot from our test and we'll continue to evaluate how to best serve local businesses." More»

'Facebook Places' lets users find out where their friends are

(NEWSER) - Facebook users already know what their friends are doing, now they can find out where they're doing it. The social networking giant has unveiled its new "Facebook Places" location-feature, which allows users to "check in" to a location and post it onto their profiles, CNET reports. The feature lets users can "tag" people they're with and find out what's around them, Mark Zuckerberg said at a press conference at Facebook headquarters. More»

The scoop ahead of today's rumored launch

(NEWSER) - Looks like Facebook is a fan (ha!) of Foursquare . The social networking giant is expected to announce a Foursquare-inspired, location-based feature at today's press conference at HQ, reports BusinessWeek . Some things to consider ahead of the rumored launch:

• Purpose: The verdict is still out on whether Facebook's new offering will tap into the gaming model popularized by Foursquare, or just stick to sharing location details with friends, notes Reuters .

Test running in New Zealand only

(NEWSER) - Want to make sure your friends see your latest uber-important Facebook update? Now you can—if you live in New Zealand and are willing to drop a couple bucks. Facebook is testing a service in the country that allows users to pay between about 40 cents and $2 to highlight posts, the BBC reports. A user who spotted the offer and reported it to the media thought he was being conned at first. Nope, said a Facebook rep. More»